I was 4 when we moved to Canada so I don't remember much from Poland before then. I do have a few fuzzy memories though.
One being outside with my mom for what felt like an eternity beside the entrance to a store. I remember asking my mom about this a long time ago and she said we were waiting for meat. The reason I was with her was because women who had children with them were guaranteed some. She said the longest we ever waited was 10 hours.
I also remember playing in a room that was lit with candles a few times and my mom told me later that it was because the communist gov shut off the electricity and hydro whenever they felt like it. My dad would walk 2km for water from a well - lol . Sounds so ing retarded and pitiful- I hate thinking about it.
I remember eating rabbits and pidgeons too.
There was nothing very life-threatening in Poland at the time... just extremely ty living conditions and martial law. People had money to buy food, but the stores had no food to sell. The "state" controlled everything.
My grandfather on my mom's side had a lot of wealth from his business and a lot that he inherited from his mother's side - that was all taken away by "the state"
This was when my family lived in Gorzow Wkp. near the German border - when the commies came back the next day to claim the rest of the "state's" possessions - my family had fled, already halfway to Torun (where I was born).
My whole family refused to have anything to do with the communist party. Even though they knew they wouldn't be able to find half-decent jobs without pledging to the "state" - it was a personal protest. That's why there was never any successful structure of Soviet-ruled Communism in Poland, and there never would be... the people are too proud of their Ojczyzna (nation/fatherland)
God Bless Jan Pawel II and Lech Walesa.
I mean that from the bottom of my heart.
Domesticated
quote:
Originally posted by Ania_xox
One being outside with my mom for what felt like an eternity beside the entrance to a store. I remember asking my mom about this a long time ago and she said we were waiting for meat. The reason I was with her was because women who had children with them were guaranteed some. She said the longest we ever waited was 10 hours.
This reminds me of the famous story about an Irish or English immigrant who came to Australia after one of the depressions. In the UK at that time everything was being rationed in the fashion you described. The immigrant walked into a butcher and said "how much am I allowed to buy?" The butcher laughed and said: "you can buy everything in the bloody shop if you want."
Fledz
quote:
Originally posted by Domesticated
It's amazing how quickly people adjust to their social situation. My mum came from a working class background and a terrible childhood. She didn't learn to ride a bike until age 45. My Dad came from a wealthy background and has very much raised my mum's expectations.
On birthdays and other occasions we usually get together and go to a very nice restaurant where my mum will complain that the music is too loud, that the air-conditioner is on too much or that her cutlery has a speck of dirt on it. It never ceases to amaze me how seemingly ungrateful she is. I'm usually happy just to be eating nice food with my family in complete safety. *holier than thou.* :gsmile:
You often see this kind of thing with second-generation immigrants too. Their parents run from war or poverty and then work 16 hour days in their new country to give the kid a good life. The child then refuses to get a job as a teenager because they want to take drugs and drive a flashy car instead...and wear too much fake tan...and too much hair gel. :p
Thank God I'm nothing like that then, apart from the whole too damn Westernised thing :p
Lira
Interesting stories :)
Fledz, I had no idea you were born in Croatia and moved because of the war. I thought you were born in New Zealand, moved to Australia, and happened to have a Croatian name because of your ancestors. See, this is why I posted this thread: melodramatic as your story may sound, it's nice to learn more about different life experiences, and how you dealt with all yourself. Good thing you were on the coast though, I can only imagine how tough it must've been on the land.
Paulandrews, it's an interesting story, even if you can't remember most of it (the story about the leader in the balcony also seems to capture the spirit of the revolution quite well, as far as I know). By the way, according to Wikipedia, Vaclav Havel was against the dissolution of Czechoslovakia... is there any particular reason why the Slovaks wanted to be alone? Or was it just nationalism?
Moongoose... but, didn't your lifestyle abruptly change soon after the war? I imagine Communist Slovenia was quite different from whatever followed it.
Bananas - I thought you were older.
Ania, wow. That sounded harsh as hell - eating pidgeons and walking 2 kilometres for water? The long queues are famous, but 10 hours is ridiculous. Did you family get anything back from the government after the communist regime fell? I reckon it's really hard to prove something used to be yours after such a long time but...
Meat187
The only thing I want to contribute is this:
Halcyon+On+On
Slavs smell like old country.
Moongoose
quote:
Originally posted by Lira
Moongoose... but, didn't your lifestyle abruptly change soon after the war? I imagine Communist Slovenia was quite different from whatever followed it.
That was the thing with Yugoslavia, it did things differently than any other communist country on earth since it was not a part of, or for that matter even aligned with stalinist soviet union. I could write much more here, but im afraid i woudnt do the subject justice, so instead i will refer you to some articles on wiki that explain the situation much better than i could.
I think those will illustrate the situation in the former yugoslavia nicely. From that it should be clear why the change in regime wasnt as drastic for us as it was with many, if not all other eastern european states.
Ania_xox
quote:
Originally posted by Halcyon+On+On
Slavs smell like old country.
you smell like the Marquis de Sade's bed sheets
Halcyon+On+On
At least I don't taste like them!
//Anymore. :(
Slylee
quote:
Originally posted by Halcyon+On+On
At least I don't taste like them!
//Anymore. :(
i can't find my eyeliner and mascara can i borrow yours hal?
Halcyon+On+On
Haha, I like how somebody who treats TA like her personal ing Livejournal can accuse others of being emo.
Slylee
ha ha i love how some gloomy emo fag who has the SAME JOB AS ME and calls me a loser and acts like i can't afford a 3k dinner party.
