Mark Bachta

Mark Bachta follows his interests and passions. Although this truth appears evident when looking at his life, his most recent employment as a Special Projects Coordinator in Zagreb, Croatia, gives perhaps the most stirring evidence. In 2007 and 2008, Bachta coordinated and oversaw special projects for the General Services Office and the Facilities Maintenance Office of the Zagreb Embassy of the United States. In 2008, Mark Bachta even earned a Franklin Award for his excellent work. The fact that Mark Bachta excelled personally and professionally while living abroad seems especially impressive considering that Bachta took his first trip to Europe in 2004. Taking an adventurous approach, Bachta and his wife planned only a minimum of necessary details: departure and arrival days, Eurail passes, and a few nights in a Rome hostel. The rest, Bachta left up to adventure and fate. Over three weeks, Bachta and his wife explored Italy, France, and Germany, paying special attention to the local culture and cuisine. The following year, Bachta traveled again with his wife, this time to the United Kingdom. Then, not yet rid of the travel bug, Bachta and his wife decided to move to Croatia, where they spent much of their free time exploring Eastern, Middle, and Western Europe. In a bright blue Opel Corsa, Bachta drove through Austria, Poland, the Czech Republic, Germany, Belgium, the Netherlands, and France. Along the way, Bachta stopped at a number of significant sites of World War II history, in which he and his wife are extremely interested. Following his adventuresome travel style, most of Mark Bachta’s vacation nights were spent sleeping in a tent.