It wasn’t her grandparents’ choice to go to the US, but she made her own and came

August 26, 2025

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It wasn’t her grandparents’ choice to go to the US, but she made her own and came

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You can read this exclusive content thanks to the FALATH & PARTNERS law firm, which assists American people with Slovak roots in obtaining Slovak citizenship and reconnecting them with the land of their ancestors.

Sara Holmes is one of those Slovak Americans who always knew about their ancestry. When she was small, every weekend they would visit her grandparents, aunts and uncles.

“I remember the food that my grandma would make, the beautiful pastry she would set up on the table. Their accents were always intriguing. Of course, they spoke to one another in Slovak,” she told The Slovak Spectator, adding that they were always kind, generous and excited to see them.

Now a retired professional musical theatre performer, in her 20s and 30s she regularly came to Europe for work with various shows, including the very popular Cats, and toured the continent. During this time, she started to feel a connection to Europe. It was during this time that she also first visited Slovakia.

“I just felt like I was more at home in Europe than in the States,” she said. Even after returning home she wanted to go back. That’s where her journey to Slovak citizenship began; the journey brought her to her new home in Bratislava.

The pull of Europe

What was it about Europe that intrigued her?

“There’s an appreciation for balance in life in Europe. I know the US were founded on the hard work of immigrants. But it seems like there is such a focus on work and not enough time off to enjoy life,” she explains.

“Here in summers people go away, they have family visits, there is kind of a lighter feeling to life, sitting in the cafes. Not to mention the healthcare system being so much more accessible here.”

Her occupation first brought her to Europe some 30 years ago. Thanks to the Cats tour, she visited Switzerland and Austria and got to stay in each country for a few months.

“I really got a feel for the cities, the lifestyle and culture. I was so grateful to to get that opportunity,” she says, adding that since she was in Vienna, this allowed her to visit Slovakia since it was “right around the corner”.

“I called my father, told him to come, and together we were able to go to the village where my grandparents were born and see the cemetery. I’m divorced, but my Slovak name is Smolen – which is funny because there are towns with my name in it,” she says.

They were close, but pursuing Slovak citizenship has brought them closer

Connection with roots

Holmes’ Slovak grandparents emigrated when they were very young. Both were from the small village of Veľká Lesná to the north-east of the High Tatras.

“I remember saying to one remaining uncle on that side that it must have taken so much courage for his parents to come here at such a young age. He said it was not courage, they were sent over. The choice wasn’t theirs,” she points out, adding that her father is first generation American.

Her father too had a very close connection with his roots, at home making food that involved cabbage and sausages, playing music; he loved polka, which Holmes found interesting.

One of her father’s sisters, Ann – Holmes’ middle name is also Ann after her aunt – had an active interest in her roots too, such that she would often come to Slovakia and even had Slovak friends. She even kept old Slovak newspapers and various other things.

“She was interested in actually coming and seeing Slovakia, keeping more in touch with our roots in a more tangible way,” she says.

Sara Holmes’ mother and father’s wedding picture. (source: Archive of S. H.)

“I made a choice”

After Holmes returned to the US, it was her desire to get back to Europe that set her on the path to Slovak citizenship.

Her father once asked her whether she didn’t want to explore getting citizenship, but that was before 2022 when the Slovak parliament passed the amendment that significantly changed eligibility, allowing descendants of Czechoslovak citizens to apply.

“It was after he passed away that I started exploring,” she says.

When she learned that the law had changed, she was excited. It took her three years, lots of travelling back and forth, lots of documents to gather. But by doing that she learned more about the history of this side of her family.

Still, early in the process she was unsure of certain things. If she got the citizenship, would she have to live in Slovakia? How would she navigate things? Would she like the country enough to live there?

“After I had to come so many times, I started seeing and experiencing the city, meeting other people who have done this. I have a dear Slovak friend who also lived for a long time in New York City and she’s helped me so much. Then I thought I could live here. It kind of shifted a bit for me,” she explains.

And now, she has her passport and has been living in Bratislava for half a year.

Holmes’ mother had ancestors from Great Britain. When asked why she didn’t follow this path instead, she said she wasn’t eligible. If she had been, she would have explored it, because she wanted to get back to Europe.

“But hey, I’m enjoying being here, so it’s okay,” she says, laughingly.

“I made a choice to come and bring this full circle – my grandparents were sent to the US, my father had interest in his roots, and I decided to do this,” she says, adding that she even brought her cat to Slovakia.

Caught by the gravitational pull of Europe, this American is rediscovering his Slovak roots

It takes time to adjust

Despite her family being so big, Holmes is the only one that has ventured down this path.

“I was looking constantly for how could I get European citizenship or visas, whereas I don’t think other family members have been doing so. They have families, a lot of them have grandchildren. I think they have a lot of ties that keep them,” she muses.

“And honestly, I haven’t really shared with a lot of people that I’ve done it because I just wanted to get it first and then surprise them. It could change their mind. Lots of people in the States now want the opportunity to go somewhere else,” she adds.

So how does she find life in Bratislava? Holmes still feels new and believes that when one travels this path, there will be at least a year or two before one adjusts, finds a place, some grounding. And even accept that it might be a little bit lonely. What helped her at that stage were the friends she had made during her travels in Europe in the UK, Germany, Netherlands, and Austria. Many of them came to visit her in her new home.

She appreciates that Bratislava is more of a “village type” city in that it’s quieter, smaller and liveable. She appreciates that nature is very close to the city and loves walking along the Danube – especially the quieter areas in the Karlova Ves borough. Back when she first visited the capital in late 1990s, she thought the city needed some time. Seeing it now, the city has definitely lived up to her hopes.

She even travelled a bit, visiting Štrbské Pleso in the High Tatras; that is after she “wrapped her mouth around it”, which makes for a nice segue into the biggest challenge for Holmes.

After years of straddling two worlds, this American is now reconnecting with his Slovak roots

Language, the bane of many a foreigner

“I know how to say ‘Do you speak English?’ in Slovak. It’s the number one phrase I say every day. When I talk to Slovaks, they apologise for the language being so difficult and feel sorry for me to have to try and figure out how to speak it,” she says. The biggest problem when it comes to the language are the prefixes and suffixes.

“When we covered them in my Slovak class I started to laugh. The teacher asked me what was so funny and I pointed to two big pages full of tiny verbs with prefixes and suffixes that change the meaning; not just a bit, they’re entirely different,” she says with a sigh, surmising that it will take me a lifetime.

Nevertheless, despite the language being daunting for her, she still wants to try as she believes it’s important to learn the language of the country she decided to live in. In the meantime, she is very grateful that people in Slovakia speak English.

“This is sort of an experiment. I think it helps me to look at things that way so I don’t feel like there’s a lot of pressure. I can stay present in the moment and just take one day at a time and see how things unfold. I’m someone who feels like if you’re meant to do something or be somewhere, things come together and lead you to the next step and kind of affirm your decision,” she explains, adding that she hopes for some exciting things to do and people to meet.

“My mother used to say, ‘Sara, we never know what’s ahead. And sometimes that’s a good thing. Yeah, we’ll see what happens,” she concludes.

Spectacular Slovakia travel guides

Voyages on wooden rafts on the Dunajec River in northern Slovakia offer a mixture of excitement and nature sightseeing. (source: TASR)