Jan Joseph Neumann

So, here I am and let me introduce myself. My name is Jan Joseph Neumann, but all my friends call me Honza or J. J. I am Czech by birth, born in Prague but for many years I have lived in California, USA. For how long? Sometimes I feel covered with moss, so it must be a long time, right? I am living here since 1965 and before coming to California I lived in the Cesky Krumlov Region in Southern Bohemia, later spent some time in Austria. I am married, almost 70 years old but I still speak Czech and I am interested in everything Czech because as the old saying goes ,Everything Czech is nice". My wife was born in the USA and she does not speak Czech so at home we speak only English. At the present time we are both retired. For some 20 years I worked as a teacher and since 1967 I worked also as a free-lance translator and interpreter for various courts, companies, interpreting agencies and individuals. In 1987 I decided to start my own interpreting company INCOS (International Communication Services) and we provide services in various languages, including but not limited to Esperanto. All our contract interpreters and translators are qualified and tested by the State. All have many years of experience. Our services are fast, discreet and very competitive. More information as to price, delivery terms and other answers to personal questions are available at: jjincos@san.rr.com

I am also a representative for the USA of the ,Czech Dialogue" magazine, published in Prague since 1991. This excellent magazine is published monthly both in Czech and English and you can order and prepay it directly at INCOS. A small sample of the magazine is available free of charge at: www.cesky-dialog.net

The publisher Vera Strizovska can be reached by: strizovska@seznam.cz

Many of us, while we were still little boys, dreamed about visiting far away corners of the world. We wanted to see, to learn and than return home and use everything good we learned and stay away from everything bad we saw in foreign countries. But somehow not all of us had the opportunity to do so. Shortly after the war (yes, that war which ended in 1945. That is information for the younger generation of readers) I was allowed to travel with a youth theatrical group to Great Britain and Holland. After that all my travels to the West were closed. Oh yes, I did travel to Hungary, Poland, Bulgaria, Rumania, East Germany and as one comic said: ,I talked my way to let me go to Russia" (Prokecal jsem se az do Ruska). Not till 1964 I was able to travel again to Hungary and from there I went to Austria and after spending six months in a refugee camp I eventually emigrated to the USA. In last few years I visited my old country several times but now my home is in California. I live in San Diego which is located in the southern most part of California, close to the Mexican border. Many people say that it is the most beautiful city in the whole USA.

I consider myself an American citizen of Czech ancestry and there are many like me and we still have several very active Czech organizations. I am still interested in everything in my native land, and as you can see from this web page, the Internet gives me many opportunities for contacting my native land and many foreign countries and individuals.

It was not always easy to adjust and maybe at the beginning I also missed dumplings, sauerkraut and pork meat but today I really love Mexican food, which is more suitable for the warm weather of California. For your information I do not drink nor smoke but it should not count against me because I have many other hobbies. I collect badges and post-cards and stamps. I am interested in culture, genealogy, languages, history and good conversation. I like to read books, newspapers and magazines. I have also a very nice cactus garden. I work on my computer and I like to enjoy watching interesting programs on television. Thanks to Internet I also listen to various radio stations from many countries, including those from the Czech Republic. I like to take pictures and I even use my video camera quite often. I am also interested in computer technology and programming. Until recently I also liked to travel. Since my arrival in the United States I have visited many countries but now because of my health problems I am staying home and do my travel on my computer and Internet only.

I am not a sportsman. I never learned to swim, to ski, to race on motorcycle, to ride a horse, to play soccer or tennis. I never scuba dived or jumped from a plane. I do not ice-skate and therefore I do not play hockey. And as for American football, I do not like it because I do not understand it. Maybe hockey or soccer would get my attention. My wife and I like to watch figure skating. So, as you can see, for many people I am an ,uninterested individual". On the other hand since my early years I liked to travel and as a youngster I ,slept under the stars" and even with limited resources I traveled to many places in our republic. But believe me that even the American scenery is beautiful and offers unlimited opportunities for touring. During the years I have lived here in the USA I visited many places but believe me that I still did not see everything I would like to see. America is a very large country and any person really needs to ,taste it" to like it and to understand it. That is how I see it.

I hope that I grabbed your attention and that you will contact me and that you will ask me about details I did not cover here. I promise to answer to all.

So, good luck and see you soon...