I WILL NEVER BE A TRUE CZECH! (American citizenship vs. Czech citizenship) 

Výborná analýza. Vy nemusíte být smutná z toho, že "nebudete opravdová Česka". Lidé jako vy jsou přínosem a obohacením této země a na to můžete být hrdá.

Three of my grandparents were fully Czech by blood, and Czech was their first language. They were born in Texas as first generation between 1890 and 1910, and they were farmers. Now I have immigrated to Česko and live within 75 km of six villages where seven of my ancestral families came from. I study Czech daily, and I plan to become a citizen. On our most recent census, I put Czech-American Czech.

Lepší než býti dobrým (Čechem,Němce,Američanem .....) je být dobrým člověkem. To si myslím že ocení většina občanův jakémkoliv státě.

můj kamarád američan, co tu žije už dlouho ,vloni vyrazil do Chorvatska do kempu pod stan s obrovskou autolednicí.Tomu říkám dokončený proces naturalizace!

Becoming a Swedish citizen was just about the right to live there. Becoming an American was exactly that. While working in Czechia a decade ago, someone (Czech) told me that I was no longer a Czech. My Slovak co-workers here in the States also see me as an American, while my Swedish buddies would acknowledge that I am a Swedish citizen, but not a Swede. Yet, I do have a distant ancestor from Sweden. But I also have ancestors from Sicily, France, the Balkans, and Israel. That and Senomaty, Prosenicka Lhota, Struzinec, Stodulky and Smichov, of course! As Ronald Reagan allegedly put it: "We're less about where we're from and more about where we're going." E Pluribus Unum!

I have proof you are Czech already, you are already suspecting people of being "just" nice 😀

My Czech Dad emigrated (1957) to America "in search of permanent freedom." His life as a child and young adult were very difficult, especially during the war ( he barely survived being a prisoner of war in Russia). He met my German immigrant mother in the states and they married and raised 5 kids. We celebrated holidays with Czech and German traditions, but my Dad considered himself an American. If he spoke of his homeland it was only about his parents and siblings. He died in 2006, and I regret not asking him more about his Czech heritage. Your videos are a great source of information- good luck on your citizenship tests!

I just received my American citizenship last week! Love watching your story as American in Czech while I'm Czech in America. 😁

good luck with the tests! držím palce :)

Being a good person, regardless of your origin, loving our country, understanding its history, living here, speaking the language (at whatever level) - that's what counts. And I think you qualify for all the above points. Having the official paper is just the confirmation of all the above. Good luck!

I saw couple of your videos. Basically Your humor gets more and more czech every month. That deep weird brutal dark irony.

JEN !! You already are a Czech !! The fact that you 1)- learned the language, ( extremely difficult) and 2) -accepted and assimilated into their culture by living there for 10 years, makes you a Czech. So what that you have accent, if they don't like it, they can lump it.

Milá Jen! Nezlob se, že Ti nepíšu anglicky (moje angličtina není dokonalá), aspoň si můžeš trochu procvičit češtinu...😉 Téma občanství, o kterém mluvíš v tomhle videu, je skutečně zajímavé a možná k tomu umím říct také několik zajímavých myšlenek. Jsem Čech, ale celý svůj dospělý život (letos to bude 38 roků) žiju v zahraničí a jazyk jsem se naučil až tady. Jak již psali i jiní, dobrá znalost jazyka je skutečně výhodou, ale myslím, že to není to nejdůležitější a nejpotřebnější k tomu, aby ses cítila být skutečnou češkou. Z historie (například Rakouska-Uherska) je známo dost příkladů, kdy se lidé pokládali třeba za Čecha, ale mluvili německy a česky se naučili až v dospělosti... To, že neznáš dokonale českou historii a kulturu, taky není z tohohle hlediska to nejdůležitější, protože když uděláš ty zkoušky, tak podle mě toho budeš vědět o naší historii a kultuře asi víc, než spousta rodilých Čechů, kteří se samozřejmě pokládají za opravdové Čechy. 😁 Já si myslím, že se tahle otázka rozhodne ve Tvém srdci a Tvé hlavě. Když někdo, nebo Ty řekneš "My" a automaticky a spontánně se Ti vybaví "My Češi", a ne "My Američané", nebo na slůvko "u nás" budeš myslet a také říkat "u nás v Praze", a ne "u nás v Los Angeles", tak se budeš z hloubi duše cítit češkou. A tak Tě také bude vnímat i tvé okolí, i když ještě možná nebudeš mluvit dokonale česky nebo si nevzpomeneš, kdo byl poslední přemyslovský král.😉Tak hodně štěstí a ahoj příště!😊

Nemusíš mít ani občanství, aby jsi byla naše. Stačí tady žít, pracovat, pít pivo, jíst svíčkovou a chápat jemné nuance českého humoru. 👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻😂😂❤️

Hello there! I also happen to have dual citizenship (Czech/American) - living in LA past 8 years and about to return back “home” ☺️ Just wanted to assure you that the feeling is absolutely normal that you “will never feel 100% accepted” no matter how well you speak the language, know the history, culture etc. After 8 years in the US I still feel pretty much foreign although all my family here, friends and coworkers are born in USA. I’m still the weirdo who opens up all windows as a first thing in the morning, drinks hot tea for breakfast every day, isn’t afraid of carbs and quite fears plastic surgeries and dental implants 😅 Please rest assured that you are indeed more Czech than me when it comes to all your knowledge and humor! 🤗❤️

At 11th minute: I think that the assertion actually states that Czech humor CAN be acquired, albeit by passing high threshold at language and culture knowledge. The point must likely be that the requirement is to know the cultural roots in depth and breadth, taking the cultural journey so to speak, rather than just observing Czechs. I suppose it helps to identify not so obvious and quite subtle cultural references and memes.

