About
January 12, 2008
Hi, my name is Tanja and I am the creator of this blog. I have been living in the United States since 1998 and for about past 2 years I have had an itch to be helpful to society. I thought about going back to school and becoming a nurse – but I hate blood; I thought about getting a teaching credential – but I hate brats; I even thought about becoming a firewoman – but I am terribly scared of heights. And fire for that matter. Then, one evening I had a revelation: CZECHMATE DIARY! THAT’S IT! If you want to read more about my life click here, otherwise here it is in a nutshell:
Czechmate diary is created specifically for two reasons:
1. to connect and re-connect the Czechs and Slovaks with their Bohemian roots
2. to conquer the world via Bohemian influences
What will it do for you:
1. it will entertain you
2. it will educate you
3.it will feed you – Czech style (i.e. recipes)
4. it will find you a Czech buddy to chat with
Ahoj,
jmenuji se Tana a jsem tvurcem tohoto blogu. Ziji v US jiz od roku 1998 a jiz dlouhou dobu jsem mela nutkani, ze bych mela byt te nasi spolecnosti nejak uzitecna. Ale jak? Premyslela jsem o zdravotnictvi, ale ja nesnasim krev; premyslela jsem o oboru ucitelskem - bohuzela ale nesnasim zlobive haranty. Nebo ze bych byla pozarnikem (nebo tedy pozarnici, pardon)? Ja se ale bojim vysek a vlastne ohne taky…..A pak jsem na to prisla! No preci Czechmate diary! Cesi vsude na svete, at ziji kde ziji, si skrze Czechmate diary budou moci uchovat jejich rodne koreny a kulturni dedictvi. Jestlize se chcete dozvedet vice o mem zivote, kliknete zde.
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I really appreciate the intent behind this blog!
It is great for us who have been away from the Czech republic for so long to have a way to reconnect a bit through this site.
The name is great too. Czechmate. Checkmate? Check-it-out mate!
good recipes - i am a baker by trade and would love to add some czech breads to my list (obviously have a czech background by my last name). which would you pick as best of the best?
Hi Mr. Vesely,
It’s funny that you say that since I have had just the hardest time with finding a good Czech bread recipe!! I finally just gave up…for now. I would definitely love to hear some tips from you though - the professional! What Czech baking goods is your specialty??
I went to Praha in 2007 and loved it. I came across this site because i wanted to find out what city the bone church is in. There was also a gigantic church near the bone church, but they didn’t let the public take pictures inside. I could just remember these big angel statues on each side that looked down into the main seating area. What kind of church was it? What was the name of the city its in?
Oh ya, and all the woman there are beautiful.
Hi Andy,
It may have been the church of St. Barbara (on the top of the city) or the “Monastic Church of The Assumption of Our Lady” (I know, a long name). That church is close to the Bone church. Kutna Hora is definitely one of my favorite Czech towns; it’s beautiful, inexpensive and - compared to Prague - with very few tourists
Ahoj Tanjo,
Hledala jsem ceskou webstranku, ktera driv existovala, ale nevim co se s ni stalo. Mosto toho jsem nasla tvoji web site. Co tady v Atlante delas?
Tak co uz ses rozhodla cim budes az budes velka?
Petra
Ahoj Petro!
To jsem rada ze jsi nasla muj blog. A jaka webovka uz neexistuje? Ja nejsem z Atlanty ale z Kalifornie.
PS: rozhodla jsem se byt astronautem
Tak az vsechny ty moje deti vyrostou (nynejsi a budouci), tak se vystrelim na mesic.
Ahoj Tanjo,
Super blog!
Hele nevys nejaky cesky restourace v Atlante? No tak jako jsem nemjel knedlycky asi 10 let! Jsem zil v Praze 4 roky (94-97). Dekuji. Cau!
Dino
Ahoj Dino,
Dik!
Atlanta has a Czech restaurant called “PRague in motion” (google it for directions, it comes up first) and a Slovak restaurant called “Stefan off the Square”. I haven’t been to any of them - yet - so I can’t tell you how the “knedlicky” taste like there but I am sure it’s good! Let me know!
But if you sign up to this blog via e-mail you get a e-book which has - among other amazing things - also a list of Czech restaurants all over the US (and Canada and Australia AND New Zealand)!!
