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What a wonderful experience it was for me to present my bachelor’s thesis about Czech migration to Texas in Temple! Yesterday, August 9, I had a unique chance to share my “Texas story” with Czech descendants who came to listen to my presentation at the Czech Heritage Center in Temple. I talked briefly about my study stay abroad in Waco and my first encounter with Czech culture in Texas, about which, indeed, I had had no idea before coming there. To put it briefly, I gave them an outline of my thesis and shared some interesting points that I had learned while researching and writing it.

Speaking frankly, I was a bit nervous a few minutes before the start; however, all my worries were in vain. The audience was made up of such nice and friendly people who patiently listened to me, followed my jokes, and showed great interest by both answering questions and contributing to the discussion at the end.

For instance, they wanted us to speak Czech — my dear friend Annie was there as well, so we chatted for a while — so that they could practice their Czech. Some of them were able to understand us very well, which I admire a lot, considering that these people have been living in Texas their whole lives and do not speak Czech very often now. Moreover, the immigrants were mainly from Moravia, so the following generations learned Moravian dialects, which are definitely a bit different from what I am used to. So we spoke Czech for a few minutes and everybody had great fun.

People also asked me about the recipe for kolaches. This was another funny moment, since I do not know much about recipes — shame on me — but at least we came to an agreement that the crucial ingredient is yeast. 🙂 Consequently, people started to chat about Czech food, which, by the way, seems to be one of their favorite topics to talk about. They also mentioned sausage kolaches, certainly a mix of Czech and American culture, even though they are considered by some people to be a true Czech recipe.

Anyway, the positive atmosphere that was created during and after the presentation cannot really be captured or described. The presentation was followed by refreshments and we continued talking. People came up to me to shake my hand, say thank you, and wish me good luck in the future.

I might be repeating myself, but the way Czech descendants are interested in their heritage and their enthusiasm to maintain it are truly impressive to me. Without any doubt, I left Temple flooded with positive feelings. I am very proud that Czech descendants are such kind-hearted people who do not forget the homeland their parents or grandparents came from.

Thank you, folks, for your support!