I think the language is the biggest part of being perceived as Czech 🤔 especially the accent. As for feeling Czech... I don't know. For me, being Czech means feeling a connection to the land, the traditions and the history/worldview. I think you can acquire this connection through love - meaning you fall in love with the land and the traditions and the history/worldview. But what do I know, I haven't really lived in any other country long term 😁

I like your open minded perspective on this topic. Personally, I think it's more complicated than just citizenship and how it's acquired. E.g., my dad's Czech, but I grew up abroad and only started learning Czech as an adult. So even though I am eligible for Czech citizenship (by blood), have a Czech name, grew up watching "Pat a Mat", eating my Czech grandma's food, etc, I'd probably not be considered to be a true Czech until I master the language on a native level (or maybe not even then :D). However, I do believe that children who immigrate to Czechia (for example, Ukrainian refugees rn or people from the Vietnamese community), who learn the language to a native level, have their lives, friends, etc. in Czechia will consider themselves to be (also) Czechs and will be considered to be Czechs by locals too. So I guess that while heritage plays an important role, language, and wether Czechia is "your home" are also important factors. 😊

Jen řeknu to takhle - to je naprosto v pořádku. Jak jsi si všimla jedné věci - Češi si váží svých kořenů (ano je spousta co se je snaží potlačit, ale víme, že bezúspěšně). Moje ségra má Česko Švýcarské občanství - Česku v sobě nepotlačí a ani nikdy nechtěla... :) Jednoduše řečeno - máš v sobě kus Čecha a ta Američanka (z těch částí Evropy :D) v tobě bude ten přirozený základ a to je MOC DOBŘE! My si toho vážíme, že máš v sobě tu Američanku a nikdy bychom nechtěli aby jsi "zapomněla" na své kořeny... Toho my si velice vážíme - Svých kořenů... :)

Hi Jen, I am Czech living already couple of years outside…. Just take the best from both and enjoy it! I like your videos 🙂✌🏻

Čeština je klíčem. Jazyk je nástroj myšlení. Čím lépe ji budeš ovládat, tím více budeš Češkou 🙂

I know exactly how you feel. Listening to your video I am thinking and going through exactly the same feelings. I live in Scotland for over 10 years now and I admire how proud and Scottish people here are. I love how patriotic and traditional they are and how keeping the tartan, bagpipes, Gaelic language etc. important is. I see all of this and know I will never be Scottish and never be accepted as one (even though people saying you're one af us now). My accent will always be a bit off and my understanding of certain things will always be a little bit limited because I missed the whole "growing up here" part. When I was deciding if wearing kilt for my wedding and asked many Scottish people majority said I shouldn't because I'm not really Scotsman. No matter how much you want to embrace the culture or how much you like it. (I know I can wear whatever I want but you know what I mean by that) I'm sure if I stay here, it will be easier for my kids or grandkids but I will always be that Czech guy. On the other hand I wouldn't want my Czechness to disappear either... I think that's that hard part of living abroad. I have to say, you both are doing great though. I really appreciate your views on the country I grew up at. It makes me realize how important it is not to forget where we're coming from and take it as an advantage and never as a hold back.

Hi, I'm from Pittsburgh and I've been living here for almost 11 years. I became a naturalized Czech citizen last summer and I'm still processing it. I was happy to vote for the first time here and all in all I love it here. It's safe, quiet and I love the work life balance here. I love the US but I prefer to live here. Best of luck to you in the Czech citizenship process!

This was on a quite serious note, but very much to the point! And interesting for me to actually realise all these things. Yes, you will probably never be considered a true Czech by other Czechs. I remember I worked at the polls in Prague during a parliamentary election, checking the voters' IDs. One guy of obviously Asian ethnicity came in and I checked his ID and after he voted and left, my Czech colleague asked me: "So, was he Chinese, or Vietnamese?" Which I obviously found very amusing because you obviously need to be CZECH to vote. And even if he had any other citizenship, how would I be able to read it from his Czech ID? But for most people, such a person will never be truly Czech. Anyway, as you said, no need to be sad about it :) It's just... different... but we love you anyway :)

Jen, you'll be I guess very surprised with the reaction of Czech people around you after you'll show them the Czech passport. I hope you'll feel Czech. Really.

Narodil jsem se v Praze, jako kluk v paneláku. Se ženou jsme se z Prahy na vesnici přistěhovali před více jak deset lety. Hodně jsme se naučili. Sekám trávník, chováme slepice a husy, umím s motorovou pilou kácet stromy, sázíme zeleninu, umím husu zabít, manželka umí husu oškubat, vyvrhnout. Celkově jsme zapadli mezi zdejší lidi, stali se z nás vesničané. Přesto mi chlapi v hospodě neřeknou jinak, než Pražáku. Pro zdejší lidi nebudu nikdy místní, nebudu opravdový vesničan. Tak to prostě je.

A nation is essentially a community of one blood. It's a fact, not a myth.