Hello: I was so happy to find your website. My family ancestry is Czech, although I don’t know much about the family tree. When I try to explain to people that I am part Bohemian, they just laugh…thinking it’s a joke! I do remember the wonderful foods that my grandmother and aunts would make…Zelli Knedlicky, and of course, those wonderful Christmas cookies! I would love to stay connected to my Czech roots….thanks for all the info!
Hi Diane! I am so happy that you are happy that you found my website :))
I know, the word “Bohemian” is kind of weird; not only it now means something totally different than the original meaning of it but the geographical area of what it used to be called Bohemia covers only about 2/3 of the current Czech Republic .So when you say you are Bohemian people do not necessarily connect that with the Czech Republic (or as you said, they just think that you are joking). I should make a post about this word….very soon…
Tanja,
Thanks again. I will have to go and drop in to Stefan’s and check it out. FYI: Prague in Motion burned down and now is for lease.
Cya!
Dzień dobry,
My name is Agnieszka. I stumbled upon your blog with help from a coworker after finding Jozin z Bazin - it’s beautiful! Your blog, that is. I was wondering if you know of any current blogs created by young Poles?
Thank you in advance.
Dobry dzień.
Agnieszka
Dobry Den Agnieszko!
Unfortunately I am not aware of any Polish blogs out there. Have you tried places like Facebook or MySpace? Just put “polish blog” in the search box I am sure you will find plenty of them
Or maybe you could start one??
I noticed there was alot of talk of Czech baked goods… couldn’t interest you in some homemade Kolaches by chance? Making a batch to bring into work for tomorrow. (Learned how to make them from my Mom who is Czech)
I think Prague in Motion is closed. The location seemed deserted when I went to look for it the other night.
Hi Bill, thanks for the update. And thank you for offering me your kolace! I just made my own batch though so we are good…thank you so much!!!
cau! tak kdy pujdem na kafe?? Carol
Czesc Angniezska. Ja tez kocham perle czeskiej kultury :”Jozin z Bazin”…. Moji dzeci, zwlazscza
moj syn niemal zwariowal, po tym jak uslyzsal ta piosenke. Teraz moj syn jest rzeczywisce pysznym Czechiem :))) — Me too love the gem of Czech culture “Jozin z Bazin”… My children, specially my son almost went crazy, after having heard this hit. Now my son is a really proud Czech :)))))))
Hi Tanja,
I enjoyed reading your biography where you describe in great details the slave work on potate fields:)) They are all over the Prague! By me finding your blog, you brought a new hope for my Czechness
My son tried to explore his Czech heritage by organizing some meetups with Czech people and after a while he got disgusted by all the negativity the Czech attendees were spreading around, that he told me : “Never again”….and then he told me in Swedish :”Jag ar so glad att jag ar en Amerikanare” 
(I am so happy to be American)….
I know, you have a bad experience with old , beer drinking Czech guys wo attended the meetings…sorry, I am not exactly young either , I love beer, but I hate negativity and passivness.
By the way, I believe in giving back to community as well as you do by doing the work you do.
My blog is http://Ironglue.wordpress.com (When Czechs will dominate the world, the blog will get translated to Czech language :):)
I am glad you are starting to see a new light at the end of this dark Czech tunnel
Make your son read all of the posts and then let’s see how he feels…
Tanja,
Ever since I found your site while searching for a recipe on koprova omacka, I keep stopping by every few days to check out the updates. I have added your link to my site as I find your stories and articles an absolute riot. They give me hope that maybe one day I too will find my balance between being totally home sick ( missing Koprivnici ) and living with my husband and son here in the USA.
Wishing you and your family the best luck !
Thank you,
Zuzana
What I don’t understand is, why are you people “homesick”, specially if you have spouses with you, children and everything else you need..
I have been living and worked or studied in 6 countries and I never was that lucky as you to be homesick.. After when the “iron curtain” fell down, I rushed to visit my homeland and quite soon I rushed back :))
But it is not to say that I am not a proud Czech..on contrary, I am trying to be a good ambassador of my Bohemian tribe ..;)
Actually, “I have a dream” …and it is to become King of the Czech Valley… I am already working on King-soon-to-become promisses…
musim se smat… hledam recept na nase karbenatky a narazim na tyhle stranky. Rada si ctu o osudech lidi v zahranici. Je to super a moc za to dekuju. Vsem preji prijemne velikonocni svatky a pohodovy zivot za velkou louzi.
