The biggest shock? Turning down a cake
Alejandra Vazquez Varela from Mexico joined Škoda Auto years ago and now leads a team in Procurement. She told us what life is like for her in the Czechia. According to her, people here don't hug each other enough. On the other hand, you don't have to watch out for venomous snakes and spiders. And why did turning down a cake surprise her most here?
You Have to Ask for a Hug from a Czech
She studied industrial engineering in Mexico, worked for Volkswagen for years and got to know Europe as a child, when her father used to come here on business trips. She joined Škoda Auto as a specialist, and today she already leads one of the teams. "It took me a while to understand that saying no doesn't offend anyone here, quite the opposite," says Alejandra.
At a new address
Alejandra Vazquez Varela
Coordinator, BZW/2 –
Value Engineering – Exterior
Favourite place
When her parents came to visit, she headed to her favourite Český Krumlov. She doesn't seek out nature much on her own, though: "In Mexico we have poisonous snakes and spiders, so you don't just go into the woods as easily as here. I'm still careful here, even though I know nothing is going to jump out at me."
You don't just walk into the woods in Mexico, so I'm careful in the Czech Republic too.
Give me a hug!
In Mexico, colleagues commonly hug and greet each other with a kiss on the cheek, even at work. Alejandra still hasn't got used to the difference in the Czech Republic. "When a colleague just shook my hand on my birthday for the first time, it was a shock for me. I have to ask for a hug from Czechs – it happens about once in a blue moon."
In Mexico, we would never say no to a piece of cake someone baked and offered us. I've learned to say no. Nobody minds. It's a relief.
My wildest experience in the Czech Republic? One day our boss brought three pieces of cake into the office. He offered one to a colleague, and she said, "No, thank you." I found that terribly rude – after all, the boss was thinking of her! I myself would never say no. It was only later that I realised there's nothing wrong with it here.
A careful driver
Alejandra only got her driving licence in the Czech Republic – it took her two years to gather both the courage and the money. "In Mexico, the rules are more like recommendations, but here people actually follow them. And I still can't believe that I really don't have to stop on a main road. But I still do it anyway, you never know."
Czech drivers are careful, Mexican drivers are rather bold.
You know Mexico
A big and pleasant surprise for her was how much Mexican food she could find in the Czech Republic – and all year round, not just as a one-off promotion. "I sent home a photo of Mexican hot sauce on a shop shelf, and nobody back home believed me. And the Mexican restaurants here cook so well that for two hours I really feel like I'm back home."
Mexican hot sauce in a shop? Nobody back home believed that.
What I miss most
Besides her family, it's the food from her native Puebla and the weather there. "I miss chile en nogada the most – a traditional delicacy made only in summer: a pepper stuffed with meat, fruit and a walnut sauce in the colours of the Mexican flag. I've already told my parents to save me one in the freezer for Christmas."
I miss chile en nogada the most. My parents keep one for me in the freezer.