Your Czech friend no doubt was required to take Russian in school while walking past Red Army tanks on pedestals.
My Polish priest speaks English as a third language. I get an askance look when I speak Russian to him; their enmity goes back centuries.
My Polish priest speaks English as a third language. I get an askance look when I speak Russian to him; their enmity goes back centuries.
Worked for a few weeks in Slovakia immediately after the wall came down.
EVERY paper or sign or map or library display or poster or even the movie marques was written in three languages: Slovak - because that is what the people spoke.
Russian - Because the Russians coming in and running things did not trust the Slovaks to translate anything for them.
German. Because the East German Army was at the border ready to re-invade and kill any rebellion coming up. And the East German army did not want to trust any Slovak translators either!