Jana, London
Ahoj jano,
Vitej! A zdravim Cechy v Londyne! Vidis, karbanatky se pecou po celem svete
Ahoj Jano,
zavidim ti ty “cozy” (u vas se to asi pise “cosy”) puby … Londyn je hezke mesto, akorat , jednou jsem nasoupil do autobusu a on jel nespravnym smerem po nespravne ceste…..”God save the Queen!” and Happy Easter …..
Je mi lito, ze se nas president nepoklonil kralovne az ke kolenum, kdyz to udelal pred Saudskymi vladci :))) Ale zato kralovnu nase Michelle poplacala pratelsky po zadech….:))
Jano,
a propos karbanatky….Zajdi si do McDonalds a mas to i s houskou ….
I am embarrassed to admit it but I do like McDonalds….Karbanatky or a Big Mac….hmmm….though choice….I think I will stay patriotic and pick karbanatky…..(and eat BigMack somewhere in secret)
Diky za privitani. Musim rict, ze Londyn je krasny, na jare a v lete jeste krasnejsi. Ovsem to pocasi je neustale disgusting a cloveka to po nejake dobe dost ubiji. Mimochodem karbenatky jsou zdarne za mnou
Ahoj. Jsem Favor, namibijec, ktery vyrostl a studoval v Ceske Republice. Cestinu uzivam jako matersky jazyk a chtel bych tady v Namibii zridit interakcni platformu pro Cechy, kteri do Namibie jezdi. Ceskou kuchyn tady nekdo tezko najde
a jsem si jisty, ze by si na karbanatkach kdejaky Cechacek pochutnal :-). Je nas tu par co Cestinu umi, i kdyz nekteri uz pomalu zapominaji. Vystudoval jsem Rehabilitaci ale jeste nejsem zamestnany.
Hned po statnicich (2005) jsem jel do Namibie (kde nyni jsem), kde jsem marne hledal zamestnani. Hned jsem skocil po prvni nabidce prace v CR, kde jsem kratce (3 mesice) pracoval ve specialnim skolstvi, pak mesic jako operator na letisti Ruzyni v Call Centru. Cesi, kteri se do Namibie chystate, ozvete se: lucmus959083@yahoo.com.
Ahoj Favore,
tva cestina nema chybu!!!!
Hi ya’ll. Well, to be homesick is, I guess, quite normal. I’m not Czech by blood but certaintly by spending a lotta time there (childhood) I certainly am :-). I now speak better Czech than I speak my tribal language Oshiwambo (I’m Namibian, yep an African). There are milions upon millions of people on the face of the earth and we’re definitely bound be different, so if you don’t miss your home country, no one should get mad at you for that :-).
Diky, Tanjo.
Zrovna vcera sem dorazila trojice Cechu se kterou snad dnes, nebo zitra budu. Aspon si procvicim cestinu.
No jo, musel jsem odmalicka prerikavat “triatricet stribrnych strikacek…” a znat vyjmenovana slova :- ) :-). Jeprece skoda tohle vsechno vypustit z hlavy, ne?
Prijemne stranky, ja jsem to tu nasla kdyz jsem hledala tricko s ceskym motivem… ty recepty jsou super… Dasa, Quebec, Canada
Ahoj Daso,
jsem rada, ze se ti stranky libi! Pozdravuj Cechy v Kanade
cool blog
I’m Italian but I’m becoming half czech because of the big amount of time I spend in czech republic….my boyfriend is czech:)I’m also learning czech, is a beautiful language 
Hi Rachel,
I used to study Italian and I think that Italian is the most beautiful language on Earth
(Io amo la lingua l’italiana)
Ahoj Tanja, alebo Tana?:)
ja zijem v USA 6 rokov, najprv 3 roky v NY, kde som vystudovala Business Administration, teraz sme sa natrvalo zabyvali v Illinois, kde som pred mesiacom ukoncila studium Manazmentu. Moj manzel tu zije 16 rokov, je tiez Slovak. Od mamky mam recepty na vsetky slovenske jedla a svokra mi zo Slovenska posiela casaky s receptami, varim kazdy druhy den, tak aspon mam inspiraciu. Slovenska kultura mi nechyba, nakolko som sa vydala za Slovaka, doma hovorime slovensky a stravujeme sa po slovensky:) Jedine, co nam chyba, je rodina.
