Kde domov můj? - Where is my home?

The title of this post is the opening line to the Czech National anthem. The rest of the anthem continues as folllows:

Kde domov můj, kde domov můj, voda hučí po lučinách, bory šumí po skalinách, v sadě skví se jara květ, zemský ráj to na pohled! A to je ta krásná země, země česká domov můj, země česká domov můj!

Where is my home, where is my home, Water roars across the meadows, Pinewoods rustle among crags, The garden is glorious with spring blossom, Paradise on earth it is to see. And this is that beautiful land, The Czech land, my home, The Czech land, my home!

I really appreciate the words of this song - it certainly captures the beauty of this land. For example, you can't beat the smell of pine woods on a warm summer's day - the kind of smell that you want to bottle up and take a sniff of in winter, but you just can't do it. The closest people get is creating some dodgy air freshener :)!

The lyrics of this anthem also capture my thoughts at the moment. I have decided to go truly native and to get Czech citizenship! Maybe because of the possible consequences of 'Brexit'? - though nobody really knows with any certainty what those will be. Maybe because we've lived here for nearly 16 years, and I've kept a steady job for the last 11 years? Maybe because it really does feel like home? Perhaps there's a lot of truth in that last statement. Petra & I love it here. We have no plans to return to live in Great Britain, and (at the moment) we're not thinking of moving to any other country (though Switzerland or Scotland are always tempting! :)).

So, I have begun the long-winded process to become a Czech citizen. I discovered that I need to do 2 exams - one on Czech language, and one for Czech realie (history, geography, politics, law, traditions etc). After some confusion with the local agencies, Petra contacted Prague and they have kindly confirmed that my Czech Maturita certificate DOES cover me for the language part - which is a great relief NOT to have to go through all that again! Having gone through it on the website, I'm sure I would have been ok, but it would have been SO frustrating to have to do such an exam again, and all the stress connected with it. 

However, the Czech realie exam awaits me on Sat 23rd September! It's only a 30 minute exam to complete 30 multiple-choice questions. The pass mark is 60%. I attach the link to it here: 

Czech realie test

http://obcanstvi.cestina-pro-cizince.cz/?p=interaktivni-modelovy-test-z-ceskych-realii&hl=cs_CZ

I'm curious - I wonder what marks my students & friends would get? I'll reveal my mark later, but it's enough to say I passed it & it only took me 8 minutes :) My years of living here & an intensive year of studying for Czech Maturita have not been wasted!! 

Assuming that I am successful with this exam, then I have to wait for my result & then book an appointment (perhaps in early December?) & have a 2 hour interview, where I will take a load of paperwork (too much to mention!). Then I have to wait 6 months to see if I have been accepted. If I have, then I will go to the Olomouc Town Hall, take my vows to be a good Czech citizen, and then pay some money for that privilege :) 

It could take some time. I will keep my readers posted as to how the journey goes! :)