I would like to recommend you one book, telling a story about living in Prague as an American in the dark communist times. Gene Deitch: For the Love of Prague

Jen na Hrad! 💗 Já si myslím, že Češi rádi na takový fakt zapomínají ve chvíli, kdy je dotyčná osoba velmi prospěšná, oblibená apod. Něco jako když Němci mají Karla Gotta za jejich zpěváka. :) V CZ je akceptace státem a akceptace společností ruzná věc. To chce čas... 😊

I was born in USA and lived my entire life here - even attended an Ivy League College. I’m still considered a second (and in Los Angeles, third) class citizen of my own country. So leaving it won’t be as painful in that regard. But I will miss the NFL playing in bars everywhere, when I retire to Eastern Europe.

I’m Irish with a little German on my moms side since her mom was 100% Irish and her dad was 50/50 German Irish but when it comes to my father he like his parents were fully blooded 100% Czechoslovakian’s. I was born in ‘97, fathers born in ‘56, and Gpa born in ‘22 told me I’m Czechoslovakian because when they were born it was before the Velvet Divorce so my body runs with Czechoslovakian blood. As I got older and now 25 I asked my dads side of the family (since my father recently passed in ‘18 same die as Stephen Hawking) they informed me while yes my roots stem from Czechoslovakian presently I would be considered Slovakian. I didn’t really contour the conversation after learning this and I should have realized it early when all the birthday parties for my relatives on my fathers side first sing happy birthday followed by the tradition Slovakian birthday song. I should just do 23andMe or Ancestry. Whatever one gives you a detailed route our ancestors traveled on a map of the globe. Maybe then I’ll find my answers. Plus I want to learn a language both Czechs and Slovaks speak so I can talk to both countries natives. Maybe West-Slavic with the subgroup of Czecho-Slovak. Either way I hear both countries languages mutually intelligible.

Hi Jenn...US has both by the blood as well as by the soil citizenship.

Well spoken.

Good luck to your exam. I was born in Czechoslovakia living in Canada and I will have to apply for Czech citizenship. My Czech passport, citizen card and driver license all expired and all offices refused to renew them. Even with my original birth certificate. They told me I have to apply for Czech citizenship. So now you will be more Czech than me born there and my name is Cech. When I visit Czechia I feel like visitor and in Canada I feel more like Czech. Strange, I know. I also lived in USA for 9 years and now I always want to be somewhere else than I'm right now.

I'm Italian, I can tell you my perception, which I think is widespread in Italy. I was born in Milan, and so were my parents, and so were my grandparents and so my great-grandparents. I have no info on my more distant ancestors but it seems natural to think (considering the history of my region) that the majority of them were also from this region. I did a genetic analysis test and it was able to point to the precise Italian region I am from (Lombardy); this suggests that there is an unbroken chain of ancestors that associates me with my place of birth and that goes way back in time, into Roman antiquity, into the pre-roman Celtic era and then further back into pre-history, the bronze age, the iron age. It goes back, perhaps, to 5000 BC, to the time when the Yamnaya invaded Europe from the East and brought in indoeuropean languages, new blood and other innovation. Anyway, my point is that my case is the norm for the majority of people in Europe. Unless they have a non-local ancestor in recent times, very probably the majority of their distant ancestors come from the region they live in. In mediaeval, ancient and pre-historic Europe people didn't move around all that much (migrations such as the Franks, Ostrogoths, Lombards, Normans etc. did influence a bit the genetic pool but were mostly limited to a relatively small ruling class). So most Europeans have very deep roots to their lands. As a result, a person with non-Italian root, especially if he or she doesn't speak the language natively and/or doesn't know all cultural norms and traditions of Italy wouldn't be considered "just as Italian as you and me". He or she'd be considered somewhat foreign. BTW, for me there's absolutely nothing "good" or "preferable" in being "100% italian" (or czech, or whatever it might be). I'm just stating what the perception is. His or her descendants might be considered truly italians after X generations (perhaps 2) if they mix enough with the local population and therefore become indistinguishable from native individuals.

It is a strange concept. I am Czech with British passport , living in the UK for mor then 25 years and I will never be truly British. But my children are truly British. They grown here (in London) and they feel British and not Czech (they are dual nationality). I guess it is the first generation that feels the home country is what they feel they are, and I guess it my apply for the Americans, but because, they are all from somewhere else, it is easier for them.

Držím vám palce Jenn!

Ve věci rodové linie: Až budeš mít ČR občanství, ještě si budeš muset vybrat, jestli jsi Doudlebka, Češka, Lučanka, Pšovanka nebo který český kmen (viz cs.wikipedia.org/wiki/%C4%8Cesk%C3%A9_kmeny ). Já bych to viděl na přímou linii Keltů (zmiňuješ vazbu na Irsko, v Čechách byli Keltové také a mají mezi námi dodnes důstojné místo jako plnohodnotná krevní linie:).

Jen je prostě "jen" skvělá a dobře chápe ty "naše" věci. Vím, že nikdy nebude Češka (a je mi to líto), vím, že nikdy nebude ani američanka nebo kanaďanka, je prostě s lidmi, se kterými žije. Srdce (a plíce) žen jsou nenahraditelné!!!! Miluji Jen´s český humor ..... :-)

I,m Czech and I will gladly tell that you will make me proud if fantastic person as you will take Czech citizenship and if someone will have a problem with it just send him or her you know where.

