She sat quietly, slightly slouched over, between the two administrators as we began our meeting at a local University in Prague. She did not say a word — almost as if she had been instructed to just observe the proceedings — as we discussed opportunities for collaboration and the challenges of higher education in the Czech Republic.
And in an instance, as if the switch had been turned on, she sat up and spoke with authority. “You Americans understand business and free enterprise. Here we do not.”
She had the group’s attention in a flash. Meet Dr. Helena Fialova, an elderly lady whose words packed a punch. She spoke with confidence and conviction.
She spoke about growing up in a communist world in the early 60’s and 70’s. “I was lucky to study in Switzerland for 1 year, and then the Russians came.” The Russians decided that the best use of her talent was to work in the library. “I was an employee of the state, as a librarian, for 20 years. It is difficult for our people to understand free enterprise when they were employees for generations.” I Wonder what it must have been like to spend most of ones adult life being told what to do? No choices. No voice.
“Our people do not understand free market systems. They just want to open restaurants and bars. Most young people want to make quick money. They compromise their ethics and integrity to do that.”
An accomplished educator, she travels to the US every year on a lecture circuit at some well known institutions on both coasts. I have a keen sense that she will visit me some day. I hope to have her talk to our students at The University of Tampa.
After the meeting I gushed in admiration, “Do you like to drink wine?” “That and everything else,” she remarked with a twinkle in her eye. I held her old hands in mine and thanked her profusely. In a strange way she had touched my heart.
Very few people impress me, and even fewer inspire me. She score on both counts. Isn’t it ironic that a complete stranger can touch your life in an instant? I want to hear her stories about growing up in a communist world, about how she succeeded when all the odds were stacked against her, about her resilient journey through life.
I can’t wait to meet her again. I have a sense that a lot of vodka will be involved…
About Hemant Rustogi