On The Stress of Travel and Being

 Everything has an end point. An apex.  A rock bottom. That place where the only direction you can go is down or up. Or maybe nowhere at all.

One of my many nicknames is The Prize Winning Travel Pig named Andrew. The etymology of this in-joke is lengthy. Suffice it to say that it refers to an ability to win competitions: admissions and awards which are conducive to continued travels.

When I arrived for grad school in Wroclaw, I expected to settle well into local life. My summer internship in Thailand and Cambodia had been one of my more trying positions. My home-stay in Pakistan was an eye opening but uncertain adventure.  It was time to head back down. I know and love Poland. Travel there would be like coming home to a different world.

Then I got called away to Slovenia for citizenship matters. Twice to Ukraine for scholarship reasons. And back to South Hills for Christmas break.  Professors complained regarding my absences. I made a comeback to earn the equivalent of straight A’s that January. Even as Poland’s winter took its toll.  I still felt like I needed a vacation after I returned from February’s family trip through Italy, Malta and Tunisia.
That wasn’t an option. One of my closest friends contacted me while I was in Valletta  She wanted to know if she could visit in Poland. I knew the country and language. So, she asked if I’d show her the major cities. Of course I agreed. I immensely enjoyed my friend's company. The exercise of the trip drove me into the ground. I’d hit rock bottom. It was time to rest.

My USC Marshall international studies coordinator always encouraged students to develop a connection with were one studies abroad, instead of compulsively traveling to neighboring countries. I agree with him. During this semester I was finally able to take his advice.

It was liberating.  For the first time in a while, I lived at a slower pace for an extended time period. I attended class and cooked my meals. I dealt with reading of my utility meters. As corny as it sounds, I had time to contemplate my existence.

The liberation became oppressive after a few months. Attending class and going to the store became an outing. The squeal of a neighbor’s door bell began to spike my nerves.  My refuge became contemplation of my past through novels and childhood escapades.  There was no promise in the future. No reason to look forward.

 I enjoyed my time in Wroclaw. But after a few months, everyday activities became strenuous. I’ll have been here basically 4 months by June. I haven’t stayed in any city that long since I was 16. Stress is a masochistic alcohol. The less one habitually intakes, the more it’s effect.

I’ve contacted the same friend who visited me in Poland. We’re going to Ireland this June. The next family trip is in the works. It will be in some tropical local. I’ll be interning in Luxembourg this summer too. Hopefully, it will lead to farther opportunities.  The only place to go is up. The only way out is through. It’s time to reach for a new apex. 

On Transition

President Gorbachev is remembered negatively by many in Russia. Some are nostalgic for the Soviet era. They view him as the destroyer of the USSR.

The western world lauded Russia’s conversion to capitalism. From their perspective, it was the correct thing to do.

Russia suffered since the fall of communism. The resulting decline in living standards and life expectancy is so great that it’s sometimes referred to it as the ‘Russian Genocide’. The military was once the gallant protector of the USSR. It’s fallen from grace. Underfunded, it’s unable to pay its utility bills.  Some Russians view the Red Army’s withdraw from central-eastern Europe as forced capitulation to the West.   

 The nations that army vacated have prospered.

 Before martial law’s declaration in Poland, there were rumors of Soviet tanks massing for attack. After finally throwing off communism the country forged ahead. The same is true of other satellite nations, such as Czech Republic and Slovakia. The Baltic States have found their footing. Russia continues to flounder.

Last week I became a Slovenian citizen.  I took an oath, swearing to up hold my new home land’s democratic values. After the ceremony my lawyer, translator, and I discussed the region’s history.

Slovenia used to be part of Yugoslavia. It was a member of the nonaligned Marxist faction.  Slovenia was Yugoslavia’s economic powerhouse. The most of what they produced went to Serbia.

We also discussed Russian politics.  My lawyer and translator acknowledged Russians’ antipathy toward Gorbachev. They seemed dumbfounded by it. Gorbachev maintains that he did not set out to destroy the USSR. They are grateful he did.  

 I’ve traveled to Slovenia three times. It‘s one of the most developed transition nations. On this visit I felt as if I was in the West. The locals spoke a Slavic language.

 Putin professes a desire to redress Russia’s degradation since the fall of communism. Giving a people hope isn’t negative.  Leading them to stagnation is.

Russia must modernize in order to survive.  It must accept the West, while retaining the essence of its own heritage.

Many Russians regard Gorbachev as an enemy.  His policies shaped the future. The obliteration of one empire spawns the beginning of another.  