Hello Jen, firstly.. sorry for my english. Let say I´m "selfteacher" last few years only without any offiicial school or lessions . So.. I´m not frequent watcher of Your channel, but sometimes You have choose topic which is interest for me. Is it great to listen differences between our cultures. I visited LA and San Diego few years ago. Very instrested palces full of huge contrasts. What I was amazed, was space. For middle europen peoples is pretty unbelivable how is everithing far far away of each other. Include overall diversity.. In LA You walking at absolutelly luxury street and if You passed two corners suddenly You are in oposite world, where are homeless people, addiction people... just extremes. And this is first word what is equal with US in my mind. Extremes wiht everything. Really yes. So. Maybe isn´t first time question to You.. but... How is happen that american citizen choose to be part of small nation in middle of Europe. Our country is no bigger than four boroughs of New York. Why You decided move to the middle of Europe, stay here and even gain citizenship there... and last question.. is it true that if will keep both citizenship (US and Czech) You will still be obliged pay taxes in US? Thanx and have a nice day! Milan P.S. You have a great English! Understanding and clear.. not like British people. They very often cutting words and speaking veeeery fast. Thank You ;)

Na celém “češství” si nejvíce cením té naší nádherné češtiny.

You have to check out Dana Newman's channel "Wanted Adventure". She is American with czech ancestors, who went back to Czechia in search of her czech heritage, and ended up in Munich, she is married to a German now.

I would say that the sense of who is Czech is changing a bit. Especially with younger generation. I for example feel like Czech, but I also feel like European, being the citizen of European Union. But I think that it is achievable to become fully Czech as an immigrant. My neighbor had emmigrated from Belarus, but I would not consider her to be Belorusian, rather Czech.

Good points Jen👍. Quite true, but I would say, you feel like Czech, you are Czech, you don', you are not. Simple as that.

My grandfather was born there, and I have family still living there. I think I'll try and get my citizenship 😊

I'm not surprised by your statement. It just raises a logical question: If a foreigner meets all the requirements to "become an American" (also not easy), will he or she then feel American? I think this question applies to any "change of citizenship" and personally I'm inclined to think the answer is No. But that doesn't stop one from living in a new country and even falling in love with it.

I am a Czech who has lived in Australia for over 40 years. I have both Australian and Czech citizenship. When I left Czechoslovakia, I did not feel very "Czech" at that time. There were many good reasons to leave that country, and communism was only one of them. And many still continue to exist. But neither have I ever felt very "Australian". I am simply me, and over time I had developed enough self-confidence to become completely satisfied with that. Countries are like landlords: When you are renting an apartment, you choose one with the best location, best views and the lowest rent. And the least noisy neighbors. We have only one life and we owe it to ourselves to find the best deal for ourselves. Voting with our feet is often a better option than dying on the barricades or rot in prisons. At best, patriotism is often an excuse for laziness - at worst, the last refuge of a scoundrel. BTW, when you get your voting rights, please do not import American culture to Czechia. I can detect a bit of wokeism in what you said. Diversity is good only in a very limited degree. The often repeated mantra that "diversity is strength" is just a myth. In reality, it is quite the opposite. it is a weakness, a vulnerability, of which there are plenty of examples wherever in the world you look - including America. Don't bring that useless, naive crap to your new home. Take your shoes off before you enter.

To jsou už hodně hluboké myšlenky.Zvláště teď večer,a po jídle.

To já mám předky z Francie, kteří se sem přestěhovaly za Rakousko-Uherska, když tu byl úřední jazyk němčina a proto mám německé příjmení.

Quite insightful.

Nemyslím to špatně, pro většinu z nás je "být Čech" otázka národnosti, (máme to v krvi 😀 např. moje rodina tu má předky tisíce let) než občanství, pokrevni příbuznosti,... je to tak i v celé střední a východní Evropě, mimochodem, je to jeden z důvodů proč jsme jedna z nejbezpečnějších zemí světa...Přeji ať občanství dostanete, lidé jako Vy jsou přínosem...

I used to live in UK and almost got through the process of applying for a permanent residence. I had a perfect English, knew and loved British history, culture, cuisine and pretty much everything, but without actually having any bad experience I just realized I would never be 'theirs'. Maybe if I had children, they would have been, but not me. I used to say there that it doesn't matter if you have a passport, it's about the right accent and surname to be British (and I admit it's weird because UK is such a multi-cultural country). First I was sad about it, but I don't blame them. I think it was a lesson for me to realize that I do belong to Czechia and wanna stay here 'cause that's where I'm home the most. I'll always love UK, I say a part of my heart stays there forever but it would never be home to me, with or without citizenship. I understand your point and agree with you but love towards a country and people is what matters, I guess. When you love Czech Republic and you feel good here and it all makes sense to you somehow, you are Czech as much as you are American forever. It's beyond any passports and citizenships♥️♥️♥️

When we say that you are Czech, we are not trying to be nice. We are never trying to be nice

