Czech Lesson for the Day: Babcia - Meaning "Grandma"

An important lesson I've learned in broadcasting is that dead air is a no-no, and I'm sure that dead blog time is not far behind.

So, what's up? Or as they say in Czech, jak se mas? Jak se dari? Any thoughts dear readers on what these lovely ladies might be chatting about?


I've made the editorial decision to include this picture today simply because, I really enjoy old people. Yeah, really, at least for the most part. They are truly fountains of wisdom. Of course, they often become set in their ways with each passing year, but who else can you turn to for a good story about trekking 30km in the freezing snow with pieces of rubber tied around your feet on the way to school? Actually, come to think of it, some of my most impressive memories from childhood are grandparents day in school. We had a lot of fun doing tricks with a parachute, and I'll always remember good ole Dave Dubrava prancing around stage in a superman outfit while our chorus sang "Great American Hero". Yes, it was classic! Sigh...

Anyways, these elderly ladies reminded me of my own grandma at home in Whitney Point, NY. (Hi Super grandma!) It seems like Eastern European ladies have a thing for bold-patterned blouses. Or, maybe it's a trait of most elderly women :) It is a neat experience to be in a country from which my own family takes many traditions and has ethnic roots (Okay - I need to clarify we have Slovak heritage, but there is some overlap!). You'd think it might take away from the novelty of the adventure, but instead I find it so intriguing to dig even deeper into understanding what makes people here tick and what we've carried over into life in the States. By the way, there is a Slovak company over here named 'Spak' which makes an array of mustards and ketchups. There motto is, "Spak ma smak!" which translated means, "Spak makes tasty". You get the idea! Spak is actually my dear grandmother's maiden name. Very cool.

Of course, the other reason I seem to thrive over here is that I simply can't get away of my profound interest in post-Communist states. Speaking of which, did you realize that we've embarked on the 15th anniversary of the failed coup that triggered the collapse of the Soviet Union? I still remember travelling back crosscountry, waking somewhere in the middle of night in the panhandle of Texas or there whereabouts and hearing the news on the radio about Moscow and Gorby's poorly timed vacation in the Crimea. For those of you interested, please check out this RFE/RL North Caucasus service exclusive interview with the man with the really obvious birthmark himself, Mikhail Gorbachev: http://www.rferl.org/featuresarticle/2006/08/b3d3ee34-9efc-41df-b0e3-ca108f7581c8.html.

To wrap up, your word for today is babcia (which is also useful in other Slavic languages like Polish). Babcia means grandmother. Czech also uses a vocative (voice case) which changes the word slight to 'babciu' (when addressing granny).

So hug your babcia today :)