Otrokovice & Zlin, Czech Republic

While speeding on a train from Vienna to Breclav the weight of my situation crashed down upon me. The distance between me and my home in Texas was then greater than it had ever been before. The prospect of going to the Czech Republic had never entered my mind until a few months before and now I would be living in a country I knew virtually nothing about. Where the hell had this crazy group called AIESEC sent me anyway? The only thing my Capitalistic American schools had taught me about this country was that the U.S.S.R. had formerly controlled it and its Communist government. Now it was the Czech Republic and it was seeking to learn what it takes to be a player in the economy of my country. That was what they wanted me to help them do. Whereas, all I wanted to do was experience a new culture and get some perspective on my own.

I had never traveled outside the USA before this but I soon learned the ins and outs of traveling in Europe. My travel route went from Austin, to Houston, to Newark, to Dusseldorf, to Vienna, and then I took a train from Vienna to Otrokovice where I would meet local AIESECers. Vienna provided little stress because most everyone spoke English but when I had to switch trains in Breclav, Czech Republic the adventure truly began. In Breclav, I started to hone a skill that any person, traveling in a country whose language he doesn't speak, should know. I had to communicate without words. I used a pen and paper to write out numbers and city names along with many hand gestures. Surprisingly, the locals were nice and attempted to understand me. Americans would never have extended that type of courtesy to a foreigner. If someone approached a clerk in the U.S., and only spoke Czech, he probably wouldn't be given the time of day. In fact, I'm not sure if I would've been this courteous to a foreigner before this trip. Now that I know what it's like to be a foreigner I always try to help others visiting my country. The clerk at the ticket booth sold me my ticket, wrote down the track number, and pointed at the schedule board behind me while uttering Czech phrases in a very patient and loud voice. I guess even Czechs think foreigners will understand them if they speak louder. I eventually got the message and dragged all my bags to the proper track to wait for my train.

I decided to converse with a gentleman on the train in order to practice my new communicative skill. We drew pictures, pointed, and acted out words. It was obviously a slower form of communication then spoken language but it was definitely much more entertaining. As I conversed with this gentleman the weight I felt before, caused by confusion and frustration, was lifted and I felt a great lightness as I laughed with this Czech stranger. Occurrences such as getting lost, missing a train, and being unable to get money would have enraged me in the U.S. but now I knew it couldn't be helped so I sat back and learned to enjoy them. This easy going attitude actually stayed with me when I came back to the U.S. and I believe it has made me a better person.

As Otrokovice rapidly approached I wondered what I would do next. The extent to which I had left my life in the hands of AIESEC became ever more apparent as I thought of the contingencies. If AIESEC did not meet me at the station I was essentially screwed. I had about $10 worth of Czech Crowns left and I had no idea how I would get to Zlin, the town I was supposed to live in, from Otrokovice. I thought of all the contingencies with anxious anticipation. I almost wanted to get off the train with no one there to meet me so that I could test my self and my newly found ability to communicate. Fortunately, a couple AIESECers from Zlin, Petr and Jana, along with a trainee from Canada, Laura, greeted me with a hug and a smile. They took me to my hostel and gave me just enough time to drop off my bags before they dragged me to the pub down the street to meet everyone else. From that point the fun never stopped for me. Each day offered more opportunities to learn about my culture and myself thanks to the contrast that my surroundings provided. Revelations of what it means to be an "American" surfaced over and over again as I compared Czech culture to my own.

My job in Otrokovice (about a 20 minute tram ride from Zlin) was with Moravan. Moravan makes small aircrafts for training, aerobatics, and agriculture. Patrik, my 26 year old boss, met with me on my first day and told me that my primary task was to conduct market research on the agricultural aircraft market in the U.S. However, I soon realized that the actual reason Patrik hired me was to teach his North American salesmen about American business culture and force them to speak English. Their English definitely improved after my tenure because they had to speak to me in English, as I knew very little Czech. I learned a few key phrases the most important being "Nemluvim Cesky. Mluvite Anglicky?" which means, "I don't speak Czech. Do you speak English?" The younger employees at Moravan all treated me well but the older employees always seemed suspicious of me. I think their attitude was left over from the Cold War and was directed at me because of their reluctance to change. So, I didn't bother them and they didn't bother me. In fact, no one bothered me. I saw my boss once a week at most and that was just to talk about how I was adjusting to life there. The freedom of the job gave me ample opportunities for weekend travels and nighttime fun.

The AIESEC chapter in Zlin provided me with many opportunities for fun. They ran a summer English language school while I was there. So, AIESECers from all over Europe traveled to Zlin to learn English from native English speaking trainees. This school provided me with an opportunity to make friends from all over the world. I snatched up this opportunity by making friends, that I still speak to today, from countries such as Poland, Australia, Canada, Germany, Czech Republic, Slovakia, and Hungary. We spent many nights together at pubs watching the World Cup in France and planning weekend trips. I traveled to a different city with them almost every weekend. We visited Poland, Slovakia, Hungary, Austria, and several Czech cities.

The experience ended way to soon and when it came time to leave I contemplated staying longer but other responsibilities, such as school, forced me to return to Austin. When I returned I couldn't thank AIESEC Austin enough for providing me with the experience. They were happy to listen to all of my stories and that was probably the most important thing they did for me. When you return form an experience like that you have an incredible amount of stories and AIESECers are always willing to listen. I was genuinely impressed with them and the organization as a whole. Although I was already far into my college career and busy trying to graduate when I returned I tried to help out as much as I could with AIESEC because I knew first hand what an impact it can have on people.

The best way for me to convey how impressed I am with AIESEC is through this story. Two summers after my traineeship I was helping AIESEC Austin out by making arrangements for a Czech trainee to live in Austin. I found him an apartment and I scheduled time to help him get settled in Austin. My experience as a trainee gave me an understanding of how important this reception work was. I gladly did it because I knew how much the trainee would appreciate my effort. While I waited at the gate for him to get off the plane the irony of the situation struck me. It was only a year and a half earlier that Petr, Jana, and Laura had greeted me at the train station in Otrokovice. Now Petr was getting off the plane, on his first trip outside the Czech Republic, and I was there to greet him and help him just as he had helped me. That is what AIESEC is all about-exchange.

Allan Townsend, Texas, USA

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