Stephen Fedoriska:
CLASS OF 1972
Schuylkill Haven High SchoolClass of 1972
Schuylkill haven, PA
Stephen's Story
UPDATED 28 JUN 17 – Well we have been back in the U.S. now for two years having left Germany on the 1st of July 2015. I have to say that I really did not want to leave after having lived there for nearly 6 years. I truly love the German lifestyle and customs. Living in Europe gave us the opportunity to travel extensively throughout Europe, the Middle East and South Asia. We visited many of the desired sites in Europe and many little-known towns and villages along the way; experienced many fest and celebrations; ate way too much food and drank way too much beer and wine. On balance, we enjoyed our time and the opportunities to experience everyday life with our German hosts. We were fortunate to be able to make several trips into a few countries and at least one to others. Our travels took us to England, Spain, France, Belgium, the Netherlands, Luxemburg, Switzerland, Austria, Lichtenstein, Italy, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Greece, Turkey, Israel, Jordan, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, and the most diverse and interesting place on earth, India. We were able to experience Hindu ceremonies on the Ganges river in the Hindu holy city of Varanasi, we also experienced Sikhism at the Gurudwara Bangla Sahib in New Delhi, we visited the Buddhist holy site at Sarnath and the Ancient Buddhist monasteries near Dhamekh Stupa as well as visiting significant Islamic mosque and of course the Taj Mahal and many other sites of interest. The food was absolutely fantastic and the people some of the most friendly and gentle people I have ever come across.
Once we returned to the U.S. we also went on an excursion to China and sailed up the Yangtze River, saw Shanghai, the Terracotta Soldiers in the ancient city of Xian and of course the Forbidden City in Beijing and the Great Wall of China. I was most struck by the population…people everywhere. China has over 50 cities with over 20 Million people. In comparison to the U.S. China is a giant with regard to population. Food was excellent, plentiful and cheap. And yes, we actually had Peking Duck in Beijing (old Peking). China has much to offer, both old and new and they continue to develop and modernize at an alarming rate. It is not too far-fetched to one day see the Chinese monetary instrument being the standard and not the U.S. dollar if they continue on their development course.
Although I came back to the U.S. two years ago, I have made several trips back to my client for business. This helped me ease my transition to being back in the U.S. But now, I have finally retired. I left the Firm on 30 September 16. Donna and I sold our second house in Colorado Springs and bought a house in an active retirement community called Sun City in Mesquite, NV. This is a great location with sunny hot weather year-round…well, at lease compared to the rest of the country. Winter is sunny and mostly warm with some cold nights, but nothing like Colorado. Summer here is HOT…and I mean HOT. But we have adjusted nicely and are enjoying our lifestyle here. Additionally, it puts us in a place that we can visit one Grandchild on the West Coast and two Grandchildren in Colorado. Oh yeah, I didn’t mention it earlier, but our Son and his Wife had a boy back in 2014 and is he ever a cutie. Blond hair and blue eyes and full of wonder and inquisitiveness. My joy and pride is seeing my Grandkids and being ‘Opa’ or Pappy to them…each one is a blessing and so unique.
UPDATED 7 DEC 13: 2013 Was indeed a great year for us. Donna and I celebrate our 39th year of marriage today...and some said it would't last 6 months! I have been truly blessed by The Lord to have found the love of my life and I thank Him every day for her love and devotion. We were also blessed by the arrival of our second Grandchild. Cadence Aria Bujak entered our lives in August. A precious little girl we love so much. Our travels this year took us to Greece for several days, Italy again for the annual Andrea Bocelli concert, Rome, Florence, Piza, Pompei, and the Amalfi Coast. We also went to Viena for a few days and of course back to lower Bavaria for the cow fest and Oktoberfest. We also celebrated Saint Martin's Day with our German friends by having a Goose dinner at a nice Gastehaus. Our travels also took us once again back to Israel for 10 days where I worked with the Isralie Defense Force for a few days and of course we did some touring. At the present time we are in Stuttgart for a company holiday function and the Christmas market for the weekend. We were also so happy to have Cindy and Bob (Donna's Sister and her Husband) join us for our Italy adventure and our Son and Daughter-in-law join us for the cow fest in Bavaria. Also, I was finally promoted to Lead Associate and given a team in Naples, Italy to manage...so I will be spending more time Italy this next year. We end this year being truly thankfull to The Lord for our many, many blessing, chief among them for our family and the love we have for each other. Thank you Lord!
