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Language Learning Center
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Willamette University
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Salem, Oregon 97301
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llc@willamette.edu
Spooky and super cool -- I will introduce to you an original Czech Mystical Creature - Vodnik, in translation, the Waterman. He is also known to be present in Germany in a slightly altered form, but he doesn't live anywhere else in the world. He probably decided to reside in Czech due to the abundant ponds built in the southern part of my country in the 16-17 century.
On October 28th, 1918, after the WWI ended, Czechoslovakia declared its independence from the Austro-Hungarian Empire. The country consisted of the present day territories of the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Carpathian Ruthenia. During the period from 1918 until the WWII, the country enjoyed great freedoms, economic growth, scientific discoveries, cultural vibrancy and had the 7th highest GDP in the world.
Continue reading "October 28th, Czechoslovakia Indpendence Day"
Ahoj ahoj ahoj!
For the faithful Willamette World News readers - this is Jan from the Czech Republic again! And to the new readers - welcome and thank you for reading! I like Oregon, Willamette Valley and Salem so much that after finishing my high school exchange year I had to come back to work on my Bachelor's in Economics and even extend my stay to now study Entrepreneurship and Marketing at Atkinson Graduate School of Management.
Czech animated films have gained international acclaim for their originality and artistic qualities. Watch the trailers for two recent movies to find out how they are different. It's the animation technique but also the fascinating, inventive and unusual stories for animated films. And you will also get to hear some Czech!
I believe the equality between the genders in the Czech Republic has greatly increased in the recent decades. From my point of view, the gender issues in the US and in the Czech are nearly identical. The society has been moving in the right direction and gender equality is one of the priorities of Czech governmental policy. However, a lot of work will still have to be done. For example, the pay gap between women and men is 25% and the percentage of women in the Czech parliament is only 15.5%, putting us on the 76th place in the world... These numbers are very similar to the ones in the US. More fun statistics? ...
Czech Republic has been following the trends, moving toward a cleaner environment and sustainable industry practices. Things are moving, although there is still a lot to be done. I grew up in an environmentally undamaged area so my view is that of "things are good."
Despite the fact that St. Valentine's Day has only recently been known in the Czech Republic, it is continually increasing in popularity, and the familiar merchandise which accompanies it is gradually appearing more and more in shop windows. As a consequence there has been lively debate regarding whether or not companies and retailers exploit the festival in modern times for commercial purposes, thus tarnishing its true meaning for many people.
As shops all over Prague began their annual displays of oversized cuddly toys and heart-adorned greetings cards, it is plain for all to see that Valentine's Day - called Valentyn in Czech - is once again upon us. Although a well-founded tradition in Britain and other European countries, it is very much a new phenomenon in the Czech Republic, having gained popularity only within around the past ten years. How do the Czechs view this holiday?
Continue reading "Passion or profit? - Czech opinions on Valentine's Day"
When I first came to the Unites States as an exchange student during high school, for a long time, it seemed to me as though the biggest difference between the Czech Republic and the US is that you guys have peanut-butter and burritos and we don't.
For the last two years I have written here about the Czech Christmas traditions. The gifts are brought by baby Jesus and his little angel helpers on the evening of the 24th, the traditional Christmas dinner is potato salad and a fried carp, who lives in a family bath-tub for about a week before the father of the familly kills it and cooks it, etc. This year I would like to tell you about another winter holiday in my country.
Although the reaction of the Czech public to the victory of Barack Obama would be a little difficult to objectively generalize, we can, if we take a broad view, say that it was largely positive.
I have encountered three different views while talking to my friends from the Czech Republic.
Continue reading "Different Reactions on Obama's Victory in Czech"
The financial crisis and especially the struggle of the banking sector is not hitting Central and Eastern Europe as hard as some have expected.
Continue reading "The Crisis Bypassing Central and Eastern Europe?"
Dobry den is "good day" in my native language - Czech, but it comes from France, where I'm studying for the next semester. Being sent to study abroad by Willamette University where I study abroad, I've become kind of a double international student.
Czech Tourism ad (30sec),
Prague (7min),
My Country's Modern History: Vaclav Havel and Over-throw of the Communist Regime 1989 (10min) and
Mountain biking on the trails around my house in eastern Czech Republic (4min) !
I chose two articles that talk about current political events in my country. The Czech president Vaclav Klaus has been re-elected for another 5 years term. And the second article summarizes the Czech prime minister's position on the US presidential candidates. In the extended entry, I summarized the current Czech political situation. Thanks for reading!
The Czech economy has followed the trend of a majority of central and eastern European countries and grown rapidly in the recent years. The Czechs are enjoying standards of living never experienced before.
The Saint Valentine Day’s traditions in the Czech Republic are nearly identical with those celebrated in the States or in other parts of western Europe. However, there are some differences. Read about the history of Valentine’s Day in my country and the typical Valentine Day’s gifts.
The Czech Republic and the Unites States are now, in a way, closer than ever, as a University of Michigan economics Professor Jan Svejnar may be elected as the new Czech president in the coming elections next month.
Continue reading "University of Michigan Professor Czech president?"
The major religion in the Czech Republic is Christianity so Christmas is also the major winter holiday.
I picked eight of the most interesting Czech Christmas facts and traditions:
A little while before the Thanksgiving, the Czechs celebrated their own important holiday, called the Struggle for Freedom and Democracy Day. This day is always on November 17th and it commemorates two important events.