Tvoj blog je super. Drz sa!
Ahoj Lenko!
Mas pravdu, je to samozrejme Tana (Tatana) ale tak aby tomu jmenu rozumneli i cizinci…ale pak je to spelovane s “j” coz je dalsi problem…no proste o tom musim jednou napsat….je to prihoda.
To je super ze ti slovenska kultura nechybi a se Skypem ti ani tak moc nechybi rodina??
Diky moc za povzbuzeni, to cloveka vzdycky potesi…a komentuj, komentuj!!!
Lenka, rodina se objevi, ani o tom nebudes vedet …
Videla jsi tu mapu sveta ocima Americana?
Ja uz jsem rad, ze to mam za sebou a konecne jsem volny jak ptak (deti odeltly uz z hnizda)….
Uvidis ten nadherny pocit, jak budes pozorovat, ze tve deti se usepsne v zivote uchytili a trochu te bude mrzet, ze jsou vic Americani nez ty ….
Pro me deti je Evropa zemi, kde zije drak srsici ohen
s tim srsicicm drakem jsi me nejak dostal Vlastimile….co tim myslis?
Tanja, si velmi zlata, ze si mi tak promptne odpisala. Viem si predstavit tvoje trable s menom. Mne nastastie nikdy meno neskomolili. Manzel je Rasto a bol uz aj Erazdo, ako taky Spaniel. Haha. Co dnes varis?:) Som velmi rada, ze existuje Internet, to vies, moji rodicia sa dokonca naucili emailovat a podobne, maju 69 a 65 rokov, ale ide im to lepsie ako mnohym mladym:)
Vlastimil, pod tou chybajucou rodinou som nemyslela deti, tie este zatial neplanujeme, ale rodicov a surodencov. Ja mam len trochu obavy, kde dat buduce deti do skoly. Hned za rohom mame krasnu skolu (strednu), ale na jej webstranke som si pozrela curicculum a je to veeeelmi zle - studenti maju len 5 predmetov rocne a iba jeden rok matiky a fyziky! Aj ked Americania maju napriklad PhD. z ivy league schools (poznam takych), tie zakladne vedomosti im chybaju a ja nechcem, aby moje deti boli hlupacikovia. Ako ste to riesili so skolami vy?
Mapu sveta ocami Americana som nevidela.
Tak jsem tu mapu nasel…. je tady :
http://www.rednecks.info/world-map.html
Musim se priznat, mi ta mapa docela staci, abych se mohl orientovat :))
My kdyz jsme se pristehovali do USA, moje deti (dcera a syn) hned zacali chodit do high school… asi po pul roce jsem se od syna dozvedel, ze vubec nerozumi, co ta ucitelka rika, a nejlepsi na tom bylo, ze zadny ucitel si nevsimnul, ze syn neumi anglicky… Za dalsi dva mesice obe moje deti byly “honour students”… Z jedne strany si myslim, ze je to spravne, ze se deti nepretezuji predmety, ktere je nezajimaji a nebudou v zivote potrebovat… Kdyz se to tak vezme, chytrych lidi moc zapotrebi neni…
Jde o to , vychovat co nejprumernejsi lidi, kteri budou schopni uvedomele konzumovat… A v tom tkvi ta vyhoda systemu, ktery se mi tak libi…Kdyz jses trochu chytrejsi, zalezi jen na tobe, co se naucis a v zivote dokazes…Pristuk k vedemostem je tady v USA velice dobry, a zalezi jen na rodicich, aby deti tak “trochu” doma doucovali (ja detem vtloukal do hlavy matematiku a fyziku), ale ke cteni knizek jsem je nedonutil…. Kdyby byl kazdy chytry a vzdelany, tak z koho by Obama delal blbce ?
