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From: "Mercydorf" <>
Subject: Re: [DVHH-L] Communist Ghosts - A new story worth reading!
Date: Mon, 19 Sep 2005 21:58:14 -0400
References: <175301c5bd1d$7d7b6ff0$6001a8c0@yourqdhfp5lhxd> <000f01c5bd76$fd3819b0$6401a8c0@Susan>


Tell your friend thank you for sharing her story with us and if she would like to prepare it for the Main Exchange, I would be happy to add it to our growing collection. I consider those who share their first hand stories with us, very special people and thank them all. I have forwarded your message to the author of Communist Ghost.

Thank you Susan,
Jody
----- Original Message -----
From: Susan Williams
To:
Sent: Monday, September 19, 2005 8:05 PM
Subject: Re: [DVHH-L] Communist Ghosts - A new story worth reading!


A new friend of mine was inspired by the story written by Anonymous.
She too has her own story to tell and has asked me to post it for her.
It is certainly another story worth reading. I'd like to thank her for
asking me to do her the favor of allowing others to read her story too.
She is reading this list also and I know would appreciate any comments you
would like to write to her.

Communist Ghost

I was born in Hungary

by Anonymous 2

I was touched by your story dear Anonymous. There are amazing similarities
in our life "behind the Iron curtains' I can relate to your emotions when
you wrote your story.

I was born in Hungary at the end of the WWII. My father was born in Romania
(was Hungary) the area called 'Banat' .He belonged to the ethnic German
population.. His first language was German. He spoke Romanian, Hungarian,
and French and knew Latin.. When the Russians liberated Romania and Hungary
from the Germans, my father left Romania followed the Germans. He was an
engineer, he worked for a German factory. I was born in the west side of
Hungary, close to the Austrian border, in Gyor. When the Germans left
Hungary my father moved up to Budapest to take care of his younger brother's
children. His brother died during the war.

. My father is the victim of the regime, but a different way. He joined to
the communist party, "it was a way to belong... a way to succeed"- as you
wrote .After the 1956 Hungarian revolution when my older brother left the
country, my father left the Communist party. He said 'he is not good enough
to be a party member'. He couldn't stay with the Party after he lost his
son. We didn't see and couldn't talk to my brother for years. My father had
to work harder to stay in position.

I followed my father's path and become an engineer. I didn't join the
Communist party. I was frequently visited by party members, pursuing me to
join. I had to say: 'I'm not ready enough', so I got books to study. If I
wanted to go a church close to my workplace, I had to look around to see if
safe to go in. It would affect my carrier. The pressure mounted, They needed
educated people. I was pointed as a leader of the women at the company to
train them to support the party in case of any attack on the country. I was
pointed without asked me. They showed me videos of missiles and other
possible attacking ways. Eventually I decided to leave the country for other
reasons too. In 1984 as tourists we left the country with my husband and my
daughter... You Anonymous left your country 1983...

In Germany we received help as refugees in Nuremberg. We were waited for
Vertiebenen AusweiB when we decided to come to America. . I met my parents
in Munich, before we left Europe. I couldn't go home until the Communism
ended. I visited my country several times since then.

Dear Anonymous, thank you for sharing your experience. I have heard stories
from my father of the Romanian lives. He visited his relatives in the Banat,
giving them clothing, medications, food etc. He carried by himself on train.
I remember when I asked him: daddy how do you carry so many bags? He
explained that he walks ahead with two bags until he still can see the other
bags. Puts them down, walks back for the other bags, then he walks past the
first bags as far he can see...then he walks back........ He was a hero too.

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