20 Madison Rush

Narrative Summary

Silesia, the land I call my home?

Elfriede Elnöre Klose was my first name. I was born in Silesia, May of 1936. Silesia is a region that spans across eastern Germany, southern Poland, and the northern Czech Republic. I was displaced along with my family during World War 2 and relocated to West Germany. I briefly left Germany for Switzerland to live with another family due to my malnourishment. I then returned to West Germany, where I lived until my eventual move to America. Now I live in Iowa with my husband, James.

Before the invasion of the Red Army, I lived in a farmhouse with my family near the German border. Growing up, I was unaware of what country I belonged to, but I knew that I was Silesian. My first language is Silesian; it is closer to Polish than German. I remember our time in Silesia fondly. We lived on a farm with geese. We only rented a small apartment in the farmhouse, but it was a quality home with new renovations. I felt lucky to have lived there with my family. My siblings and I played on the farm, we chased geese and hid my mother’s wooden cooking spoons in the woods, which always got us in trouble, but it was one of our favorite games.

Once the Red Army began invading, we were forced to leave for our safety. Our abrupt departure ended our games of hiding spoons. We were told we could return to our home in three days. I have not returned since that was over 75 years ago. Leaving was chaotic; we were told not to bring many belongings as we would only be gone a short amount of time. My parents only packed a small bag in addition to the clothes we were wearing before we left. We were forced to leave our lovely home, our geese, our woods, everything I had known. The comfort was in my family and our neighbors coming with us; however, the road was full of hardship.

We traveled to West Germany for sanctuary from the invading army. People shared stories of the horrors that the Red Army had committed against the civilians it encountered. Being captured by Soviet soldiers was my biggest fear. I was thankful to have reached West Germany, but my parents needed to find jobs to support us, and my siblings and I needed to begin school. We started school, and my mother was told by the school my full name, Elfriede Elnöre Klose, was too long. My family called me by my first name Elfriede or by a nickname Ellie. The school claimed both were unacceptable, and I was forced to change my name to Lore. I was sad to have lost Elfriede, and my mother always liked my middle name Elnöre. Once I was older on official documents, I made my middle name Ellie to reclaim my childhood names.

There were times when to survive, and we had to steal food from farmers to feed ourselves. There was a day my sister, brothers and I were so hungry after between across towns in search of work for my father that we ate burnt grass to try and get our stomachs to stop hurting. Some people took pity and offered us little food. However, we still were hungry, as my parents struggled to find work because so many people had moved to the western side of Germany.

Shortly after this, I was sent to Switzerland to stay with a foster family to go to school, play in a safe area, and eat plenty of food. My younger brother went a few weeks earlier than I was to a different family in Switzerland. I was able to write to my mother, but not very often. My host family mistreated me, but I was not able to write to my mother for help because I feared that they would read my letters get mad at me, and they would punish me. I do not recall precisely the length of time I spent in Switzerland, but it lasted at least a few months, and I was happy to return home to family in Germany. After that experience was over, I did not talk about it much. The trauma of separation from my family and the abuse I suffered still brings tears to my eyes when I recall the incident. I stayed with my family and continued to go to school until I was fourteen. At that time, I moved out to live with my sister and work in a butcher shop after that began the next chapter in my life.

The part of West Germany we settle in ended up being the American zone after WW2 was over. Through various jobs, I ended up working as a housekeeper and looking after children in American soldiers’ homes. I began to learn English. I met a young American Soldier named James. We were married two years later, and two years after that, we moved to America. I have returned to Germany several times with my husband, and we brought our children. I loved my visits to Germany. I miss the language and food. Lack of use and my old age have contributed to my diminishing German skills. Sadly, I had forgotten most of my Silesian When my family moved to Germany; we mostly began speaking German because all of the children needed to know German for school. Silesian is spoken by less than 500,000 people globally now.

When I speak with my siblings, we always talk to each other in German. We never mentioned the sadness of our childhood. We remember the games we used to play and the places we loved, but when someone brings up My mother could never talk about our old life in Silesia without beginning to cry. For many years after, I would also start to cry. Even today, telling parts of the story makes me incredibly sad, but some bring me a lot of joy to remember the good experiences I had. My brothers have both returned to Silesia. I had the opportunity once I was older and settled in America with my family to visit, but I decided there was no point I had a new home. All that is left in Silesia are memories of things that no longer exist. I have no desire ever to go back.

Today I identify as American because I am a naturalized citizen, but the German government issued the first passport I ever had, and Silesia was my first home. Now I considered my home to be where my family is in America, but the other lands will always be in my memory and play an essential role in my story.