Hi Jen, first of all good luck with your exams. Very interesting thoughts and insights in your video. For your questioning if you will ever truly fit in, I would say this: We live in a very dynamic times, history is moving right now (the big war, etc). And many things have changed in the Czech society not only in last few days/months/years, but also decades. I have lived through it as a kid in the 80s end of communism, teenager in 90s new freedom (but also a lot of frustration, specially in the border regions - sudety, where I grew up, where economical transformation was slow and painful), in 2000s as young adult moving to university in big city, and finally 2010s and later as an adult working in multinational corporations. Very different worlds before and after 2000s... To the former, I would say, you would not fit, or it would be hard to imagine - it was more like that "bloodline" world&myth, but to the later? Well for me and a the social bubble of my friends (in Brno and region around), its quite usuall to have a few friends who came from other countries here to study&work and than stayed (usually found here partner or spouse), not many, but few of them are here and are part of our lives, part of our experience... It is very different world than it was before year 2000 (or rather 2005, 2010, hard to say specifically), and people who came from outside and stayed here belong to it. Even if we would go deeper into history - I consider our Vietnamese community to be a solid part of the Czech society, significant part of this puzzle.. and its quite different story than yours (and of modern expats in general). Now a lot of people from Ukraine is coming, escaping the terrible war, some of them will probably stay and I think in time they will also become a part of the society, and they will make us all stronger. So you coming from USA and living here that long, you are also part of our lives, part of our story. As all things change, I think that this new "myth", new era is beginning (or rather already began) and people like you are a big part of it :) EDIT: When thinking about it all, I would add also this: Under our collective cynicism (complaining and black dark humor) is hidden quite a need for a fresh, modern, positive myth...

After a decade in California, I can imagine you as Czech and I’m not gonna say about Americans but for you I’ll make expectation

My maternal grandparents immigrated from Czechoslovakia in 1921. I am in the process of applying for dual citizenship (lots of paperwork!). You know the Czechs love their paperwork 😂. I enjoy genealogy and have been researching for many, many years and finally came across a clue on my Dad’s side who was as far as I knew was Irish and German. I was able to trace his line back and as it turns out my 33rd Great Grandfather was Vratslav the 1st. And following his line down other Great Grandparents include Wenceslaus I, St. Ludmila just to name a few. My cousin and her family live in Vysoka Pec. Interesting that my Czech royalty connection was on my Dad’s side and not on my 100% Czech Mom’s side. My Grandma and I visited in 1980 and the relatives made sure we did all of the tourist things. What I didn’t know at the time was that I was seeing my great grandparents graves at St. Vitas and looking at the Czech Crown Jewels that my ancestors wore. Přejeme vám hodně štěstí, abyste úspěšně zvládli občanský test!

Well you know, this concept of ,,citizenship by blood" is on one side quite grounded in mentality of many European countries, but I would say, for becoming and beeing considered Czech, to be a part of our nation, it is more important to share and accept our culture, our mentality, our humor as you mentioned... In fact, even in European countries, very few people can say, that their ancestors lived in their country for hundreds of years, the migration (although in lower scale) existed as we all know, namely for ex. in the time of Austria-Hungary. Therefore, I would say, you are, Jen, a person with European roots, who can in fact become this ,,peace of czech quilt" - not just some ,,pendant" 😉 (Fun fact, many people during our czech National revival couldn't even speak our language, but important was, that they felt like Czechs!)

Wow, now i see that both approaches have their ups and downs :)

Prostě budeš češka s akcentem a divným smyslem pro humor...není co řešit 😉👌

I think citizenship and nationality are two different things. It takes some formalities to become a citizen, but it usually takes decades to change personality of an adult so rapidly that you distinctively recognize him as one of yours, if it ever happens at all. Ethnicity plays a role partially as well, because there had been very little immigration to Czechia aside from Germany and other Slavic countries for the past few centuries, but despite the fact that common Czechs are often labeled as racists by the radical leftists, you'll find that there are many people who are collectively perceived as an important part of the Czech nation regardless of their skin color. Unless we're talking about mass (and usually illegal) immigration, I wouldn't say that ethnicity plays a major role. Personally, I'd mind if I started meeting completely different people than I'm used to in large amounts, because this would no longer feel like my home country I grew up in. But there have always been some minorities, so if they suddenly all left, it'd feel unnatural too. TL;DR AFAIK anyone who learns Czech and adopts the Czech mentality can feel welcome here, unless it's a major immigration (also note -- mass immigration quite often means that these people won't learn the language and adopt the mentality, because they are surrounded by their peers, which is part of the reason people are against it).

My friend married a Russian and she automatically got Czech citizenship, quite fun when you take it that way .. Můj kámoš se oženil s ruskou a ona dostala automaticky české občanství , celkem zábava když se to tak vezme .. It's funny that she can't quack a word of Czech .. Je na ní vtipné že neumí kváknout ani slovo česky .. SORRY for the Google translator, but I personally don't like a foreign language when I'm on vacation somewhere so I don't mind, but in the Czech Republic I really like it, I wonder where in the video you will speak Czech .. SORRY za překladač Google , ale já osobně nemám rád cizí jazyk , když jsem někde na dovolené tak mě to nevadí , ale v Česku mě to vážně vytáčí , zajímalo by mě kde ve videu budeš ty mluvit česky.. JINAK SUPER VIDEO

I think reading hundreds of Czech books is unnecessary to get the feeling of being "wholy accepted" - the trick is A) in beer & svíčková, as you mentioned, and B) in choosing generic complaints against weather/politicians/neighbours/adolescents as conversation starters :-D

hodně štěstí ke zkoušce! Ale jak říkáme... štěstí přeje připraveným:)

Ahoj Jen, pokud to zkoušku uděláš, tak si troufám tvrdit že budeš vědět o České republice a její historii více než polovina čechů. Což je takovým paradoxem, že ten kdo české občanství získá po zkoušce toho ví mnohem víc než ten kdo jej má od narození. Což zřejmě bude platit i pro toho kdo bude chtít získat americké občanství???

