Souvenirs to Bring to Slovakia
Often times I am asked for some good ideas Americans can bring as gifts when going to Slovakia to visit relatives. I have also been asked for wedding gift ideas when attending a Slovak wedding, and once I was asked what would be a good souvenir to give a Slovak exchange student in the US who was leaving for home in a few weeks.
It’s difficult to advise people on what are good gifts. Everyone has their own ideas of what’s appropriate for their intended recipients. But for the sake of sharing my own thoughts on this, and some ideas that have worked (or not worked) in the past for gift giving things from America to my Slovak relatives, I thought I’d post.
And please, I’d love comments from people with suggestions of their own.
Slovaks are utterly shocked when they learn that I had never heard of Winnetou until I moved to Slovakia.
Cherry season is almost here (though it might be delayed due to all the heavy rain). Cherry trees can be found all across Slovakia. In fact, you have to know two words: čerešňa – cherry, and višňa – black cherry or sour cherry. I remember the first year I was teaching and students would bring me large bags of cherries. My teacher roommate and I could never finish them, even after making cherry cobblers and pies.
We’re back home in California after 7 weeks in Slovakia. We had a wonderful time, but of course it’s always nice to come back home.
Last week I was in Bratislava for the day, checking out many of the new changes to the city, visiting friends, and doing a little shopping. Since I was coming from another town by bus, I took public transportation all day and realized that it can be a little daunting if you are a foreigner and don’t know what to do.
My husband’s grandpa gave him a bottle of homemade palenka. I wasn’t sure exactly how to describe palenka so I looked it up in Wikipedia:
Those of you who have traveled and shopped in other parts of the world where the systems of measurements and units are different know that you sometimes have a double challenge: asking for what you want in the local language and knowing how much to ask for. Converting the different kinds of measurements can take some getting used to, but obviously this gets easier with time and practice. Slovakia utilizes the metric system, the same as other European countries.
For many of us, genealogy is fascinating. It allows us to get in touch with our own personal histories and to pass it along to others. For some, visiting the land where their ancestors lived becomes part of the genealogy experience. Walking the land where ancestors lived and visiting cemeteries may bring one closer to family than a piece of paper ever could. And if there is still living family to meet and visit, the experience can be extremely exciting and emotional.
Nut-roll koláč is probably the most commonly-known Slovak dessert. For me it had become a mountain to climb and conquer. Why? Making good koláč is not easy, at least it’s not easy for me. To get the dough just right you have to know what you are doing and that takes experience. Additionally, any time you are dealing with yeast things get exponentially more complicated. For me the risk that my entire attempt may be sabotaged by uncooperative yeast always looms.
Jan Kocur – A Story of Slovak Pride, American Patriotism, & the Golden Age of the Slovak League of America
Today marks the 70th anniversary of the beginning of World War II, a fight against Nazism and totalitarianism that cost the lives of more than 50 million and destroyed the lives of many millions more. A 
Art is not doing its job unless it gets an emotional response from you. I’ve heard that said once and if that is indeed the definition of art, then the sculpture to be officially revealed later this week in Brussels, done by a Czech artist in honor of the rotating Czech presidency, is a great success.
December 6 is the feast of Mikuláš. It’s not a holiday but it’s ranked high by most children in Slovakia as a special day to look forward to. Children often wake up to finding a chocolate figure or some other small gifts in their shoes that have been cleaned the night before. It’s also common to receive peanuts or tangerines if they are available in stores. If someone has not been a good boy or girl they might receive a potato or a wooden spoon in place of the good stuff. Traditions vary from region to region.
It’s that time of year when the Christmas markets around Europe are starting. In the five years I lived in Slovakia, I’ve visited vianočné trhy – Christmas markets in Bratislava and Nitra but almost all the larger towns and cities will have one, usually from the weekend beginning with Advent until December 24th.
In just a few days U.S. law is going to change that will effect Slovaks. On November 17 the U.S. is ending travel visa requirements for citizens of Slovakia, Czechia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia, and South Korea. After this date Slovaks will be able to travel to the U.S. without having to apply for a visa first.
Today is Veterans Day. If you know a bit about the history of Veterans Day, you may know that its purpose is to raise awareness of the past and continuing contributions of those who have served in the Armed Forces. Veterans Day originally came from Armistice Day, which was the signing of the Versailles Treaty by the Central Powers (including Germany, Austria-Hungary, and Ottoman Turkey) and the Entente Powers (including Britain, France, the U.S. and Russia), which took place on the 11th day of the 11th month in 1918. This Veterans Day marks the 90th anniversary of the end of World War I.
Exactly 40 years ago to the day, on August 21, 1968, Soviet tanks rolled into Czechoslovakia in a concerted effort to put down 
When it comes to the Olympics and tallying up medals by country, it all depends on your perspective. Is it the total number of medals won? Or the number of golds won? Or if medals were points, such as bronze one point, silver is two, and gold is three, the total point count? Or is it another method entirely?