Everything I heard about Czech was WRONG!!PRO BUSKER report

[SuDz]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(MeTurk @ Sep 7 2006, 06:09 AM) [snapback]138702[/snapback]</div>

I never had any problems in Prague, even the hooker that stole my phone one night while I was walking down the street gave it back to me and said sorry.
[/b]

That sounds like an awesome story.

SuDZ

[expatben]

This all remindes me of my 8 weeks in Poland. Now, I am European and have lived in Europe for 12 or so years. I have been around especially Britain, France, Netherlands, Belgium, Germany and Spain and had considered myself a bit of an expert on Europe...then I went east and I can say it was nothing like I had expected. I did however try and learn a little Polish both before abd during my stay, it was hard but I felt I should. And yeah I mean sometimes I got a little annoyed and found my self saying "back in _______ this never happens" but its like that wherever you go. You get over the differences, truth is I like cultural "oddities", gives me something to talk about.
I think maybe you were stressed and perhaps we all got off on the wrong foot but I will give you 1 piece of advice-don't take on Omi, Jake or guys like them because they will win.

[juliagulia]

tumbleweedz, i gain more and more respect for you each and every single day

[travelpunk]

Mannshand,

I don't want to appear like a school principal and reprimand you. Instead I will offer you a different outlook.

I learned a long time ago that "Your attitude determines your altitude."

You are free to choose your outlook on life. If you choose to continue to look at the negative aspects of each country you visit, what joy is there in traveling? You will learn to hate most countries and your dominant memories of those countries will be sour and laced with negativity.

Your outward behavior is a manifistation of what's really brewing inside of you. If your inward reality is infested with negative thoughts and hatred, surely people will feel that energy and steer clear of you. How helpful would you be to someone who came up to you with a bad attitude?

A few years ago, a friend called me to say hi. I hadn't spoken to him in 6 months because he got engaged and traveled with his fiance. I was literally sitting in my bedroom depressed and penniless because earlier that afternoon I had rear ended someone and totaled my car! I needed a car because I was frantically searching for another production job on a tv show and a car is a MUST as a production assistant!

So there I am, a struggling method actor in training trying to get by doing production work, depressed and had ZERO cash and no one to borrow from that I didn't already owe money too. My friend calls out of the blue, asked why I was depressed and after hearing that I was car-less, offered to give me his old Honda Prelude for- free. I was floored! I said "I thought you sold that a long time ago?" He said "No. I almost did. Someguy came and checked it out and offered full price ($2,500), but I didn't take it BECAUSE HE HAD A BAD ATTITUDE."

He wasn't hurting for money and would have sold it for less money to someone who was more appreciative and grateful to be receiving such a fine piece of machinery. In the end, many months later, he ended up giving it to me- for free. Yes, I had a great attitude and I was most certainly grateful for his generosity and will always interpret that as a miracle. And someday, I'm gonna hook him and his family up- good (although he doesn't know it yet, but I reckon it will be soon).

People want to help. If you spend a few moments on these boards to peruse a few topics and forums you will easily learn the candor and vibe of the people in this community.

Can you imagine where we would be with 6,000 members starting their topics like this- "I hate the Czech Rep..." "France sucks!" "Australians are not helpful!" We would be going no where fast if everyone had that attitude.

You must BE the change you want to see. Your mind can play tricks on you. It will think what you tell it to think. If you say that "This place sucks!" then it will surely suck. If you say, "This place is beautiful and I'm so lucky to be here," and feel that deep down inside, then you will feel lucky and and that good feeling will put a smile on your face and perhaps a few people just may go out of there way to help you get what you want.

Be grateful that you don't have to slave away for an employer only to live paycheck to paycheck and saving every little bit here and there to hopefully one day have enough money to travel somewhere, IF your boss gives you the time off.

You are doing it, man! You have seen more of this planet than MOST people will EVER see in their lifetime. That is a fact.

Be grateful that your only challenges are to learn a few phrases in whatever country you travel too like expat and tumblesweedz did and had a great time, and to earn enough money to survive by doing what you enjoy doing.

Embrace the opportunities that surround you each and every day. If you don't see them, then you are are not looking hard enough. Because with an open and grateful heart, they are there, no matter what country you are traveling to.