Podle mě je čechem jak poleno každý ,kdo chápe humor v komediích Slunce ,seno ..(Netflix). :)

The main benefit I can see in Czech citizenship is not being tied to a work visa. If you lost your job, you would have to leave after some amount of time.

Velmi zajímavé, nenapadlo by mě o tom přemýšlet takto. Moc pěkné úvahy. Domnívám se Jen, že aby ses cítíla Češkou, na to má velký vliv, jestli Tě jako Češku berou ostatní Češi. A tam je to asi velmi jednoduché. Naprostá většina lidí Tě bude považovat za Češku, když budeš mluvit Česky bez cizího přízvuku. Nevím jak je to v USA, domníval bych se, že tam má hodně lidí hodně přízvuků, ale s češtinou to neplatí. Máme samozřejmě různá nářečí včetně hantecu, ale jinak tu s charakteristickým přízvukem mluví jenom romské etnikum. Čecha poznáš po řeči. :) Takže pokud chceš být akceptována za Češku, zlepši přízvuk. Děláš velké pokroky v Češtině, ale aby Tě brali za Česku to ještě nestačí.

It baffles me that you have to study for the czech citizenship so much. History, politics, etc etc. Czechs should be happy that somebody like you wants to live there and shouldn't throw more sticks under your feet! 😆 I applied for my NZ citizenship last year and I don't think I will have to know any of that. :D Piece of cake! Yeah I will never be a proper Kiwi but I don't mind as long as I can stay. 😁

I wanted to make a long post on this very interesting video but let me just wish: let us all try to become good citizens of the world aka cosmopolitan with as much support and input from local culture as we need and can take advantage of for our own individual progress! Truly happy people are also strong people and that's all you need to get by in this challenging world...

Hi. The Czech nation or other nations. They are quite similar to America. The only difference is that in Europe we have had millennia and not just centuries. If I only take our history in brief. I'm not a historian, but probably the first largest documented group of Celts was pushed out by the Germans. They were assimilated by the Slavs. So many armies from all over the world rushed through our territory. So the Czech nation is a mix just like the others.

A little Czenglish alert : “basic school” - that’s what future US marine officers call their initial training ; “grade school” do I see as a reasonably fitting English-language expression for „základní škola“.

This is such a complex topic. I think how others will perceive you after getting your CZ citizenship will vary a lot but I assume you won't be going around waving your new Czech passport so I don't think it will be much different from how they treat you now. Here's our own experience. My husband was born in Venezuela, and much like the USA, or any country on the American continent for that matter, Venezuela is a country made of immigrants. His mom was from Spain, but being Jewish, her kids had the right to Israeli citizenship. His dad was born in Venezuela but one of his parents was a native while the other one was from Portugal... so as much as the school tried to force that national feeling into my husband (they do the same thing the USA does), he had those 3 passports for 3 different nationalities at home, and he never felt any national feeling for any of them. So while he has had an on and off relationship with CZ for the past 30 years (he studied here, and then came back a few times and now lived here for the past 15 years) he never even considered asking for Czech citizenship. He has citizenship in one of the EU countries already, so there is really no reason for him to ask for it. He does have that native Indian blood so people usually assume from just looking at him that he is probably not from here. If the looks don't give him away, his accent does. He speaks fluent Czech but he never got rid of his accent and does a lot of declension mistakes. So now how do people see him? My family: my parents - use this as a curiosity they tell their friends, they are happy they have a translator when we travel to Spain and they accepted him into the family. My brother accepted him as soon as he found out he can talk football with him. My aunt and her family (whom I am very close with) - accepted him simply because he speaks the language and they are very appreciative of people who move here and learn the language. Our neighbors - not long ago, there was this period wherein there were many terrorist attacks in Europe and people here got very edgy about immigrants and foreigners in general. So our apartment building wanted to force this new clause in our statute that if in any of the apartments stays a foreigner there must be a form filled with all this information and I raised my hand and asked if they are kidding me, that I won't be filling it for my husband (the only foreigner in the building at the time) as it's none of their business. They told me that my husband doesn't count, that he is an old resident, that the clause would be there for people who will move here in the future. So I asked how they want to determine who will they want the form for? Like would 5 years living in CZ be enough for them to assume they are an old resident, would it be 10? 15? And what does that have to do with determining if the new person is dangerous? So they dropped the ridiculous idea. And then there are strangers - they treat him depending on the general mood in the country. Like when the bombs were going off in western Europe, or when the quotes for Syrian immigrants were discussed, they would often pretend they don't understand him when he spoke, letting him feel he is not welcome. When that settled, they treated him just as any other person. Now that we have all the Ukrainians here, any úřad :) he goes to, they are thrilled and happy about his level of Czech no matter the accent and mistakes. The bottom line, accepted or not, old resident or not, he will never be Czech in anybody's eyes no matter how well he'll know the language, no matter how long he is living here, no matter he has a family here. And he's okay with that. I have another curious example, my boss was raised by his Czech mom and Guinean dad in Guinea. Czech is his native language and he moved here for his studies and stayed after that. He has Czech roots but he is mixed therefore even people who speak to him and hear he has no accent, ask where he's from. I think the young generation where there are many Asian looking and mixed-raced kids from all the mixed families here who speak fluent Czech must really confuse people :D What I got from all that is that not only do you need to have Czech blood, and know the language, you need to "look" Czech to be accepted as Czech. Unless you are a public figure people like. So back to you. I think that some people would consider you "ours" based on the time you spent here, some based on your ability to speak the language, some simply because they can find a common ground for conversation. However, same as you, I don't think seeing you as "ours" really stands for "Yes we see you as Czech," it feels to me more like; "You might be a foreigner, but we accept you into the tribe." Although that doesn't mean there aren't people who would accept you as Czech, I don't know all the 10+ million people here, we just never came across any people with such a way of thinking. The most important thing is... Who cares what other people think? ❤People ask for citizenship for various reasons and I have never heard a single one saying "I want the citizenship because I feel like I belong" 😂It's usually because they plan on not going back to their country and so they want to make their stay easier bureaucracy wise, or they don't want to have anything to do with their old country, I spoke to a few Americans who just don't want to pay federal taxes because they don't plan on coming back... So if you won't feel like Czech, don't dwell on it, be who you are, an American with Czech citizenship, embrace both. You don't have to ditch your American identity. Stay you, stay awesome 🤘

