You really can't make this stuff up!

She only has to open her mouth for everyone to know she’s not from around here. But that accent… is it Slovak? Ukrainian? British? South African? Tahitian? Yes – one person was convinced that her “peculiar accent” was from Tahiti. Not even close. Ani Petrak is American. And she brought her American free-spiritedness (ahem, naive optimism) and determination (ahem, stubbornness) with her when she left the land of the free and the home of the brave more than ten years ago to start the next chapter of her life in the heart of Europe. She learnt the Czech language and culture using the ancient teaching method of “in at the deep end”. While trying not to drown, she collected a series of stories – about politicians, athletes, homeless people, stalkers, misogynists, librarians, teachers, and also about some of the most generous people on planet Earth. Fortunately, she’s also healthily headstrong, she’s not lacking in Czech humour, and at the same time, she has remained true to the fighting spirit of her homeland. And so, she has carved out a place for herself in the Czech basin. She wrote a book of columns about some of her experiences and is sure that after reading them, you will agree: You can’t make this stuff up!