The Adventures of Eric Bieski.
“I used to sit in my sixth-grade geography class and learn about all the exotic places in the world, but I never dreamed I’d be able to go to any of them. However, life takes us in some amazing directions. One of the most memorable trips I took was to Jordan. I traveled alone via rental car on the “King’s Highway,” which is 5,000 years old and one of the oldest routes known to man–it’s even mentioned in the Bible. It begins in southern Jordan, where the ancient city of Petra resides (which was in my favorite Indiana Jones movie, The Last Crusade.) It was absolutely stunning, and by far, my favorite world wonder that I have been lucky enough to see. The city complex is extremely large and goes on for miles. I had befriended some Bedouins, who still live within the ancient city, and it was starting to get dark, so one of them was nice enough to offer to guide me back to the exit. He told me we were going to take a shortcut and to get on his donkey. We proceeded to cut across a mountain that was very steep and full of loose rocks–to say I was terrified would be an understatement: it was completely black, and one wrong step by the donkey could have cost me my life. The young Bedouin man repeated, “Just trust the donkey; he knows where to step,” and he was right: it was unbelievable how this 500-pound animal knew exactly where to place his feet to avoid the loose rocks.
The young man left me on the path that led to the exit, but I still had about a mile-long walk. I wasn’t at all prepared for how cold it was once the sun went down. As I was walking through the canyon towards the exit, I saw two more Bedouin men sitting around a campfire. They saw that I was cold, and invited me to come drink tea and warm up. As I sat down, the one man took off his homemade, sheep’s wool jacket, and gave it to me to keep warm. We sat around the campfire for an hour, and I sat fascinated as they told stories of the paranormal activity they experienced while living in the ancient city. I still remember looking up through the canyon at the stars and thinking to myself; ‘Not many tourists get to see that.’”
“On my trip to Petra, I drove to the Jordanian, Syrian, and Israeli border to the north. In the ancient city of Gadara (the site of Jesus’s first miracle), I befriended a local man who introduced me to a squatter who was living inside a tent within the walls of the old city. He advised me that his friend found some ancient artifacts while digging a well within the confines of the old city. He took me to his tent, where we all had some tea and exchanged pleasantries. After about ten minutes, he pulled out a plastic bag full of different objects and dumped them on the table. There were a few Roman coins and other objects I couldn’t identify, but what really caught my eye was a ring. After a little negotiation, I ended up purchasing the ring for the Jordanian equivalent of $10.00. I felt obligated to turn the ring over to the Jordanian National Museum, so I immediately headed there, one of the archaeologists was absolutely delighted to see the ring; he confirmed it was a bronze ring from the time of Christ. It was a great feeling to know that it was in good hands, and it made me feel a little bit like one of my childhood heroes, Indiana Jones.
Another memorable adventure was from my trip to Costa Rica. On my second day, I booked a whitewater rafting tour down the Pacuare River, which is famous for flowing through virgin rainforests that are only accessible by joining a whitewater rafting tour. I wanted to experience the wonders of the rainforest, which did not disappoint, but I was definitely not prepared for the intensity of the experience. The river contained sections of Class 4 rapids, and out of the six people on my raft, three of us were novices. The icing on the cake was our guide, who was quite adventurous and very open to risk-taking. At one point, our raft slammed into the back of another raft and flipped to one side, nearly capsizing in one of the most dangerous parts of the river. The two people on my side of the raft fell into the river at one of the most dangerous points; one of them was run over by another raft, while the other slammed into a giant boulder in the river. The look of sheer terror on their faces as they were pulled back into the raft was something I’ll never forget.
After the area of intense rapids, the river calmed down into gentle waterfalls flowing into the river, tropical birds flying all around, and some of the most beautiful land I have ever seen. This adventure took place on only my second day in Costa Rica; I could have jumped on a plane back to the United States immediately after that rafting trip and still have felt like it was a great vacation.”
“The coolest story I love sharing is about an infant from the Democratic Republic of Congo. I always loved resettling a family with children, as I’m a big kid myself. I’ve always had a knack for making the kids smile, but I was never able to get her to smile. I tried all the tricks in the book, but nothing seemed to work. One night around 10:00 PM, I got a call from her father, who spoke very limited English at the time. He simply said, “She’s sick. I need help.” We called 911, and they sent her to Moses Taylor Hospital in Scranton. I headed up there and spoke with the nurse. She advised me that her blood count was very low and that she was bleeding from different parts of her body. The staff at Moses Taylor could not figure it out, so they arranged for a transfer to the Children’s Hospital in Hershey Pennsylvania. The paramedics arrived in full hazmat suits (this was pre-Covid), so I immediately asked what the need was, and one paramedic advised me that her symptoms matched what could be an active Ebola infection.
That night was one of the longest nights of my life, as I wrestled with the thoughts of possibly being exposed to Ebola, especially being well-read on how terrible of an infection it is. The next morning, I got a call from the Children’s Hospital in Hershey. They advised me that the little girl had a malaria infection, which was easily treated. She was very fortunate to have been in the U.S. as the doctors at Hershey said if she had remained in Africa, she probably wouldn’t have survived. After a few days at Hershey, I was sent to pick her and her father up. When I entered the room, I saw her running around, kicking a soccer ball, laughing, and smiling! It immediately dawned on me that these were probably the first smiles in her life since she had been born into this world not feeling well. It was a very powerful moment for me. I was also told by the doctor that they had contacted the refugee camp in Africa where her family came from because they believed that an active malaria outbreak was going on. Hopefully, this situation helped save the lives of some children in Africa. She is now a healthy, young woman living with her family in Scranton!”
“I went through a period of my life where I lost everything. My life completely spiraled out of control. This occurred soon after I graduated from GNA. I was faced with a trauma that was particularly painful, and I simply lacked the skills to navigate it in a healthy way. I turned to the vices that would lift me higher, and unfortunately, I wasn’t aware of how dangerous this coping strategy was. It took a profound spiritual awakening to get it back. I had forgotten that I was a spiritual being with a temporary physical experience; I was living in a way that completely neglected my soul. I became aware of the importance of therapy, the importance of being in nature, and the importance of prayer. I became aware of different forms of healing, as opposed to simply getting prescribed pills. This awareness saved me. I just want everyone to know (especially younger people) that there is no shame in struggling with mental health issues. You are not alone.
Since that point, I’ve taken jobs that allow me to give back to my community. Being a refugee case manager with Catholic Social Services was one of the most transformative experiences of my life. It helped expose me to so many different cultures, traditions, religions, and practices. I would not be the person I am today without that position. Every part of the job was eye-opening. I had the privilege to serve clients from Bhutan, Afghanistan, Syria, Sudan, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ethiopia, and Ukraine. As I befriended them, some of them would share their stories with me. I couldn’t believe what some of these human beings had to endure throughout their lives. Without getting into specifics, there were stories of war, kidnappings, and rape. One of the most inspiring things was to look them in the eyes after hearing these stories, and seeing that their spirit was not crushed by these events. It is a testament to the strength of the human spirit.”
Eric Bieski, 2006
Prevention Specialist, Hazleton Area School District
Real Estate Agent
Part-Time Recruiting Volunteer for the United Way
