Šimon, Mišo and I walked down a nicely cobbled side walk till we arrived at a small cozy looking house with a short sturdy looking green wire fence running around its small yard. We rang the doorbell and were greeted by a older women who practically pulled us inside. Inside was a man with lots of bright white hair with a big, bushy, jolly looking beard.
We came to a room where nearly every inch of the wall was covered by a painting, photograph or anything else that can be hung from a wall. There was a plush couch on one side of the room, directly across from a small old looking television. Directly in between the TV and couch was a small square table with for chairs. We set our packs down on the couch and sat around the small table and then Mr. Mušinka sat with us.
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| Mr. Mušinka and me |
Mr. Mušinka was a anthropology professor who was very well know in his field. When the Soviet occupation army came to Slovakia in 1968 he disagreed with its ideals and opposed it. Because Mr. Mušinka did not agree with the oppressive Soviet regime he was forced by it to give up his position as a University professor.
Mr. Mušinka returned to his native village in Slovakia and became a Slovak cowboy. He had lassos and horses just like the American cowboys, only he was Ukrainian . As a cowboy he made more money then as a university professor, he kept working.
Mr. Mušinka still had his opinion and thoughts which the Soviets were not able to take away. Many free thinkers who opposed the regime frequented Mušinkas home in his village. Soon the regime noticed this and after five years he lost his job as a cowboy.
He was made a heating technician. All while Mušinka was being oppressed his writings were being published around the world. In Czechoslovakia no one was allowed to say his name, to the government he was non-existent. Around the world in the field of anthropology he was extremely well renowned.
A university in Toronto, Canada offered him a position as a guest professor, he more than gladly accepted and was ready to go until a few days before his departure some KGB agents came and confiscated his passport, he was unable to go to Canada and stayed in Slovakia.
In 1989 when the oppressive communist regime fell he went back to working as a professor at the same university as before. He has more than 70 world wide publications, and although he was persecuted for having an opinion he still kept it. Even though as an intellectual he was forced to do physical work he kept working and maintained his spirit, he showed amazing vitality.
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