UPDATE 6 JAN 12: Well what it year it was! 2012 brought some really exciting times to us the best being the birth of our first Grandchild in March. Grayson Bujak entered the world on March 9th and has been pulling at our heartstrings ever since. Although we still live in Germany, we were able to get back and see him in Colorado Springs. Donna was there for his birth and I came a few weeks later. We miss being around him and watching him grow up. Although I don’t get back as much as I would like to, Donna does get back more frequently. So at least his Grammy will be there with him more often than Opa. While in the States we visited our parents and relatives in Pennsylvania and for the first time we also visited Gettysburg. As I have always believed that Abraham Lincoln was the greatest President based on his ‘preserving’ the Union, this visit was particularly interesting to me. We were also able to accomplish some really great travel this year in Europe. One of our first stops was to Amsterdam, Netherlands where we saw some of the Dutch Master’s work as well as van Gogh and other works in Hermitage (Amsterdam) and Rijks Museum. Our travels also included Paris once again, where we like to take in as much art as we possibly can. On the way back from Paris we decided to stop at Giverny and visit the home and gardens of Claude Monet. I can see why he was inspired to paint his garden scenes. Standing on the Japanese bridge in his garden one can only wonder what it was like living there and being inspired by such a beautiful place. We also visited Bayeux, France, where we saw the 70-meter Bayeux Tapestry depicting the Norman conquest of England, and of course we visited the V-Day sites of Normandy as well as the World Heritage site of Mont Saint-Michel. While in Normandy we observed Memorial Day services at the Normandy American Cemetery and Memorial. This was quite a moving ceremony and gave pause to remember all those who had their lives taken from them during WWII and in subsequent wars. Those who serve our nation deserve our highest respect and we should always honor those who made the supreme sacrifice for our nation. As we are big big fans of Andrea Bocelli, we decided that a trip to Tuscany was required. In July we headed to Pisa where we stayed while visiting Siena and San Gimignano. What wonderful towns and what wonderful food and wine. We were fortunate enough to attend a once a year concert staged in Andrea’s hometown of Lajatico in the Teatro del Silenzio. All I can say is sitting under a clear Tuscan night sky with a nice glass of Tuscan wine in July listening to Andrea Bocelli was nothing short of fantastic! We also visited Lucerne, Switzerland where we found out what ‘really expensive’ means. A traditional skillet type offering similar to something one would get in a Denny’s for about $5 consisting of potatoes, cheese and ham will cost about $25! We also went to Metz, France for the annual Mirabelle Festival where we observed representative dance and music from many nations performing at the fest as well as one very loud outdoor Rock Concert featuring a very hip French group. Although the crowd seemed to like the loud music, my age must be catching up with me as I found it entirely too loud. In between all this we still managed to travel within Germany as well. In the fall, we drove to Austria and stayed in a very nice Gaustehaus just over the border from Germany. We based out of there and drove across the border to attend the annual "Viehscheid" in the Allgau. Every year in September, thousands of cows are brought down from their summer alpine pastures high up in the mountains and treated like celebrity on their return to the valley. The town of Oberstdorf hosts this annual event and it is a sight to behold. Oh, did I mention there are plenty of Bavarian beers, Wurste, brezeln (German Pretzels) and Bavarian music. What a fest! One thing I did discover however is that when the Austrians say you need a vignette for your car to drive on the Autobahn, they mean it! I was found wanting at a checkpoint just before crossing back into Germany. The fine is immediate, payable in cash or cre...Expand for more