Look at Stevie Wonder, Hellen Keller, Ray Charles, Stephen Hawkings. These people had plenty of reasons to be negative, but they chose to walk forth in the opposite direction despite their handicaps.


Good luck to you and your travels and I hope that things turn out better for you.


"People are about as happy or as sad as they make up their minds to be." - Abraham Lincoln

[mannshands]

MeTurk and ExPatBen, thanks for the support. This site's enforced conformity was making me ill. A good mosh is just what it needed! All the thin skin...and delicate egos, tear 'em down. Twenty somethings thinking they are experts, twisting my words, spouting ideas they borrowed from the latest feel-good book. What we need is clear communication to trade ideas, not artificial barriers and people holding on to obsolete methods. This is development and the way of the future, and it accellerates every minute. I hooked up with a group of 6 Belgian polyglots(french/german/dutch/english fluent plus dialects). They complain more than me....they said Cesky was more language flexible, but they still are hurrying to get to a place where cooperation is favored over [b]LANGUAGE FACISM(their term).
By the way, playing instruments in Spain without a hard to get permit(I had one for Barca last year)is illegal and they will take your instrument. The permit only gets you a 2hr slot once a week if you win the weekly lottery for 23 possible slots . There are only 300 permits annually. Any stories that say otherwise are unique situations where they got lucky for an afternoon when the cops were busy. I used to make 50 to 100 euros a day working the plazas off the Rambla. No more. Other entertainers are permitted.
Omisan, nice self portrait. My Portugese Circus Punk buddies make you look rather dapper.
I have found that if you yell in German you get results. Yelling in German is punk anywhere!
Globe bookstore (prague's english community bookstore)is closed for renovations as of today.
I'm off to Serbia tomorrow.

[baomo]

it sounds like you didn’t research this trip very well. its narrow minded to expect things like money and language to conform to you.
you're a guest when traveling to a foreign country and some places are more conservative than others.

have fun in Serbia

[travelchick75]

I cant believe mannshands that after all the stuff that was said about this being a POSITIVE community you still find a way to make an ass of yourself. Who are you to think that you are any better of a traveller than anyone else on these boards. Just because your OLDER doesnt make your anymore of an expert nor a better traveller than the rest of us "twenty somethings". Omisan is a very experienced traveller and from his very first reply he has done nothing but respond with his experiences and offering advice wtih which you responded with contempt and pettiness. All your doing is making yourself look like a jerk. Conformity my ass. People like YOU are the reason American travellers are despised the world over. And another thing you should be aware of, this is a very tight knit, close community, these are postive boards, and if you decide to verbally attack another member your up for a fight. Just my two cents.

[omisan]

Here are some tips for Serbia, since currency and language have been an issue...

The currency is the dinar, but if you head south to Kosovo, they use the euro (but will accept the dinar as well). It's about 85 dinar to the euro.

The language is another Slavic tongue (sorry, I know hardly any other countries speak it!). It's a lot like Czech, so you might find it difficult.

hi = zdravo (z is pronounced like in English)
hello = dobra den
good evening = dobro vece (c is pronounced like ch)
thank you = hvala

Here's one that you might find particularly handy - in the semi-formal manner you'd use to address a cop or local bureaucrat:
Am I allowed to play music here? = Da li mi je dozvoljeno da sviram na ovoj lokaciji? (j is pronounced like y, c is pronounced like ts)

Possible responses: Da or Ne (you can figure those out, I'm sure)

Anyway, sorry for being a "language fascist" and bothering to learn this kinda shit. I know it's old-school and outdated and all, but I always found it handy to interact with the natives.

One more aside: If you're so punk, why are you so concerned about the busking rules? Schwachsinn!

[florencia9699]

Mannshands, I feel so sorry for you: your future seems so dark right now.... but oh well... try n' find an English speaking cop in Serbia!!!!

[noke_travel]

i'm thinking cage matches at the next tpunk meetup...i want to see omi in the octagon

[omisan]

Everyone knows I'm training to be a cage fighter...

[Esterina]

Ok, let's close this conversation here as everything has been said...

Mannshands, we all got your point of view. Enjoy Serbia.