Matej Matt Tratnik

When I first heard about this project, if thought to myself-thinking about heroes is for kids, not for 18-years-old high school students. I thought it was too easy. However, as I started to think about the subject I realised, that the task is not as simple as I imagined.

I cannot say that I don't have a lot of heroes-I could easily point out at least five whenever I would be asked. On the other hand, I think about this people as heroes because I admire a small part of their effort or work. How do you choose a hero, that inspires you in more ways that you could ever count?

Matej is holding Ana-July 1986 (My family album)

The answer was right in front of me. And the answer was pretty simple compared to the question. I realised that my brother Matej Matt was my hero. My mother once told me, that when I was a baby I never cried when people held me in their arms. Well, there is an exeption to every rule-I ALWAYS cried when my brother took me into his lap for just a second. However, some of my fondest memories from childhood are the hours I spent teasing him or playing with him.

I think he made the biggest impact on my life when he announced that he was moving to Canada. I just feel that he went against all the odds to prove to himself that he was capable to survive in a strange country far away from friends and family and basically everything he knew. The most important thing to me was and still is, that he stood up for himself and not because of somebody else.

Ana and Matej having fun-Canada 2003 (My family album)

I think that is the thing I am the most grateful for. He taught me that the only think that you have to be firm about is your opinion. Everyone can have their own subjective view on things and you can't change them, but you also mustn't change the things you belive in because someone doesn't agree with you. He told me that you have to be firm, principled and objective, but also kind. Moreover, whatever the cause you are fighting for, nothing is worth getting if someone else gets e.g. humiliated in the process.

The other thing that I admire him for is not becoming a different person when coming to a foreign society. We were pretty close when he lived in Slovenia and I was afraid that we would loose that contact. I never imagined that he would support me even from so far away. He always lets me express my opinion and lets me do my own mistakes. I don't have to mention that his opinion is very important to me.

After three and a half years, he moved back to Slovenia in October 2004. He is ten years older than me and he has a wife and a child. But he remains the same-and he still has some useful tips sometimes.So I think he will keep the title of my hero for quite some time...