dit card on the spot and it is expensive 120 Euro or about $170. In late September we were blessed by having DonnaâÂÂs sister and husband (Cindy and Bob) come and visit usâ¦as they have for the past several years now both here and in Colorado. We all went on an adventure. First stop was Salzburg, Austria (this time with a Vignette) where we visited the old city and had some good food and beer. The second stop was Venice. Ah Venice, what can one say about Venice? There is just so much there and so much to see and doâ¦one highlight was the Vivaldi concert we attended conducted in an old church that Vivaldi attended while he lived in Venice. Also, again the food and wine were very, very good, especially in the little town outside Venice where we stayedâ¦Quarto DâÂÂAltino. This town was quaint, less expensive than Venice and had a train that we road in and out of Venice on a daily basis for around $6.00 a day. I could not park my car in Venice for less than 20 Euros a day. That works out to about $27 a day. After Venice we headed to München for the Oktoberfest. What a fun time we had! Although not for the faint of heart or those who are shy of big crowds, it is a wonderful experienceâ¦especially if you go during the day when many families are attending. Nighttime is a different story and gets less agreeable as the night progresses. While on our way back to our home in Spesbach in the Rhineland-Pfalz area of Germany we took the time to visit one of the Nazi concentration camps just outside of Münchenâ¦Dachau. What a horrific place where agents of the devil himself perpetrated unimaginable cruelty against humanity! Although it is a terrible past for Germans to reckon with, it is important that not only they remember what happened, but also the whole of humanity remember what happened so that it may never happen again. We were also able to make a trip back to the U.S. for Thanksgiving and visiting our adult children and family. We flew from Frankfurt to Seattle were we spent a few wonderful days with our son Stephen and his wife Frances and got to eat some fantastic smoked salmon. After that we flew to Denver and visited with our daughter, Jennifer and Tony as well as our new grandson Grayson. It was a nice Thanksgiving and we canâÂÂt wait to get back to see everyone again. We also flew to Baltimore and drove to Cressona and Schuylkill Haven to visit with our parents and family. Upon returning to Germany we had one more trip to take to close out the year. Some 38 years ago I was a young sailor out on an adventure serving with the U.S. Sixth Fleet in the Mediterranean on board the U.S.S. America. One of the ports of call we made was to Istanbul, Turkey. At the time I thought that this was about as an exotic place that I had ever been to and that I would probably never get back again. Well, the opportunity for Donna and I to visit this Christmas came up and we decided to accept. We had a very nice 4-day visit with a private guide and driver. Our guide was a Muslim who was very open to any and all discussion on politics, religion and life in general. We gained invaluable insight into his culture, religion and daily life. He took us to the Dolmabahçe Palace the Süleymaniye Mosque, Haghia Sophia, the spice market, the world famous Sultan Ahmet Camii (Blue Mosque), Topkapi Palace, and the Grand Bazaar. Just for fun we also embarked on a city ferry and took a short cruise on the Bosphorus. We were also invited to watch a master weaver hand weave a double knot silk on silk Turkish carpet. This woman had been hand weaving for over 20 years and was producing a carpet of extraordinary beauty and quality. Oh, by the way if you get a chance to fly Turkish Airlines definitely do it. After all the flying I have done in my life, and having flown on United, Lufthansa (my favorite), Qatar (another great airline) on long haul flightsâ¦I can honestly say Turkish Airlines is by far the best in comfort and serviceâ¦not to mention their great inflight food service where you get a choice of two superb entrées and free wine and spirits. As we bade 2012 a fond farewell, let me simply say as the Germans say âÂÂGuten Rutsch ins neue JahrâÂÂ! Or literally, âÂÂHave a good slide into the New YearâÂÂ!
UPDATE 25 JAN 11: We are on our way to Spesbach, Gemany about 135 miles north of Stuttgart. I am taking a position with the U.S. Air Forces Europe in Ramstein AFB to support the newly formed Integrated Air and Missile Defense Division. We are very excited and move into our new home the first week of February. We will be there for at least a year...maybe longer. This gives us easy access to more places in the north and west of Europe and we are sure to take advantage of the opportunities to travel. Best wishes to all for a prosperous and blessed new year!