Ten muj zert s tou mapu sveta neberte moc vazne, ja sam uz jsem taky American, a jsem tomu rad…
A my Americani si ze sebe umime delat legraci
No a samozrejme suhlasim aj s tvojomi uvahami:)
Lenko, to je samozrejme, ze souhlasis
A este pracujes alebo si uz na dochodku?
I LOVE THIS MAP!!!!! it is hillarious!!! Once again - posting material for this blog :))
Lenko, jestli se ptas me, tak bohuzel jeste pracuju …
Prace je moderni otrokarstvi, bohuzel… prace ve velkych mezinarodnich korporacich “sucks”, ale odnekud ty penize musim brat, abych si mohl platit opravy auta, ktere nefunguje vzdy, kdyz to nejmin potrebuju…
Mozna bych se radsi mel stat pekarem, mym snem je mit svuj pivovar…
Do me vesnice chteli zavest autobusovou linku, ale lide hlasovali proti, pry by to zvysilo kriminalitu mezi temi 10 baraky, co jsou na tom poli, kteremu tady rikaji “township”… Az budu v duchodu, tak doufam, ze nejaky muj vnuk bude zvolen prezidentem USA a vezme si me, moji manzelku a vsechny me pribuzne do Bileho domu, jako to udelal Obama se svou svagrovou… Na takovy duchod se tesim, protoze muj vnuk vsem zvysi dane, abych mohl kazdy rok jezdit do Prahy a nechat se tam obdivovat
Haha, no co my vieme, mozno nam este z Bieleho domu zamavas:)
S tou robotou to je pravda, okrem toho tu to je robene tak, ze ludia musia pracovat uz len kvoli zdravotnej poistke, pokial sa teda clovek nechce poistit sukromne a platit tisice dolarov mesacne…
Ahoj Lenko,
vis ze jednou z Czechmate Diary ctenarek je taky Lenka - Slovenka. Je moc mila a tady je jeji webstranka jestli se s ni chces seznamit: http://www.slovakmama.blogspot.com !
Hi everybody!
I am just browsing around here and I guess that I like your website Tatjana. It`s great to talk to others whose are abroad as me. I am living in Ireland now and time is though especially when you get 1 dry day per the whole year:) yep Ireland is wet and very cold…But few years ago I was living in Sydney(Australia) and that was the life-style I love. Now I am thinking about take a big chance and go to Canada for good ,but I have no clue what should I do as a first,because I am married and have to look after both of us ,that make everything a bit harder in terms of visa and job. As everybody knows on student visa you can not survive for long and work illegal in states or Canada -no way. So if somebody could advice me or help me how to get a job before I `ll arrive in Canada…?? I appreciate your ideas! Thank you mates
Hi Luke!
Wow, you have traveled the world it seems like! That’s great! I have got two suggestions for you: you can leave a similar comment at the Czechmate Diary forum and you can also register for this blog via email and that way you will receive the list of Czech/Slovak contacts in Canada. And maybe you can ask those people?
Good luck!
Tanja
Ahoj vsichni, zdravim, Tanjo.je tady nekdo z Chicago? rada bych si nasla nejake zname na pokec a zabavu kolem 35 let. Jinak super blog, Tanjo!
Ahooj Jano!! Hele, kdyz se zaregistrujes na blog- kvuli spamu- (klikni na link pod mou fotkou “register by email….”, ja ti poslu kontakty na Illinois, jo?
Diky moc! Jsem rada, ze se ti blog libi
promin, jeste to vysvetlim trosku lip; lidi se ted musi zaregistrovat pred tim, nez jim poslu kontakty; v minulosti jsem mela problemy se spamem, vis?
Diky!
Dej mi vedet, jestli mas problemy s registraci.
ahoj Tanjo,
diky za instrukce.Doufam, ze jsem to spravne pochopila….
Ahoj Tanjo, koukal jsem na vase blog prvni krat dneska, omluvam se ze moje cesky neni lepe - jsem Skot, ale bydlel jsem v Praze 10 let a tec jsem tady v Americe! Doufam ze budu pekat ten recept pro cesky chleb brzo, a uz znam potraviny tady ktery proda Budvar (mam radost!!!).