Jaro Snopek's Story

Name: Jaro Snopek

Age: 47

Occupation: Ocean Lifeguard Specialist based at Central Section Lifeguard Headquarters

Status: Refugee of former Czechoslovakia; First in the United States on July 11th, 1989


The Road To Defection

On August 21st, 1968, the Soviet Union occupied the former country of Czechoslovakia. In the late 20th century, communist rule permeated the state, and its occupants were subjected to its authority. Caught in the mix was young Jaro Snopek, a Czechoslovakian swimmer, triathalete, and student. A year after the young Czech graduated college, he would find himself escaping the communist government; smuggling himself out of the country in search of a better life. Jaro Snopek invariably chose the path of a refugee, here is his story: Snopek attended Charles University in Prague of former Czechoslovakia, where he studied Kinesiology. During his junior year, he came to the realization that he would have to "join the communist party, or get out." According to Snopek, in order to get a job after college, joining the communist party was essentially compulsory. At this time, he began planning his defection. Jaro's only way out of the communist country was via travel. So in November of 1986, he camped overnight at the Prague tourist office, waiting a total of 16 hours to buy a regimented vacation package. The ticket had to be purchased a year in advance, and it included travel to Italy and former Yugoslavia. After purchasing his ticket, Jaro obtained permission leave the country and postpone his compulsory military service, which he attributes luck: a distracted and busy military captain signed his permission paper in a rush. "And then for a year, Jaro waited. Aside from his best friend, he told no one of his plan to defect, keeping it a secret from his college roommate and his family, "...if someone finds out, you go to jail...it was scary," he claimed, and thus he held his secret tight. Jaro went as far as to fabricate a future job that he would start once back from his vacation. He competed in numerous triathlons to take his mind off his pending travel.


The Escape

In 1987, the young Czech graduated college, and on August 21st, nineteen years after the Soviet Union and its Warsaw Pact allies invaded Czechoslovakia, he boarded a bus to Yugoslavia. He chose his particular vacation package because it included a one day cruise to Venice Italy, allowing him the only access out of the Iron Curtain and into a western country. After a two week stay at the coastal town of Umag, Croatia, he boarded a cruise boat from to Venice with a backpack filled with clothes and personal items. Authorities frequently questioned the backpack, asking why it was necessary for such a short trip. To avoid further interrogation he lied and said he was meeting a friend in Italy. Upon arrival to Venice his passport was taken in exchange for a paper travel document. Jaro At this point Jaro’s fear of getting caught defecting was very high, as the consequences of his capture would have meant imprisonment and persecution. After a brief tour through the streets of Venice, his defining moment came at San Marcos Square. Nervous, shaking, and anticipating capture, Jaro said "see you guys," to his Czech tour group, turned around, and walked away. One other Czech man named Tomash asked if he could join Jaro, claiming he knew of a refugee camp in Rome. A careful planner, Jaro had previously bought fifty American dollars off the black market, which he smuggled in the insole of his shoe. He used the money to buy a train ticket to Rome. The two men arrived at a refugee camp around 9pm, and were subsequently turned away as the camp was full. The only other contact the men had in Rome was a Czech woman Jaro knew. With only an address, they proceeded to her apartment, where she answered the door. "Catching her at her apartment was very lucky," Snopek reflects, "if she hadn't been there, our defect attempt could have very well fallen apart right there." The woman instructed the men to go to a local church. There, the men met other refugees who told them their best bet was to go to Austria. With no money and no passports, Jaro and Tomash were incapable of getting out of Italy, but the people of the church came to their aid and provided the currency for train tickets. The men then took a train to Austria, where they exited on the final stop before the Austrian-Italian border. They then proceeded to smuggle themselves into Austria, walking around the border station on a day hike through the mountainous region. Once in Austria, they met a contact they arranged in Rome: a priest who drove them to the Treisker Chen refugee camp in Vienna, where Jaro and Tomash were accepted as refugees.


In the Camp

Once inside the camp, Jaro had his photograph taken, was fingerprinted, and put into quarantine for three days. Set up in former artillery barracks, persons were divided according to nationality, says Jaro. His hard work ethic and ability to speak English and German landed him two separate jobs, one as a ditch digger making five dollars an hour, and another as a translator for Czech, Slovak, Polish, and German refugees. By this time back in Czechoslovakia, the authorities were investigating Jaro’s disappearance. Single and young, he had abandoned his military duty, and had an education paid for by the state. The secret police interrogated his family and friends, all who knew nothing of his whereabouts. He left his savings to his father, and a note saying, "I'm fine, don’t worry about me."

Jaro reflects on his time in Austria as a "good transitioning period," as he was slowly introduced to the concepts of a free market economy; "A grocery store with five cereals was a big deal for me."


Journey to the States

After two years in the camp, he sought asylum in the United States. An old couple he met in Austria had offered him a place to stay in Los Angeles, and Jaro seized the opportunity. On July 11th, 1989, he arrived in Los Angeles. He described the feeling as euphoric, saying "the first step off the airplane was incredible. Today, Snopek has a secure job as a Los Angeles County Fire Department Ocean Lifeguard Specialist based in Santa Monica. He points to freedom and the opportunity for work as his main motivation for leaving his country. "The hardest part," says Snopek, "is that you are leaving, and you have no idea when you'll see your family again."

Perhaps the biggest United States highlight for Jaro was his first encounter with a supermarket. The grand selection was overwhelming, and shopping was "fun for six months." When asked if he feels at home, Snopek replied "absolutely." He has owned his own condominium since 1997, and is currently a US citizen. He has been back to visit his family six times.

Interview by Matt Wise


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