UPDATE 16 Dec 10: Well it has been over a year now that Donna and I are living in Germany. In that year we have been to too many places in Germany to count as well as several other countries. Israel in the early part of the year, the Netherlands, in Spring and Summer, Belgium and Luxembourg, France several times, the Czech Republic for my Birthday, Italy for Thanksgiving and we will be in Spain for Christmas with possibly Paris for New Years. The job has been somewhat fulfilling...not what I had expected but the opportunities for travel have offset any disappointment I have found with the job. We are looking forward to more travel in the coming year with Russia in our sights and coming home to the US for a visit and to relocate in the early fall or sooner if I find a position in the US sooner. Best wishes for a blessed holiday and new year.
UPDATE 24 Dec 09: Frohe Weihnachtsfest! Well, we are finally settled into our home here in Waldenbuch, Germany just outside of Stuttgart in the Swabian region of Germany. I am supporting the U.S. European Command in the EUCOM Operations and Planning Center, Plans Division in the Missile Defense Branch. I am still with Booz Allen Hamilton in the contractor position. Our life here in Germany is very interesting and very enjoyable. We are adapting to the life style and culture very quickly and have not experienced any "home sickness" or pining for things American. Although we are authorized to use the base Commissary and Post Exchange we find that we do a great deal of shopping in the local German markets as the food is fresher and reasonably priced. Also, we can get items that are not available on base. So far we have made several journeys in Germany...mostly 2 - 3 days in duration. We have an ambitious travel schedule for the Spring and Summer and will post updates accordingly.
UPDATE July '09: Guten abend, I have accepted a position with my Firm in Stuttgart, Germany where I am writing this update. Donna and I should be here for at least 3 years. We love Europe and visit often, so we decided to accept the opportunity to work and live here in Germany!
Well, I doubt that this will garner much interest from most of you, but for those of you with the slightest bit of curiosity on how my life turned out, here are the highlights: Faithfully married to the same woman for 34 years. Served 25 years in the U.S. Navy, 10 years enlisted Avionics Technician, 15 years Commissioned Service as a Cryptologic Officer. Served aboard the aircraft carrier USS America (CVA-66); U.S. Naval Air Facility, Sigonella, Sicily; Training Squadron Eighty-six (VT-86), Pensacola, FL; Naval Security Group Activity, Keflavik, Iceland; the National Security Agency, Ft. Mead, MD; Naval Security Group Activity, Guantanamo Bay, Cuba; Naval Security Group Activity, Winter Harbor, ME; Canadian Forces Supplemental Radio System Headquarters, CF Communications Command, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada; United States Space Command and NORAD, Colorado Springs, CO. Retired in January 1996 at the rank of Lieutenant Commander. Upon retirement from the Navy, instructed and developed space curriculum for the Space Warfare Center, Schriever AFB, CO while employed as a Senior Analyst with Science Applications International Corp. Currently supporting U.S. Northern Command and NORAD as a government contractor with Booz Allen Hamilton, Inc. performing as a Ballistic Missile Defense Intelligence Analyst. Donna and I have two adult children. One son who is an Emmy Award winning Photojournalist for CBS News in Denver, CO and one daughter who is a Registered Nurse in Colorado Springs, CO. I possess a Bachelor of Applied Science degree in Electronics Technology and a Master of Arts in Computer Resources. I have completed 10 Doctoral courses in Management and currently am pursuing finishing this degree. My spouse Donna is an accountant for Biological Sciences Curriculum Services in Colorado Springs, CO and graduated as the Distinguished Accounting Graduate from her school. If it sounds as if I am bragging a little, well I am. Recall with me that I wasn't exactly the brightest light bulb in the pack while at good old Schuylkill Haven Area High, so I am just a little bit proud of how things worked out. Anyway, there you have it, take it or leave it. My sincere best to everyone!
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