A NEW ADDRESS
ŽIŽKOV, THE PRAGUE DISTRICT WHERE JESSICA
CURRENTLY RESIDES, IS A PLACE WITH A UNIQUE
ATMOSPHERE. HOUSES FROM THE TURN OF THE 19TH
AND 20TH CENTURIES MAKE UP A SIGNIFICANT PART OF
THIS DISTRICT. MOST OF THEM ARE SITUATED ON A HILL,
AND AS A RESULT, THE STREETS ARE NARROW AND STEEP.
CZECHS KNOW HOW TO LIVE
CHINESE MARKETING EXPERT AND MARTIAL ARTS FAN WORKS OUTSIDE HOMELAND FOR THE FIRST TIME
Xiaoyang Li
VMC – GLOBAL COMMUNICATION
CONTENT AND STRATEGY
She came to the Marketing Department in Prague
from ŠKODA China’s Beijing office, where she used to
work as eMobility Communication Brand Manager.
Called Jessica by all her colleagues and friends in the
Czech Republic, this young lady has been working at
the Marketing department in Prague since 1 January
and has been working for ŠKODA since 2015. Her
responsibilities here are not dramatically different from
those she had at ŠKODA China. “One of the aspects
I appreciate about my position here in the Czech
Republic is that I can apply more things in practice,
which is exactly what I missed in China”, she says.
CZECH IS DIFFICULT
EXCELLENT PUBLIC
TRANSPORT
SERVICE
When I arrived in the Czech Republic,
my first pleasant surprise was the
local public transport system. I tended
to avoid public transport in Beijing
because it is so crowded at rush hour.
Taking the underground or tram is
faster than going by car here, and it is
a comfortable alternative.
I have no communication problems with
my Czech colleagues: They all speak
English and are highly professional.
Sometimes I even feel that Czechs and
Chinese are similar in some respects.
Except for a word here and there,
I haven’t learnt any Czech so far. I find it
very difficult, but I don’t really have the
ambition to cope with it because my
contract is only for one year.
KICKBOXING IS
GREAT
“MY ADVICE
TO ANYBODY WHO IS
STARTING MARTIAL ARTS IS
THIS: BE CAREFUL, OTHERWISE
YOU MAY HURT YOURSELF!”
Over weekends, I like taking trips,
reading, meeting friends or just
relaxing. I live in Žižkov, which is a
district in Prague that is full of pleasant
cafés and restaurants. And I try to do
kickboxing three times a week. It is
similar to Thai boxing, which I used to
do in China. Unfortunately, I injured
my wrist a few weeks ago, so I had
to slow down a bit. But I still like this
sport; it makes me feel great after each
practice session.
GOODBYE TO
HOMELAND
A simple equation (Czech Republic =
home of ŠKODA AUTO) was enough for
Xiaoyang Li to travel to the other side
of the globe and make Prague her first
international stop for a year.
WORK IS NOT
EVERYTHING
Czechs have a good sense of
humour, and they don’t spend all
their time at work – they seem to
balance their work and private lives
really well. They can enjoy evenings
with their families and friends,
spend time in parks, do sports, have
a cup of coffee or a glass of Aperol
in the garden, etc. In Beijing, most
people work too hard and let their
lives slip through their fingers.
JULY 2019 ŠKODA MOBIL 7