Let the Russian people embrace the world. Let them build their own destiny with the territories they inhabit.  Let them prosper -- looking towards the future while uniting behind the past.

Let them find truth in their story. As I attempt to find truth in my own.  

Success in Slovenia

I am in my final year of undergraduate studies at my university in America. However, this was the first time that in which I have taken a quick business trip anywhere. I can safely say that it went well.

On my first morning in Slovenia, I got up early and headed out of the city center for my admissions interview at the University of Ljubljana's Faculty of Economics with the director of the Master's program in international business, Prof. Prasnikar. I arrived early and was greeted by Maja Knehtl, another of the program's administrators. She was very helpful in explaining some of the specifics of the program and student life.

When it came time for the actual interview, the professor greeted me, and then proceed to explain that, in his experience, Americans do not take studies in Europe seriously. I responded by telling him that many Americans hold a problematic of view studying in Europe as a once in a life time opportunity to travel. I assured him that it not an attitude which I share and he seemed to relax. We passed the rest of the time discussing Slovenia's rating of competitiveness in the E.U. At the end, I was informed that I was accepted to the program based on the interview and my GPA, and that I would be formally enrolled next September.

That afternoon I met with Maja Jeranko, a family friend in the center of Ljubljana. She was very well traveled in both Europe and the U.S. I found refreshing to discuss future career opportunities with some one who has experiential knowledge of life and economy on both continents.

On the second day, I had a productive meeting with, to clarify my case of claiming Slovene citizenship through ancestry. This was the first time that I have had to make a hiring decision, or engage price negotiations. So, while I was a bit nervous I am glad I got the experience. I now understand how employment interviews can also be stressful for the interviewer.

That evening I went with Maja and some current students from the master's program to Slovenia's national art gallery, which was small but nice. This was followed by a thoroughly enjoyable evening.

While was lucky to see the major sights of Slovenia on a previous trip, I can see how business travelers sometimes do not get to see much of the countries to which they travel.I returned to Budapest feeling rather tired. A lot had happened in the space of only two days and I slept for the rest of the weekend.

Travel, Perspective, and a Train

Just a few decades ago Europe was divided. These divisions ran not only between East and West, but also between individual countries. People often had more distorted perceptions of other nationalities who only lived a few kilometers away.

During my journey to Ljubljana in the second class compartment of the Citadella express, I sat with Hungarian families Nigerian immigrants, and pair of Slovene collage students, who had never taken the train to their capital. The fields of Hungary gave way to dusk as we entered Slovenia. To my surprise the the train stopped. The Slovenian police boarded and began checking passports and ID cards. Both Hungary and Slovenia are members of the Schengen area, so I almost had left my passport in Budapest. As I handed over my documents for inspection it occurred to me how much greater freedom to travel is reshaping European attitudes and economics.

Before the fall of the iron curtain, passage between western Europe and the former eastern bloc was not an easy matter. Even in the satalite states of the USSR passage between countries was heavily restricted. Many residents of the DDR could only obtain authorization to go to Bulgaria on holiday, and few Poles could gain clearance for travel to what they referred to as the 'demoludy' or other Warsaw Pact countries.

Today, maintaining open borders is a nessesity for economic success. Even countries which do not participate in the Schengen area make crossing the border a simple task. Only Belarus and Russia still have serious visa requirements for entry by EU or American citizens.

This opening up of national borders has had the effect of allowing the free of exchange of knowledge and goods across national borders. It has also provided for the free exchange of human capital. Migration between Europe and other parts of the world has also become much more frequent. Despite this, many have elected to stay in their own countries, on the basis of national identity. Crossing a border in Schengen may have become easier, but Europe fortunately continues to be a union of individual, and independent countries.

As I sat on the train, I realized that I also had this ease of movement to thank for the broader perspective which I have gained through my own travels. Relaxation of travel and trade policy has not only spurred cultural and economic exchange, but also allowed me to see the potential for opportunity which these conditions have created in central-eastern Europe. I can only hope that more Americans choose to travel abroad, not to brashly visit an exotic locale, but instead to derive their own deeper meaning from the global environment in which the U.S. is situated.

On the way back from Slovenia it was light as the train passed through the Sava river gorge where my great-grandparents were born. I had been to the area before but had never seen it like this. Sheer forested hillsides of changing leaves sharply descended to a fast flowing emerald river. It was something I had only seen in landscape paintings. I stared in fascination at the latest gift my travels had given me until the train crossed into Hungary.