Je mi líto, že máte takové problémy se získáním občanství. Když vyplňuji nějaký dotazník, tak jsou tam kolonky NÁRODNOST a OBČANSTVÍ. Tak tím je to snad dané....... 🤔

Jen, ďakujem za toto zamyslenie. Nikdy som veľmi nerozmýšľala nad tým, čo to znamená byť občiankou toho-ktorého štátu. Narodila som sa ako občianka Československej socialistickej republiky, krátko to bola Česko-slovenská federatívna republika až som nakoniec skončila ako občianka Slovenskej republiky.

I was born in Czechoslovakia. My mother is Czech living in Slovakia, my father is Slovak. I have been living in the Czech Republic for 20 years, I also have Czech citizenship. But I don't feel like a Czech or a Slovak. I feel like a European. So you will have Czech citizenship with American nationality. I recognize people more by continents or culture. The North Atlantic culture, Middle East culture, Asian culture, African and South American Culture.

I would say it is other way around, In the USA if I get naturalized I still cannot became USA president, you have to be born there. In czech you can be president, prime minister, whatever you get elected to, and naturalized citizenship is more then fine for it. What about that? :)

Don´t get me wrong, but such an interesting city! Why making a selfie, filming yourself instead ? Prague not interesting enough to show? Well, it should be, esp. for tourists. Just go a bit outside the bridge and clock and you´ll find a a lot a things to show out there - good luck!

Czech humor is just huge part of our identity. We were refered by germans and austrians back in the days as Laughing hyenas. They couldnt deal with the fact that whatever bad they did to us and whatever bad happened to them, we just made it into joke. 😁 And yeah, person who doesnt understand our humor and feels offended is just not accepted as a part of our society. Or better said, they will never feel like one of us.

Jen, you will be Czech officially on Saturday, but You are Czech now. Good luck tomorrow. Tobik probably stay Ukrainian, right?

Only an Immigrant can be a true Czech. As for myself I was born and raised in Czechoslovakia. Greetings from Norway :)

Hi Jen, I don't think we wouldn't take you as Czech because of the need for blood ancestry... You are already using the black humor that is so close to most Czechs :-). But you will have to decide for yourself if you are an American or a Czech. Officially, I guess you'll be both. Where you are in the discussion with your heart, your opinions, your attention, that's how you will be perceived by those around you. To me, you're already Czech, and if you still feel like an American, you're an American doing great work for Czechs. Big thanks for that!

You can't be a random check girl because, coming from America originally, makes you special in the eyes of native Checks.. That doesn't mean you shouldn't feel like you belong.... that's their job to help you feel like you belong

In Central Europe, the terms citizenship and nationality are not equal. There lies the whole problem of never being a true Czech. You can become a citizen of the Czech republic but you will never have the Czech nationality.

For me, you're already a Czech citizen. Because you have already much more knowledge regarding Czech facts and Czech history than many native Czechs.

Arnold Schwarzenegger is not a true American either and I cannot think of anyone more American than him. Anyway, ever since I learned English and got to communicate with people all around the world in games and forums, I have realised how little nationalities mean to me.

haha I as czech researched my ancestry and I´m "pure" czech till 19 century. Couldn´t find more. :/ :D

We are country in middle of Europe, Noone is fully Czech over there by blood 😉. I have my family tree done to 16 century and there is lots of kids which is halfblooded Czechs because of wars, soldiers were rapists so for example I have German an Hungarian ancestors. Also we sometimes divide us like Moravian, Czech and Silesian. For example I'm like 35% Moravian 😂. My husband is Slovak so our kids are half Slovaks 😂, but born here in prague so they have have only Czech birth certificate. This thing is just crazy. 🙂 My head was about to blown up when I was gathering all that information few years ago 🙄.

You may think of your "Czechness" as a journey rather than a state. Our constitutional law also distinguishes between "citizenship" and "nationality". By law, you are free to choose your national identity. It's like the difference between where your car gets registered and what car brand you are driving. All you care about is that your car is fit for the road and you follow the traffic rules. Did I mention the driver's license? ;)

don't worry, Czech is the state of mind. 🙂 I consider you as Czech already.

