William Penn Life, 2012 (47. évfolyam, 1-12. szám)

2012-07-01 / 7. szám

Tibor's Take with Tibor Check, Jr.

There and back again

SINCE I LAST WROTE, a great deal has happened in my professional life. Many people would find it quite boring, but that is okay. I had several experiences in my travels the past few months that impacted me as a young American-Hungarian. I am going to recap the past few months and include all that I have seen and done.

The first of my adventures took me to our nation's capital, Washington, D.C. Though my father cannot understand it, I really enjoy visiting that place and, one day, I would like to live there. There is something alluring about the bustle of the capital of not just the U.S. but of the free world. A stroll along Massachusetts Avenue yields a very real tapestry of peoples and cultures. Embassy Row is my favorite place to visit, even more than the typical tourist sites. There is such an unmistakable energy in the air, perhaps it is merely the natural result of being the epicenter of world politics and economies.

My travels took me to Washington for the 27th Annual International Model NATO, where my colleagues and I from Cleveland State University were competing against delegations from 27 other schools for a few prestigious awards. Our objective: to represent the nation of Romania as best as possible, debating, from Romania's perspective, a wide range of policy and security issues. To be brief, we were very successful. I won an award, as did five of my colleagues. There were a few moments of lighthearted fun however, and I want to share them with you.

Every university representing a country at the International Model N ATO must visit and attend a briefing by a diplomat at the embassy of the nation they are representing. Thus, my colleagues attended such a briefing at the Romanian Embassy. I was unable to attend this briefing as my arrival in Washington was delayed by my legal studies. At the briefing, when discussing Romania's regional relations with its neighbours, one of my colleagues mentioned Hungary. All of a sudden, the diplomat paused and said: "Hungary...well...the Hungarians have been very, very, naughty recently." He was referring to the controversial new Hungarian constitution, which was just over a month old at the time. "Are there any Hungarians in the room?" he asked. After being informed that the token Magyar was flying in later that day, he then proceeded into a colorful discussion of how

While in Chicago for the NATO Summit this May, Tibor (back, third from right), along with other Young Delegates, had the opportunity to meet NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen (front, fourth from right) and other national and world leaders.

Romania's Balkan policy is influenced by the fact that, if Romania legally recognizes an ethnic enclave elsewhere, the Szekelys are going to want recognition, too.

To make matters worse, one of my colleagues and friends was enjoying the fun a little too much. His name is Matej, and he was born in Bratislava, Slovakia. He and I traded many fun jabs during the trip. He would talk about places in Slovakia, and I would "correct" him with the "proper" Hungarian name. For example:

Matej: "When I was in Kosice this past summer..."

Tibor: "Don't you mean Kassa?"

Matej: "Anyway, so my friend from Komarno met me there..."

Tibor: "Don't you mean Komárom?"

Matej: "Shut up, Tibor."

If he ever challenged me, I would tell him to look at the map in my apartment. It is a map of the "true" Hungary, a map of 1885. There is no such thing as Slovakia on that map.

In May, I traveled to Chicago to attend the NATO Summit where I was chosen to serve as a Young Delegate. That trip was probably one of the most exciting experiences of my life. I was able to meet the Supreme Allied Commander-Europe (a post once held by Pres. Eisenhower), the Secretary General of NATO, Madeline Albright, Rahm Emanuel and many other dignitaries and

Point to Ponder....

This is for the young people in the audience. A common trend within NATO is to question the level of outreach by the alliance to the young people living in its 28 member nations. My question to you is, do you know what NATO is? If you do not, do you really care enough to know? Your answers to these questions are the source of much consternation among presidents, prime ministers and generals.

6 ° July 2012 0 William Penn Life