There is something special about knowing who your family is and where they are from. Each family has a wonderfully unique story and it’s so important that we pass it down to our children to preserve and maintain the legacy. There is a strong sense of pride that comes up in me when I think of the story my parents have told. To give you an idea, my Dad grew up in communist Romania as a Hungarian. He describes his family’s economic situation as being “the poorest of the poor”. He always dreamed of escaping and finding a better way for his family. When he was twenty, his second escape attempt was successful and he got away to Austria where he found odd jobs to send money home to his widowed mom, sister, and twin brothers. That’s where he met my Mom, an American missionary serving the refugees. Everybody said she was crazy for falling in love with him and told her he was only trying to get to the States. But, his love was real and they were married within a few months of meeting. They spent a little time yet in Austria, but after having me, realized it was time to move home. They took up residence here in Illinois where Mom’s family is. Dad’s dream of getting his family to safety in the United States was finally realized exactly twenty years and month from when he escaped when his sister and her family were able to immigrate over.
In 2003-2004, my parents had come to a fork in the road of their lives and made the decision to take us to see and experience Romania for ourselves. We were home schooled anyway and my Dad was in between jobs, so they bought a small cabin in the mountains near the town where Dad’s sister lived (this was before they immigrated), and we packed everything up (including the dog) and made the big move.
While we lived there, my Mom kept a diary and sent it home to her parents. I’d like to share our experiences from that very important time of our life here. Due to the length of the diary, its going to come as a series, with new posts every weekend. You’ll probably figure this out, but some names you’ll come across are: Ruth (my Mom), Fedi (Dad), Rebekah (me), Anni (sister), Ryan and Steven (brothers), and Gino (our dalmatian).
Follow along by clicking on the dates below. I hope you enjoy our story!
1. August, 2003
