Peter I was born in East Germany while it was under Soviet occupation. The Communists took my step-grandfather's farm. The government wanted my father to join the Communist Party to teach agriculture. You could only vote for the Communist Party or no across the hall. One out of 12 adults was a spy for the Communists. You could lose your job or be put into a concentration camp. We left with a 14-day visitors permit and went to a refugee camp in West Berlin. We had to fly out to get to West Germany, where we went through 3 more refugee camps. My aunt worked in NYC and sent us money to come to America, and she found my father a job on a farm in southern New Jersey across from Philadelphia.
Peter I was born in East Germany while it was under Soviet occupation. The Communists took my step-grandfather's farm. The government wanted my father to join the Communist Party to teach agriculture. You could only vote for the Communist Party or no across the hall. One out of 12 adults was a spy for the Communists. You could lose your job or be put into a concentration camp. We left with a 14-day visitors permit and went to a refugee camp in West Berlin. We had to fly out to get to West Germany, where we went through 3 more refugee camps. My aunt worked in NYC and sent us money to come to America, and she found my father a job on a farm in southern New Jersey across from Philadelphia.
ReplyDeleteWow. Do you remember the occupation? How long were you in New Jersey? How old were you when you moved to Florida?
ReplyDeleteDo you have a favorite holiday tradition or favorite holiday food?