Friends - Bringing Europe & America together

When I first started traveling to the Rusyn homeland some 9 years ago, I went as a tourist. Since then, 6 trips later, I have done most of the touristy things that there are to do in the places I frequent. It's the people -- friends -- that keep me coming back time and time again. After all, where would any of us be without friends? Here's a bunch of them I got to hang out with (unfortunately not long enough) this year.

This is me with my good friend Maria Silvestri, from Pittsburgh, whom I've known since she was about 7 years old! She's now a sophomore at Seton Hall University. She is, as we say, "good people." (Photo taken at the "vatra" -- bonfire / cookout -- with about 300 Rusyns from the homeland and America who were attending the World Congress of Rusyns in Krynica, Poland.)

Me with a good buddy, Vasyl' ("Vas'o") Pukish from Svaljava, Ukraine. He's such a sweetheart (and a real lady-killer). (Photo taken at the "vatra" in Krynica, Poland.)

A truly darling young lady, Alena ("Ali") Blychova, who just graduated from Prešov University, smart, talented, pretty, funny, religious, etc. If you've seen the British (original) "Queer as Folk" you might understand the reference that after I met Ali my reaction was, "in some parallel universe, I just met my wife!" (Photo taken at the "vatra" in Krynica, Poland.)

Me with a lovely lady, Ljubica ("Ljubka") Hupcejova, of Prešov, but originally from "up north" close to Svidnyk like my family. She's a lot of fun, a great singer, and a schoolteacher (kindergarten, I think). (Photo taken at the "vatra" in Krynica, Poland.)

Me with a very cool dude (and in high demand among some of the American Rusyn young ladies from the Slavjane Folk Ensemble who were there) from Poland, Van'o Fesz. I've known him off and on via e-mail for about 2 years, but met him in person finally this trip. He reminds me of myself when I was his age... only tall & blond ;-) (Photo taken at the "vatra" in Krynica, Poland.)

Not sure how this group photo got assembled. Anyway... from left: Tibor Miklos Popovics, a Rusyn activist from Hungary; Father Michajlo Hološnjaj, a Rusyn Greek Catholic priest from Novi Sad, Serbia (very nice guy & we discovered we had an old friend in common); moi; and my good friend from Moscow, Misha Dronov, who has become a Rusyn activist/advocate in his own right and is completing his studies at Prešov University. (Photo taken at the "Lemkowska karczma" -- Lemko tavern -- our last night in Krynica, Poland.)

Moi, visiting the home in Svidnyk, Slovakia of Osyf and Helena Olčak. Their daughter, Silvia, lives in Harrisburg, PA right now and goes to my home church. (Yes, I did carry home a bag of stuff for Silvia. A small price to pay for having such a lovely family to call friends.)

Moi, visiting the home in Svidnyk of the Ivan Čižmar family. Ivan (at right, holding his granddaughter) is from 3 villages away from my grandparents' villages and he is an accomplished musician, musicologist, and ethnographer. I hope to be helping him complete a book on the Rusyn folk wedding traditions.

All in the family(?) -- my friend Vladko Bodjanec, from Vojvodina province, Serbia. We're on a bus on our way from Krynica, Poland to Medzilaborce, Slovakia.

Me with my friend Pavel Tyrko, from Nyžnij Komarnyk, Slovakia (one village north of my grandfather's village). He finished university last year and is still looking for work :-( But he's a really good guy, and is becoming a Rusyn activist in his own right. His Rusyn poetry has won awards in local and all-Slovakia competitions. (Photo from the Museum of Lemko Culture in Zyndranova, Poland.)

And on my last night in Slovakia, I convinced my buds from Bratislava to pose for this picture. If we weren't trashed yet, we soon would be. On the left is my host and in a way, the friend I feel closest to in age and otherwise (!), Maroš Krajnjak. He's originally from the Svidnyk region and is, I must say, the 1st Rusyn metrosexual I've met over there. He's finishing an MBA and also works for T-Mobile in Bratislava (sounds like a yuppie, too, doesn't he?). At right is Bohuslav ("Bohuš") Harviljak, originally from just over the hill from my grandmother's village. His home village, Čertižne, I visited last summer with him and I stayed overnight in his parents' home, my first time ever sleeping in a village (and so far only time!). Bohuš is a lawyer working for the Slovak government on EU-related legislation with respect to livestock. Hmmm... Anyway, he's coming to visit the US in September or October, so some of you might meet him in person.