CzechFolks.com

Článek v ČEŠTINĚ dole (Klikněte na “Read the rest …”)

Exactly 20 years ago, Eva Střížovská came up with a great idea that led her to the foundation of a magazine called Český dialog (Czech Dialogue). During that time Czechoslovakia became free of communism right after the Velvet Revolution. The country was going through major changes and its citizens were finally free to travel to almost any country in the world. As Czechs were able to travel abroad, the Czech emigrants had a chance to travel back to their home country. Here the magazine served its great purpose to help people to overcome barriers and differences between the Czechs at home and their countrymen that were artificially created by the Communists. Over the years, the magazine became very popular and it not only helped to overcome these differences, but it also led to foundation of the International Czech Club connecting Czechs around the world through cultural events, discussions, meetings and much more.

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Článek v ČEŠTINĚ dole (Klikněte na “Read the rest …”)

According to the Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs, about 260,000 foreigners are employed in the Czech Republic. More than one third of them work in the capital city, Prague. The statistics also include distribution according to each country. For example, 1,700 of the foreign workers come from the USA, 200 from Canada, and 160 from Australia that all either need or do not need a work permit. Foreigners are not the only ones seeking jobs outside of their home countries. Based on feedback that we have received and our own research, many young Czechs or Slovaks move abroad for studies or gaining professional expertise, and then they look for opportunities in their home countries. We have come across a portal that we will introduce to you that is a good source of information about new job postings but also employment statistics, employment offices, laws, and more.

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Článek v ČEŠTINĚ dole (Klikněte na “Read the rest …”)

Czech and Slovak Scouts had a tough past during communism and the Nazi regime. Their activities that taught young children democracy were prohibited. This youth organization is on the rise again and on the 24^th of April it celebrates a holiday for two main reasons. This day is dedicated to Svaty Jiri (St. George) in the calendar of Czech name days or Svaty Juraj in the Slovak calendar. The British funder of the scouts, Robert Baden-Powell, chose St. George as the scout’s patron saint for his good scouting qualities: faith, truthfulness, and dedication to help others. This day is also dedicated in remembrance of 18 Czech scouts that were executed at a Jewish cemetery in Poland. This holiday is, therefore, very significant for all young people with strong values and respect for others that fought for democracy in the past.

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Článek v ČEŠTINĚ dole (Klikněte na “Read the rest …”)

Our website was originally created to close the gaps between Czechs and Slovaks abroad and their home country. Little did we know, that it would also serve as an information source for other people that are interested in our country and people, or that the interest in our articles would be bidirectional - read by our countrymen in the Czech Republic or Slovakia. Our site is not, however, the only site that offers information about both of these countries. About six months ago, we discovered a site that offers exquisite information about Slovakia from the perspective of a foreigner, therefore, giving valuable information to everybody that is planning on visiting the country for fun or even business.

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Článek v ČEŠTINĚ dole (Klikněte na “Read the rest …”)

Helena Houdova is not only known as a Czech model but also as a philanthropist with a passion to help disadvantaged children around the world. Her charity named Sunflower Children is known around the world for helping many children thanks to the generous donations of people that attend her events and galas in many foreign countries: poker events, golf outings, film festivals and more. Just yesterday, Houdova started a new campaign right on the New York Times Square named Save a Baby from HIV, where people can text the word SUN to 90999 to donate $5 to her charity. The billboard depicts a woman holding a disadvantaged child with a very simple message to people willing to help. The woman on the image is the Czech model herself.

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Článek v ČEŠTINĚ dole (Klikněte na “Read the rest …”)

Today, we have a story that is somehow relevant to our Culture Shocks series. The article reminds us that you should not forget to distinguish things you learn in a foreign country. Just a simple date format that you re-learn abroad can cause a huge mistake that can even be very costly:

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Článek v ČEŠTINĚ dole (Klikněte na “Read the rest …”)

Today we came across an article in the Prague Daily Monitor (PDM) named “Half of Czechs say there are too many foreigners in ČR. ” The title immediately caught our attention. Today, there are almost 2 million Czechs living abroad. The largest numbers of Czechs live in the USA, the country of people from around of world that has for hundreds of years accepted people from many countries. On the other hand, the Czech Republic is still mostly composed of Czechs (about 94%), followed by Slovaks, Poles, Germans, Ukrainians, Vietnamese, etc. The influx of immigrants for 2009 is estimated to be about 1 per 1000 people = 10,200 foreigners. During communism, there was a very minor foreign immigration to the Czech Republic. Did the recently growing numbers of immigrants create a resistance to other cultures?

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Článek v ČEŠTINĚ dole (Klikněte na “Read the rest …”)

As we, Czechs living in the USA, Canada, England, Australia, etc. , are trying to assimilate in a new country, the expats in the Czech Republic are doing exactly the same. Today, English is spoken in many countries or it is taught as a second language. For example, 89% of students in the European Union learn English as their second language. We can’t say the same about the Czech language. It is not only rarely taught in Europe and other foreign counties, but it is also one of the hardest languages to learn. If we add our culture, customs, and traditions to this learning experience, we can talk about enormous culture shock and a tough life in the Czech Republic for any foreigner from around the world. Luckily, there are online resources to help others to learn about the country and life in the Czech Republic. The new Brno ExPats Forum does exactly that and it was created by two expats living and working in Brno.

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Článek v ČEŠTINĚ dole (Klikněte na “Read the rest …”)

Here is one personal story about Easter in the Czech Republic:

This Easter I was reminded of a trip to the Czech Republic during April of 1998. I remember sitting outside of the cabin at my relatives’ garden plot enjoying the warmer days after a pretty cold winter. My enjoyment was short lived when all of a sudden a group of young men approached our garden like an army commando and before I could take in the situation they were whipping my female cousin and her mom. I was completely in shock ready to defend them but when they began to douse them with water I soon realized that although they were screaming somehow they were not in peril from these would-be assailants.

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Článek v ČEŠTINĚ dole (Klikněte na “Read the rest …”)

The Czech national football team is going through a crisis. The recent elimination of six players and their coach, Petr Rada, may change the team appearance and its performance, but there may be more things that need to be fixed to make the team as strong as they used to be in the past. Why were these players sacked, and Rada dismissed? Does the Czech football team have a chance to get to the World Cup 2010 competition?

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Článek v ČEŠTINĚ dole (Klikněte na “Read the rest …”)

Finally, the “election fever” in Slovakia is over and the country can welcome its re-elected incumbent Ivan Gasparovic. As you may already know, Gasparovic was running for the Slovakian President post against Iveta Radicova. The first round of the election ended up with 46.71 percent of votes for Gasparovic and 38.05 percent for Radicova. The second election round resulted in the majority of the votes (55.53 percent) for the current president and 44.47 percent for his opponent.

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Článek v ČEŠTINĚ dole (Klikněte na “Read the rest …”)

We are starting a new series of articles to describe culture shock that we, Czechs and Slovaks, experience abroad. It is not easy to learn to understand different cultures and accepting them can seem impossible. Hopefully, our posts will make it easier for you to cope with different cultures and help you understand why things are the way they are. This will, however, require your input as well. One or two individuals can’t describe different situations that many of us may encounter while living abroad. Therefore, we hope that you all will help us to capture situations, experiences, and solutions related to culture shock.

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