I have noticed alot of Czech born board members have lived or are living in Canada. Why is that? is it because both are great hockey teams , or is it just because during some time in history many Czech emigrated to Canada and people still go there today?
It has a lot to do with the fact that immigration laws in Canada are pretty loose, particularly in comparison to the U.S. One can get a "green card" in Canada fairly easily. I'd also say that the Czech climate and culture are more similar to Canadian than U.S.
when my family escaped from CR in 1969, Canada was accepted Czechs and Slovaks as political refugees. Other countries were not. And we found people here to be accepting, and warm and incredibly supportive. Strangely enough, it wasn't the "old czech settlers" who put out their hands, but Canadians of other backgrounds. I guess there was some jealousy that, when the "old settlers" came here, they didn't have the same amount of help from the govenment that the newcomers were receiving and showed some jealousy.
This is probably experience from your part of Canada.....and perhaps by 1969 "Old Czechs" were tired of giving to "new Czechs" Most of them came end of 1968 as we did. I arrived at the airport in Toronto and "Old Czech" man came there to see if he can help. He drove me to assigned accommodation. There I met another "Old Czech" man who worked there and he made sure I got my packet money from the front desk and walk with me (at night) to show me where bus terminal is, so I am able to go there in the morning. When I settled in a small town in Ontario, I was visited by "Old Czech" lady who was asking if there is anything we need and what we need that she will make sure she finds the way to get it free or cheap. Late on she took me in her car to Salvation Army store to buy some furtniture (fridge, stove, etc.). She was coming over from time to time to see if we are o.k. Another "Old Czech" Mr. Bata (as of Bata shoe company) had winter boots delivered for all Czech immigrants in our area. I think that it was good healp and support from Czech community. We also have Czechoslovakian Association here of which I was member for years (at the beginning free membership) to be up to date of what is going on back home. I don't know about other newcomers, perhaps I received more help because I was young woman with baby (no man with me). As for Ruzette's question Why Canada: I was political refugee and I had enough of politics. For that reason I was not interested in going to USA. I did not want my children go to war and I didn't want to live in country which has so many enemies. Canada was well liked in any politically charged country. Canada was my first and only choice. I came here because of that not because I coudn't go to USA . And Yes, Ruzette, there some hockey in my story. My granddaughter plays hockey now in local skating ring :lol: She is first generation Canadian - so I paid for the lessons :lol:
Actually, Magan, we also arrived in Toronto and the only time we met "old Czech" was to help translate for us with the manpower for which he accepted a "gift" of money from my parents. Another family of "old Czechs" had us to their home to dinner, only to discover they were in fact selling furniture from their home and wanted us to buy from them. We did - and found it the quality was horrible and all the pieces were overpriced. We were lucky, because we had hard currency. It wasn't till later, when we were well on our feet both financially and my dad re-established his carrer, that we began making friends with the old settlers, though they never failed to bring up how much easier it was for us to get started here and how much more they had to struggle... I lived in Toronto for several years, and became part of the Czech Theater (under Adolf Toman) and my mom wrote stories for Novy Domov newspaper. I am happy that you had so much more support, particularly being a single mom.
It wasn't much - I listed it all. I can see you were much more invoved with Czech community than I was after all. Howe4ver I was familiar with Theatre and Novy Domov (couldn't afford it at the beginning and later on didn't find it interesting as it was based mainly on "old czechs" lives and memories etc. I can see we would have lot to talk about as we really do have "same rooth in Canada". I am sure we would also have similar experiences and outlook on manh things in life. Greetings from Ontario (right now)
Magan, if you'd like, I'll send you private note through here with my email address. I'd love to talk to you... Hana
It is quite easy to meet some Czech people having a connection with Canada... In my town I know a girl whose parents had emigrated to Canada and went back after '89... Last academic year my teacher of English was a native Czech from Canada but she was so shocked with the attitude of Czech students to studying that re-emigrated back to Canada.
In the NYC we have a large number of recent East Eurpoe emigres who mostly came in through Canada. According to my Polish friends, the US government has made travel into the states quite difficult to discourage visitors from overstaying their visas. It is still very difficult to become a citizen in US with the waiting period extending close to 10 years. Thus we are up to our eyeballs with Mexicans and South Americans, mostly illegals, and the immirgrants who follow the rules are delayed for years. Recent news reports note that at the present rate of Latino immirgration, the US will go from 1 in 7 as Latinos to 1 in 4 Latinos within 10 to 20 years. There concern over the language balkanization of the country if the Latinos gain greater numbers without assimilation. I am almost 50 and most likely will not live long enough to experience a a radical change of the European composition of the country.
run the Latinos are coming! It makes me laugh when I hear things like this. Nevermind that the US southwest was Mexican territory up until the mid 1800's and was already settled by many spanish speakers at the time the US decided to expand its territory. I think some assimilation is necessary for survival in another country, of course, but I don't think any immigrants should have to give up their culture and language in its entirety - that's the heart of who they are! Despite the term's common use, the US is not a "melting pot" where everyone becomes the same or believes the same things, nor do I think it should be. We are lucky in that today people have the option to teach their children about their heritage and mother tongues - not too many years ago, people were discouraged and pressured into suppressing their native languages and ancestry.
I'm not sure if this is the right spot for this question but since the topic of Czechs in Canada has been brought up, I wonder if anyone here knows about any Czechs in the Moncton (New Brunswick) area? :roll:
However special accomadation should not be made for immirgrants who do not want to learn the English language. In NJ, all government offices have voice tracks in first English then Spanish. It is quite tedious to listen through foreign language recital. Moreover, in NJ special requests for a latino positions on the courts, city councils, and supreme court are also meritless. For instance the Germans were the largest ethnic group in numbers to the US after the English. They did not insist that everyone accomdate their language choices. There are simply too many languages world wide with the USA diverse immigration policy to create a de facto second official language. If you want to maintain a second language, you certainly have that right to do so. My grandmother went to a Czech Catholic School in Manhattan that was taught by Moravian nuns. The glue that makes USA the single entity that exists is the common language, and customs developed over two hundred years. My brother lived in Los Angeles for fifteen years (15) and his observation was second generation Mexicans did not have identification with the Mexico and its peculiar form of democracy, and economy. In sum, like all of us, who are children of immirgrants (American Indians excepted) are glad to be Americans, and certainly acted as one people when the Twin Towers came down across the river. To the newcomers, they are coming here for the same reason our relatives left their respective countries, a better life fostered by a general equality under the law and an attempt to make a better world unfettered by past tyrants, and ethnic or religious oppression. The founder of the first Czechoslovak Republic understood these very principles of the grand experiment on the New Continent and tried to bring them back from Amercia to unite the forrmer subjugated Czechs, and Slovaks in one nation with respect and protection for the ethnic minorities of Sudeten Germans, Silesion Poles, and Hungarians. Tomas Masark, half Czech and Slovak, married to an American of Mayflower ancestry understood these principles. However, Munich of 1938, brought the end of the grand experiment of Czechoslovakia with the eventual expolision of most Germans in 1947-48.