In 1939, shortly after Germany invaded Poland and the Second World War began, the Czech college students held large protests against the German oppression. Germans responded with open fire, shutting down all the Czech Universities and declaring a state of emergency. Read more about the Czechoslovakian situation shortly before WWII in the extended entry.
The cost of living in the Czech Republic is certainly lower than in the United States. Health care is public, housing and most of the food and services are less expensive, higher education is tuition-free ... but the average wage is also significantly lower. This is the information released in one Czech economic newspaper.
Czechs second highest earners among EU states while gap with west narrows Czechs earn the second most per hour of all the countries which joined the European Union in 2004, according to the Czech Statistical Office. Only the Slovenians earn more. The average Czech received CZK 109 (USD 5.58) an hour in 2006. That lags far behind western European wages, but the gap is narrowing. In real terms Czech salaries increased by 35 percent in the 2000-2006 period, compared to 2 percent in neighboring Germany.
The three news that I would like to bring to your attention today, concern the Euro 2008 qualifying soccer match, The Czech Grand National - a horse race which is one the most famous Czech sporting events and Starbucks, making its way to Prague.
Just like in many European countries, soccer is huge in the Czech Republic. It would be very unpatriotic of me not to mention the important victory that secured the Czech Republic's qualification for the Euro 2008 championship.
Continue reading "Euro 2008, The Czech Grand National and Starbucks"
I browsed the internet for a while, trying to find articles that would be of enjoyment to everyone. I came up with a cultural-athletic-economical melange that, I hope, will expand your views on the Central Europe.
Beer is a big part of a Czech culture. Many say that Czechs brew the best beer an some brands - like Pilsner Urquell - became world famous. If you ever have a chance to visit Czech Republic, make sure to give a try to this liquid of a divine taste.
http://www.radio.cz/en/article/95476
Dobry den, my name is Jan Taborsky and I come from the Czech Republic. This is my second year at Willamette and also my second year of contributing to the Willamette World News. I spent my junior year of high-school at Sprague, here, in Salem, Oregon, as an exchange student. Then I went back home, finished my high-school there and thanks to a lot of help from a lot of people was accepted to Willamette. My major is in economics and I see my future in business management and international business. I love the outdoors - climbing, mountaineering, snowboarding, running... But my main passion is cycling - either racing collegiate series with my Willamette teammates, riding the abundant mountain bike trails all around the Northwest , or racing the muddy cyclocross in the fall. Besides working for the Institutional Research and Salem Hospital, I try to find time to volunteer - write articles for the Willamette World News and give presentations about my country to Salem middle and high-schools, through the new Willamette program Language in Motion. I look forward to informing you about the European happenings! For more information about the Czech Republic, please check out:
Religion is just not a big part of many Czech peoples' life. This is purely cultural but also caused by historical events. Under the communist regime, for example, promotion of any religion was illegal, as well as any organized groups that were not linked to the communist ideology. But it is hard to search for a cause of such a fact. It is one of the cultural things that just happened to be that way.
Continue reading "Almost half of Czechs do not believe in God - poll"
This famous film, pictured in Salem and definitelly worth seeing, was directed by Czech Milos Forman. Read more about this renowned director and his work!
Prague/Washington- The U.S. missile defense system, the radar part of which is to be stationed on Czech territory, would protect against possible activities of the states that do not want to observe the usual principles in the world. Its goal is to allocate and destroy possible limited intermediate to long-range ballistic missile attacks from the Middle East and from a limited long-range missile attack from North Korea.
Continue reading "U.S. Missile Defense System to be built in CzechRep"
My name is Jan Taborsky, I come from the Czech Republic, and I am 19. During my junior year in high school I was an exchange student at Sprague high school in Salem. In Czech, we don’t have Tortillas or Peanut Butter. I liked them so much that I had to come to college here.
Continue reading "Czech Rep. to increase number of its troops in Afghanistan by half"
17th of November marks one of the most important national holidays in the Czech Republic and Slovakia. It was on November 17, 1989, when the first students' march launched a series of vigorous and immense demonstrations of people seeking the defeat of communism -- people seeking freedom and democracy. Continue reading "The 17th of November - The Freedom and Democracy Struggle Day"
The second round of the Senate elections took place last week in the Czech Republic. The following link provides you with the results. The Czech Republic has been going through a very intricate political situation since the parliamentary elections in June. Although the Civic Democratic Party (ODS) has won the elections, they have not been able to form a functioning government due to an exceptionally close win.
Skoda is the largest company in the Czech Republic. It produces cars. Check out the Skoda’s website and a short article telling you a little more about the company!
Continue reading "Skoda – the Czech cars (not Czechoslovakian)"
Vaclav Havel was one of the most important – if not the most important – figure in the fight against communism and liberating central European countries at the end of the 80s. I decided to inform you about his birthday and include a link, which briefly introduces Vaclav Havel. This link also provides a few other links with details, because I think every person seeking a liberal education should know Havel’s name and have some idea about what he has done.
You would never guess that those contacts you put into your eyes every morning or the microwave in which you heat up your dinner originally come from this country. The Czech Republic is small. But it is full of history, natural monuments, music, art and cultural contrasts. Czech it out!!!
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