Truckers: Misunderstood Travelers

   Veemer, originally a brand of auto motors, is what my sisters would nickname these usually quiet, sometimes dirty and crude guys that whistled to women on the street. The term generally meant for those who don't say much more than "Hey beautiful!" to a passing woman in a dress such as construction workers, mechanics and many times truckers.
   Although seen as rude and sometimes even creepy, these silent travelers are generally just people like you and me who have a job to do and don't usually have a lot of time for reading, socializing or getting together for a pic-nic at the park. Most are family men, fathers, grandfathers, travelers who have been to many different places and are curious about the world out there. Their jobs take them to far away roads and unheard of rest stops, except they have no time to enjoy these locations for they are always on the job and almost every time have no one to share their thoughts with, voice their concerns or express their dreams and wishes. Many stop on weekends, but they cannot do much more than sleep inside their lonely and enclosed work environment, so really you never feel like you've left work. Some of us are able to work extra hours in a day in order to have another off, if truckers drive more hours than their daily quota (the truck's computer registers it) they can get incredibly high fines for over-exhausting themselves. Most truckers just wanted to have a good job and be able to travel, much like most of us and yet nobody is around to hear their stories.
   As a hitch-hiker I've met many of them, of all shapes and sizes and different backgrounds and different motivations. They have a reason to be silent, but even more of a reason to pick-up these other lonely wanderers of the road-side with their little city signs and hopeful expressions. It's a chance for them to socialize and have a little taste of traveling (which is exchanging experiences). Truckers are always the best rides if going long distance since they can use the company and usually drive through many countries, this is common knowledge for hitch-hikers. They are generous and I've never met a driver who didn't stop to buy me a can of energy drink or a snack or share a meal with this new companion. In a sense it seems natural that these two always pair up for long or short lengths of road, the trucker and the hitch-hiker.
   Yesterday while hitching to Prizren and back I made the acquaintance of Rafit, an ethnic Albanian Kosovar who drives his truck up and down the Balkans three times a week and has only one to spend with his wife and daughters at home in Pristina. Rafit has been all over Europe, he has 6 children and 8 grandchildren at the age of 52 (it's common for Albanians to have big families). While telling me stories of his travels and his country he also shares his experiences picking up many different hitch-hikers on his routes (mostly Polish). Many of his children live in the U.K. now, except for his two younger daughters who work in Kosovo OSCE, along with his wife. He reminded me of the first trucker I met. Even though a former trucker, Orli Schemes is a Brazilian who has so many stories and wise advice, he is a man I have come to admire even more after meeting other drivers.
   I also met Fatmir, who bought me and my friend Alex a meal while going to Prizren. Even though he spoke nearly no English, we were able to work out a series of short conversations, exchanged numbers and e-mails and even took pictures with him in from of his Man brand truck he bought in Frankfurt. A very proud and friendly guy who just wanted to be a good host to his short-term visitors.
   The truth is that these gentle lonely wanderers are just misunderstood travelers of the roadways who sometimes have a chance to meet their truckless counterparts on the occasional gas station or roadside. We hitch-hikers are already big fans, but next time you meet one, have some respect and give him a break, he's been driving the whole day. If he gives you the "hey beautiful!" as you walk past, give him a smile... that's all he really wants.