marriage

Emily Prucha is a writer for the Prague Daily Monitor but she is also married to a Czech man. In her recent article Emily describes communication skills (or the lack of) of her Czech husband Radek. Listen to this:

CZ: Emily Pruchova je dopisovatelka pro Prague Daily Monitor a je take vdana za ceskeho muze. Ve jejim nekdejsim clanku popisuje Radkovi ‘zvlastni’ komunikacni vlastnosti – jeji postrehy jsou vskutku velmi zajimave:

‘From the beginning of our relationship, I knew that Radek and I had strikingly different temperaments. Still, it took us several years to realize that many of our arguments resulting from miscommunications had as much to do with our cultural upbringings as our individual personal traits. In many cases, some of my husband’s most admirable attributes are the ones that strike the greatest discord when we disagree. It’s highly likely, that the same goes for me. Early on in our dating days Radek and I went to a sporting goods store so I could look for new running tights. He helped me pick out a few pairs, and I went into the dressing room to try them on. When I modeled them for his approval, I was shocked and hurt when he honestly replied, “They are no good. You have short legs and the pants make your legs look even shorter.” Tearful, I fled the dressing room and the shopping trip was aborted. A few minutes later my Czech girlfriend who witnessed the scene tried to calm me down by saying Radek wasn’t trying to be insensitive, and that she understood why I was upset, but that she also understood Radek’s perspective. While there have been many times since that moment, that I have truly appreciated Radek’s directness, this was one of the times that I hated the Czech propensity for honesty.
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