Although Kyrgyzstan isn’t usually on the list of European vacation hot spots, it didn’t stop ’08 University graduate Austin Charron from spending several months studying the forgotten culture of remnant Soviet countries.
As of October 2009, Charron has visited 14 out of the 15 former Soviet countries in Eastern Europe.
“It’s really difficult to travel to Belarus — you have to get certain visas to go there,” Charron said of the last country on his list.
Charron’s love affair with Eastern Europe began when he stayed with a host family outside of Prague, Czech Republic during the summer before his senior year of high school. Charron’s initial trip to the Czech Republic sparked his interest in the area, and he decided to take Russian for his two-year language requirement at the University. After planning a major in geography and a minor in history at the Robert D. Clark Honors College, Charron traveled to St. Petersburg, Russia for five months in 2006 during his junior year in hopes of becoming fluent in Russian.
“The reason I was interested in going there at all was because I had originally taken Russian just for my bachelor of arts language requirement, and then I decided to double major in it. The courses and professors had a big influence on me in deciding to look at that side of the world,” Charron said.
Alexander Murphy, a professor in the geography department, served as Charron’s adviser for his Honors College thesis. Charron’s thesis focused on de facto independent states of former Soviet countries and how they achieve independence and recognition from world powers.
“I talked with Austin both before and after his travels, and it is clear that he benefited enormously from his time abroad. Like a good geographer, he didn’t just focus on major tourist attractions but spent time exploring places that are off the beaten track,” Murphy said of Charron’s travels in Russia and Ukraine.
Charron’s longest trip spanned from September 2008 through October 2009 in Simferopol, Ukraine. He was able to spend a lot of time there after he received a Fulbright research grant to study Russian culture and influence in that area. Although his main purpose in southern Ukraine was to work on grant research, Charron spent some time exploring the city, having some fun and visiting friends in nearby countries.
“He came back with a richer understanding of the world and some of the issues and problems that will define the 21st century. I just think of Austin as an inquisitive guy who seizes opportunities when they are presented and runs with them,” Murphy said.
During one of his expeditions, Charron experienced the challenges of being a foreigner in an eastern European country. After taking some photos of an abandoned train station in Abkhazia, a country only recognized by Russia and Nicaragua, Charron was apprehended by the local police and taken into a back room.
“I met another American person there and I was afraid they were going to mug or rob us, and they looked through all our stuff, but luckily they finally decided we weren’t a threat,” Charron recalled of his brief run in with the quasi-police of a former Soviet country.
Charron currently works for USDA Agricultural Research Services in Corvallis, and he is trying to save some money while applying to graduate schools.
“After going broke from my previous trips, I’m just trying get out of the red zone,” Charron said.
Charron plans to attend graduate school and eventually travel to Belarus, the last former Soviet country on his list of visited locations. After witnessing the infamous cement-block apartments of a former Soviet world, Charron has extended his education and plans to return and further his studies of the region.
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