HOMECOMING

Although my years in California by far outnumber my years living in the Czech Republic, today I am who I am because of my Czech upbringing. Many strange Czech customs enriched my life; the love for egg decorating, my obsession with mushroom foraying, a delight in duck-lard cooking, even over-the-fence fruit picking. (Note that Czechs don’t call it stealing.)   

  But more than three decades of living in California left me with a persistent and uncomfortable question: Could I still call the Czech Republic my home?   

          With my husband Larry, an Ohio native with a quirky perspective, we set out to   rediscover my homeland.  We traveled through 60 Czech towns and cities, visited with strangers who quickly became friends. We cried and laughed as we learned their stories. At times I thought I'd burst with pride, belonging to the same tribe. Other times, perplexed, Larry and I looked at each other uttering, "What the hell?"  
          For over two years now I've been diligently writing, erasing and rewriting our Czech travel memoir. I am halfway there. Through a mixture of lighthearted and heart-breaking stories, some belonging to my family, some to people I only heard off, and some to my nation, I tell  the story of my people. I am hoping when all is down on paper, and when you travel to Prague, standing in the Old Town Square, looking up in awe at the Týn church towers, it wouldn't only be because of its magnificence, it would be because you'll feel the spirit of people who centuries ago built, destroyed, and rebuilt it.  If I succeed in recording Larry's and my travels through the Czech Republic in a style as humorous and informative as I set out to do,  you'll understand the Czech history and its people. You'll be inspired to venture past Prague to see more of that lovely land located in the very heart of Europe.