Jen, great topic. Very interesting, I have never look at the citizenship this way. The guy who told you that you need to read the books ...etc .., he is full of it ... don't listen to him. Before Czechoslovakia country, it was one monarchy with German language, my father was born in Vienna Austria and mother was from Brno, and both of them were Czechs, and I am sure my father or mother did not read the books either ... hehe My problem is that I was born in Brno, now I am 40 years in USA, and somehow I lost the Czech status ..., , can't get Czech passport, so I go visit my sister and relatives as a US citizen ... very strange . I think if you like svickova, this is enough proof that you are Czech. And if you know how to make it, you should get instant citizenship with free drivers-licence ...

Your husband is partly a Czech and partly a German too, isn't he? So Honza is a perfect choice, because it's a czech version of the german name Hans, which means Jan/John.

I totally understand. I went through this experience in every direction. And I'm planning to add to it when I move to Prague. The world is integrated today more than ever and we all have an amazing opportunity to experience it all. I'm looking forward to the day when I can enjoy a svíčková with ketchup and a side of falafel as disgusting as that sounds.

While your analysis is mostly correct, there are some shortcomings, that I want to adress: Citizenship by blood is partially result of history, where it was crucial to decide who belongs under which king or later, president. However it has more to it - as a citizen, you got access to "free" healthcare, you are permanent part of social security systems (possibly indirectly eligible for some other systems) and you are also eligible to elect and/or be elected… However, this country didn't come to existence yesterday. No. Countless ancestors of current inhabitants died protecting it while countless others spent their lives improving it, so their children and grandchildren could live a better life… So, citizenship by blood (and related perks) is in some form "award of merit" of past generations. Thus, as a newcomer, you start without that "merit heritage" and you have 10 years to obtain it on your own - and also persuade nation (through dedicated system), that you can become permanent part of our society, being well integrated into it (through language and cultural knowledge) and not posing a threat of any kind (clean criminal/espionage reports).

Greetings sympathetic young lady and future fellow citizen. I would just like to clarify that Czech citizenship can also be obtained by marrying a native citizen or a citizen of the Czech Republic. In that case, citizenship also applies to children, even if they were born abroad to non-Czech parents. This is the case with my girlfriend, who is Belarus and the father of her children was also Belarus. She has lived with us for 23 years and was married to a Czech, so she and her children and even her granddaughter have Czech citizenship.

I was born in Czechia, but my parents are immigrants. I was raised in my parents culture, and even tho i went to czech schools and lived here since the day one, i cant say that im czech. And im not percieved as czech by most. I just look a bit different, my family doesnt bear the trauma and history of czech people (tho, we have our own history to be upset about). The ethnic diversity here is low (thats why czechs can appear cold to foreigners - they arent used to them). There are a few foreign communities in Prague (lRussians, Vietnamese people, Jews) but most of them are Slovak and we dont consider them foreigners 😂 so its easy to feel estranged in here. But most people are very happy to learn about your culture and your world

držím palce 🇺🇲🇨🇿

Just realize that Czech citizenship is by far more exclusive than the American one. Having both citizenships I must say that I feel more American when I am in Czechia, and it really bugs when Czechs are critical of US. It doesn’t work the other way around because Americans usually speak well of the Czech Republic.

Hi Jennifer, Sir_Mac here, as always! Today's video of yours is very serious and educative. I like that content, but I hope it hasn't made any permanent damage to your sense of humour, which is, I would say, czech! Let's make it little bit diverting. Let me pre-officially welcome you to the Czech Republic. "Vítej(te), Jennifer Prestonová." And in the former sentence, there are two typical czech things. Vykání a tykání, which is resloved by that brackets, and other thing - "ová" ending of the surname. My very very old ancestors came from Austria and my granddad was 1/2 polish. So that's logical, I am 100% Pražák! :-D I know it may sound cynical, but everyone of us is composed of gametes. Masculine and feminine. We are byproducts of happy moments... :-D So, the population of the US is 330, I am sure in near future, it is going to be 333, let's proudly say in czech "tři sta třicet tři milionů Američanů" ... :-D Well, in my opinion, you will be accepted as a czech (no matter if you pass or fail the test) during any tense situation. Someone is bleeding, asking for help, and you are going to help them. Your neighbor has some pipe trouble and water is gushing out of their flat and you will help. You are going to be accepted when you show compassion, sympathy, empathy, when you demonstrate you want to be part of us :) I am kind of sad of the conclusion of this video. Jennifer, I think you bark under the bad tree, or you are crying on the bad grave. You named the differences between "being / becoming American citizen" and "being / becoming Czech citizen". And you haven't projected that into your conclusion. So I am going to make the right conclusion for you down below... 1) learning and understanding the czech language - V PROCESU / SPLNĚNO 2) sense of / for czech humour - SPLNĚNO 3) having czech friends - SPLNĚNO 4) liking czech cuisine and beer - SPLNĚNO I know the things mentioned above are not that loud and proud like Americans love to have, but being more humble, decent, but knowing yourself is much more important and much more appreciated here.

I think the main problem here is that you are mixing Czech citizenship and Czech nationality - those are different. And when I mean nationality, I don't mean the abstract term of where you come from, your origin, but legal term. I think English is less clear on difference between those terms than Czech.