ahka | My love for travel

When I was little, I loved to visit and explore new places. At first I visited my neighbors’ apartments and was very curious to visit every room, then in school I was exploring all classrooms, then I dreamed of visiting every city and every country in the world, so there would be not even one spot that I did not make a step. Well, the latter is not very realistic, but I still loved and love to visit new cities and countries. Being raised in the former USSR, visiting other countries was not a very realistic idea, at least not for the family where both parents were dedicated teachers (working almost 24/7 and getting paid hardly enough for food).

It was always very exciting to step on the new land in a new city. My parents helped me travel when opportunities were given at school. Of course, all of the travel was within the USSR. I kept dreaming about traveling across the border even though I realized that in my situation it was not possible. So, I tried to participate in various sports and dance with the goal that someday as an athlete or an artist I would be traveling to another country.

I love to dance and I loved to dance in the dance theaters that I did, but the main interest was to eventually travel across the border with purpose.

In 1990, finally my dream came true!!! It was winter and our school was taking group of fencing team to Hungary. Our physical education teachers and coaches were allowed to travel across the border for a competition. My parents signed me up to go there too. I was on a fencing team; however I was not very good to compete.

The true trip goal was commercial for the adults. There was no competition and we, group of children traveled only as camouflage. We did not get any money exchanged and we had to bring some stuff to sell in order to have any Hungarian forints.

Teachers were clever, as a fencing team, they had permission to transport weapons and big bags for the fencing gear. They used the begs for the merchandise to sell. I think it was illegal to take a lot of stuff for sale, but traveling with children and with permission to transport weapons customs did not check us. We traveled on the train from Kiev to Budapest. Customs were in city Chop at about 1am. It was very smooth.

In the same train were traveling group of Bulgarian and Georgian black market salesmen. They were asking us (kids) to take their stuff and put it in our carts. They even offered dollars to us for that. Customs took a lot of their suitcases out at night and they didn’t touch any of our stuff.

Once we arrived in Budapest, we had to take a train to a small town Gödele. We had no money for the train. Our teachers taught us to say “No forint” if someone would be checking our tickets that we didn’t have. It was very embarrassing and scary. Finally, we got to our little hotel where we had to share beds. It was very cold, so we slept in full clothing.

In the morning, we had to go to the market and sell what we brought with us, so we would have some money. I am no salesperson!!! I gave my staff away for almost nothing. I was embarrassed to be standing at the market and selling things, so I tried to get rid of the stuff as soon as I could. I was 14 years old. Our teachers didn’t care much about us. Us, it was about 8 kids 10-16 year olds. I am not sure how those kids ended up on this trip.

There was one girl same age as I was, and it was not her first trip. So, she knew the surroundings and she took us to Budapest on the train and then on the bus. It was pretty adventurous trip that ended with visit to the big Budapest market where we spent our “pennies” to buy presents to take home with us. We did not buy tickets for the train and almost got arrested. At that time we really had no money and even if they would’ve arrested us they wouldn’t be able to get any money either.

That was a trip from hell. I loved city Budapest, it is very beautiful even in winter time, but I have very negative associations with that beautiful city. It was very cold, so our teachers bought various fruit liqueur and they were giving it to us to warm up. I am not sure why but we couldn’t be in our hotel during the day. I am even wondering if it was a homeless shelter. I absolutely don’t remember what we ate there. We must’ve ate something…

I hope that someday, I would be able to go back and enjoy the city of Budapest in a different view, not as homeless, moneyless or impoverished teenager.

The next trip across the border was to America. America opened the doors for more travel around the world. The other day, we had a conversation at work about travels and some of my co-workers were making comments that one must be very rich to travel. I did not agree. I don’t think that I am rich or ever have been. Well, I am grateful because I have everything that I need.

I traveled the most when I was a poor student. I worked part-time and saved all my money for my travels because it was important to me. I had the freedom to see other countries and learn something new and see things that I learned in school about in history and geography classes.

Before I married Boris, I told him that travel is important to me and that we must try to travel at least once a year to the place that I have not been before (that is not including work travel). Ideally, it would be great if we could travel more often while we are young and healthy. Boris does not like to spend money on travel and it is always very hard to plan any trip because it might take months until he would agree on traveling someplace. I am always thinking about next destinations!!! I think next trip would be family trip South with the kids this winter. There are so many cool places to visit and so little time!