Pavol, Mirka, and Sara - Trnava, Slovakia

Pavol has such a warm and welcoming way about him, I immediately felt at ease and at home with him, Mirka (his wife) and Sara (their daughter). We seemed to have an immediate connection. He appeared to have thoroughly read my letter and emails, even checking out the website where I work, and had a number of questions for me from the start. It was great to just dive in. Although there were a few moments of silence, for the most part, our conversation flowed rather nicely. What amazed me was that he almost always knew the intent of my questions and he even had a way of pointing a few things out about me (pure observation and intuition)! On a walk in the woods behind their flat Pavol pointed out that my gate was quick and determined rather than leisurely. I didn’t appear to be someone out to take in the sights. I had to laugh: yes, I’m a speed walker by nature. But, his observation struck a deeper chord: I frequently am more concerned about getting from point A to point Z than I am interested in taking in my surroundings and just being. Well, this sort of stopped me in my tracks ... I started to walk a little slower and tried to breathe in the peace of the woods and tried to enjoy the rays of sun on my skin, the simple life pleasures of a beautiful autumn day.

Back in the apartment I also browsed through the CD collection and came across many groups I personally like. It turns out Pavol is also a big fan of old Jazz greats, Billie Holiday, Ella Fitgerald, Louis Armstrong, and Edith Piaf as well as Pearl Jam. (I actually saw Pearl Jam here in Prague in September). It was very neat to find these interesting similarities in tastes.

My visit with Pavol also provided an avid Eastern European history buff like me the opportunity to hear about life during communism and the personal experience of his family. Pavol told me how some of his sisters were denied entrance at university because they indicated belief in God on entrance applications. On the other hand, sometimes the powers that be awarded the sons and daughters of villagers a place at university because of their work as farmers and workers of the state. Pavol is part of the last generation that really remembers what life was like during communism. He also remembers the visits of my great cousin Albert Fecko who visited Slovakia over the years starting in the late 1970s. It was very apparent speaking to Pavol and Valent that they have a profound attachment to their beloved village Vysne Repase. In fact, Valent’s laptop opens to a picture he took in November 2005 of the village. Pavol simply beams when he talks about the mountain views. “It’s very different, very special there, you know, Christine,” he said.

And, I somehow know exactly what he means. For sure, Vysne Repase has a large list of troubles: the village numbers about 100 inhabitants, 2/3 of which are widowers. There is no industry save for subsistence farming (as far as I can tell). According to Pavol, alcoholism is a problem in many Slovak villages and men have been known to freeze to death after passing out. Despite these problems and the harsh nature of life in Vysne Repase, there is beautify found in the truth of this human experience.