LivinginBrno

Brno, the second-largest city in the Czech Republic, is home to a diverse and thriving community of foreign families from around the world. In recent years, the number of expatriates living and working in Brno has risen significantly, with people from countries like the UK, Germany, Russia, and the US, among others, choosing to make this city their home. Statistics indicate that as of 2021, there are over 15,000 foreign nationals living in Brno, with the majority of them being employed in the city's booming IT and engineering sectors. The city's strong economic growth, affordable cost of living, and high quality of life have made it an attractive destination for expatriates looking to advance their careers and start new families. For many foreign families in Brno, work is not the only thing on their minds. They also have plenty of opportunities to enjoy their free time and explore the city's many cultural attractions, such as its numerous museums, theatres, and music venues...

 Comfort is good. Being able to enjoy, relax and thrive in your living space is desirable. However, when I am too comfortable, I tend to also become lazy. I think not much value comes out of too much coziness. No one actually made great achievements by being all the time in their comfort zone. Being too comfortable, at times has its price.  In time we learnt to live in a small place. A big family in small house. A house full of children. A small garden filled with joy and all the noises that childhood bears. A tree where kids can climb and imagine they are what their hearts desire. Maybe they feel like Mowgli, I want to think. Seeing them grow in this small but lovely place is all I ever wanted and what makes us parents fulfilled and happy. Who doesn't want to fully sip from the cup of happiness, joy and wholeheartedly live these precious moments that might be the best years, after all.  The reality is not everyone affords a house nowadays, or maybe I have the wrong view ...

I gathered all details and necessary documents for requesting a refund from insurance company VZP and will summarise all steps here, on the blog, for future reference and easy use. Is possible to request an yearly maximum of 2000 czk from the VZP klub, under the mother section - this includes also vaccinations, special dietary needs, exercise during pregnancy, dental hygiene or the initial screening during first trimester. In my case, I will submit a request for the initial screening and this tutorial is how I did it using the czech postal services. As you know, you may request it by post or in person at closest VZP branch. Is not guaranteed that money will be refunded but they usually do it, withing 1 month - at least in all my previous applications the money were refunded. It helps a lot, as the 2nd or 3rd trimester special morphological screenings are not covered by insurance, so at least you can cover one of the 3, in case you go for all special screenings. With my first 2 boys, we...

Before even thinking to start typing an email to that real estate agency for renting a place in Brno, take the time to sit back and relax for a little. To think. What are you searching for? How do you choose and find a place to rent in Brno? Here are my tips, feel free to add more to your own list or use them as a starting point: 1. First, plan your budget and state your maximum  (not here on my blog but to your own attention and notes) - how much are you willing to pay for renting a place in Brno? Write the number down and take into consideration an 8-10 % yearly increase because of the energy recalculation that are counted every 12 months. It might be minus 8-10 %, for us it was always plus (we cook a lot at home, work from home and so on). To that, the landlord might increase yearly around 2% but that is always negotiable and must come with real improvements to the living space. Always try to negotiate 2. Brno is divided into 29 city districts - use online information like...