Tell us more about your life!

Childhood during and after the second world war
by Runheide S.

I was born in 1941 in a little town near Wuppertal as the second of four children. When I was six weeks old, my parents moved to Schweidnitz which is near Breslau. In 1941 both towns were a part of Germany. Now this district is a part of Poland. My father studied law and worked for the “Reichsbahn”. This company offered him a Promotion and that’s whey my parents moved from the west to the east of Germany. My father was a committed National Socialist (which saddens me but I can’t help it). Behind our house was a railway line. Trains, full of Jewish people, ran from the west to Auschwitz or to other concentration camps. Once, a train stopped behind our kitchen. My mother saw the faces of some women and children. She was frightened and she ran to the telephone and asked my father: “What will happen to those poor people?” My father answered: “Their future is unsure”. In 1943 my father had to serve in the war. My mother told me that I missed him very much. She believes that’s why I became very ill (meningitis). She took me to a hospital in Breslau where I had to stay for six weeks. When my mother left the hospital, the door closed behind her and for the length of my stay I didn’t see her again. In those days parents were not allowed to visit their children in hospital. The common opinion was that this would lessen the children’s pain of separation. My mother was very worried about her little daughter. Years later, when she was telling me about these experiences, tears filled her eyes. How must a young child feel, if both their father and their mother leave them? Or if the doctors hurt them with syringes or scalpels and neither mother nor father are there to comfort them?

A few months later the front moved closer to Breslau. Curious? If you want, I’ll tell you more in the near future.

I`ll tell you where I live – a life style when you get older
by Runheide S

From 1966 till 1995 I lived in Hanover. Then I moved to another town. Last year after the death of my husband, I decided to move back to Hanover where my friends and relatives live. But which part of Hanover would be the best for me? The only thing I knew was that I disliked living isolated. So I looked for a neighbourhood with a communicative life style. On the internet I found some information about special projects in Hanover (www.fgwa.de). Fortunately the project “Gemeinsam statt einsam e.V.” had a free flat. I was accepted as a member and now I live together with 14 women and 3 men. Most of them are over 68.

The project belongs to the district of Hanover-Kronsberg. The members use two houses with one, two and three rooms as flats. Each party (there are singles and couples) has their own apartment and their own contract with the landlord who is the “Nileg-Fortress”. I have a two-room flat on the ground floor. Behind the kitchen and the living-room there is a little garden and a terrace. My grandchildren who often visit me like this place very much.

The aim of the project is to be in contact with other people and to help each other if you get sick. So you are not alone but on the other hand, if you don’t want to be disturbed, you are left alone. On Wednesdays we have a meeting in a separate flat at half past seven in the evening. Every member should be present but if you have an important appointment you are excused. Birthdays are celebrated during this meeting. Yesterday for instance Gisela celebrated her birthday party. She offered cheese, tomatoes with garlic in oil, olives, white bread, butter and wine. The party finished at nine a clock.

Twice a week in the mornings, I go for a walk with Inge. We enjoy the green meadows, the blossoming trees and sometimes the sunrise. I like to talk with Inge because she is a very creative person. She writes books and is always reading a book. Sometimes I arrange a time to play the recorder with Dorothee. She is the eldest member but quite fit. Years ago she worked as a musician.

Every year somebody organizes a sight-seeing tour. Sometimes we attend cultural events. But that’s not all. There is Christa: four years ago she had a stroke. Now she needs a lot of help. Every morning an ambulance supports her with the toilet and lunch. But who takes her rubbish outside? Who brings her to the doctors and who is going shopping with her? Guess? You are right: that’s the job of the project members.

If you want to know more you should go to the theatre in “ballhofeins”. On 29th of September 2006, the show “Für alle das Beste: Ein Familienstück über das Altern“ von Lutz Hübner“ will be presented there. The theatre-programme will give you more information about the project “Gemeinsam statt einsam e.V.” Have a look on page 41. For tickets call the number: 0511/9999-1111, Mondays – Friday 10.00-17.00 hrs, Saturdays 10.00-14.00 hrs.

I love my pets!
By Kathrin O.

I belong to those people, who can’t live without pets. All my life I had dogs - big, small, brown or black ...

When my last dog died, she was 11 years old. I was very sad and this got me thinking about cats! Are they really so bad as my dogs thought? I read all about cats that I could find and so I decided there are some advantages:

Cats could live for 20 or even 25 years. They are lovely but independent. They have very little paws, that’s the reason why they can’t dirty the house. They are beautiful and most importantly they don’t bark !

And now I’m the owner of three nice female cats! It is not easy to do the right thing to satisfy these princesses everyday.

The first girl is Sheiki of Mills Road (named Hühnchen), a Bengal-cat. This is a young race breed of wild Indian Bengal-cats. Believe me, you will see the wild animal in this spotted cat !

The second, Ivette of Red Pepper (named Schneckchen) is a Somali-cat. A long haired old race, looks a like a dangerous wild cat. She is the most hot-headed of them all.

The third, a Cyrdeline av Koranku (named Ulus) is a Norwegian Forest Cat. A very old Norwegian house cat race, that is noted in the old legends as animals which are pulling the carriage of the goddess Freya. These cats have great fur in the winter ready for the strong cold! Our Ulus is not a hero but a lovely wild child with crazy ideas.

Now you know my three cats and if you are interested, I could tell you more about them. For example, how Hühnchen loves travelling by car, how Schneckchen fights and wins against the neighbour’s dog and how Ulus likes to get home by our roof and directly into the roof window.

There are hundreds of nice stories ! Look the pictures. Now you know who is who !