The Slovak Spectator

 I had a great adventure 30 years ago.

I helped start a newspaper in the Slovak Republic called The Slovak Spectator. Our debut issue was on March 1, 1995.

Against many odds – and thanks to some great journalists, salespeople, business managers and several heapings of good fortune along the way – our modest little enterprise continues today, the only English-language news publication in Slovakia and a trusted journalistic mainstay in the country.

I am so proud of what I and so many others have accomplished.

Tomorrow, the Spectator's principals and staff will commemorate 30 years of publishing by hosting a gala event in Bratislava. I will attend remotely, for a group picture-taking session (I am intrigued how they will pull this off.) and some remarks by my co-founders and myself. I'll talk about how I got to Slovakia in August 1993 and why I decided to go there as a 26-year-old fresh off a stint as a press secretary in Congress. In that one sentence is a bounty of stories, fat too many to tell at this event.

But what I can say is I was at the right place, at the right time, with the right guys. And we decided to take a leap of faith.

What a great decision that turned out to be. What a ride I've had. 

I can't wait to talk about some of it tomorrow.