|
|
|
|
|
The Saco Wastewater Treatment Facility in Saco, Maine. Click image for larger size.
|
|
|||||||
|
|
|
It’s
Been a Long Journey By
Mac Richardson
Wojciech Cwik has been employed at the Lewiston – Auburn Water Pollution Control Authority for over twelve years now, and things seem to be working out pretty well for the Lead Operator originally from a small town in Poland. Like most people in the wastewater treatment field, Wojciech (pronounced “voy-tek”) came in to the profession somewhat fortuitously. Wojciech spent five years studying the economics of tourism at two different Polish colleges, first the Academy of Economics in Jelenia Gora and then at the University of Gdansk in Sopot. As a young university student in communist Poland, Wojciech spent a good deal of time trying to find out what was really going on in the world by listening to the BBC, Radio Free Europe and other sources to supplement the “party line” main stream press typical of Poland at the time. A second major effort (after having fun and doing a little studying of course materials) was to try to avoid service in the Warsaw Pact armed forces that were then confronting NATO armed forces. When Wojciech and his cohorts heard about the Chernobyl nuclear power plant disaster in the Ukrainian SSR (Ukraine was at the time still a part of the Soviet Union) on Swedish radio, they took to the streets in protest and in order to try to spread the word. Shortly thereafter, Wojciech found himself offered a chance to serve in Polish military – possibly even for three or more years on a submarine! It was then that Wojciech decided that he had spent enough time trying to change the system. He and some friends signed up for a scientific expedition through the University that took them to Greece via Bulgaria. Once in Greece, he applied for and was granted political asylum. At the time he thought about emigrating to Australia or Canada, where social services where reported to be very good, and he was told that it would be no problem to emigrate to South Africa, but decided that the United States would be his best option. In those days, Wojciech’s view of the U.S. was largely driven by what he had seen on TV shows, “Bonanza” and “Miami Vice”. Although he and his friends had hoped to go to San Francisco, a connection through Catholic Relief found an opportunity in Maine. Wojciech went to the encyclopedia an looked up Maine – only to find images of people hunting, fishing and heating with wood. Wojciech wondered whether Maine was a backward outpost untouched by modern civilization or the Athens library needed to update their encyclopedias! Wojciech currently resides in Auburn with his wife Iwona (pronounced e-vona), who works as a surgical technician at St Mary’s Hospital and three and a half year old son Michal (pronounced mee-how). Wojciech is much more confident about running the LAWPCA facility and protecting the Androscoggin River because he has had the chance to “see the big picture” and perform many varied duties at the facility during his years at LAWPCA. “You can’t really learn this from a book – it takes time and hands on experience” Wojciech remarked. Looking back at “the old country” and comparing it to the United States, it is the diversity present here that stands out. Rich and poor, different races and cultures, attitudes and ideas all mix to provide a stable, enriched environment, and one that Wojciech is proud to call home.
Job
Bank
|
Equipment For Sale
|
Maine Legislature
|
|
|||
|
|
 |
|
|
