No where's man... Homeland

Nepal scientists has made a theory, that monkeys do not have permanent address, means no permanent place to rest and sleep. They are all the time in travel looking for food. They sleep anywhere. Chinese scientists do not agree such theory, they even have created reservation, so called "island of monkeys". Local villagers were moved in other place to not disturb in peaceful live dear primates.

As many children born in Poland in soviet times, I have none genealogical tree and very easy I may be called "nowhere man", but sitting in Beijing and looking from that distance on my past, I realize with nostalgia some personalities and places in Europe I may call my family and my Fatherland. They are members of my virtual homeland in which I am about to go back, by making these memories.

1. My ancestors, brothers and cousins

I was counting during sleeping (yes, it happens to me, unconsciously to play mathematics), that my grand fathers from both fathers and mothers side, born together 19 children. It means I have about 17 uncles and aunts. Some of them died, but the others born 39 children. It means I have about 38 brothers, sisters from these sides. How many children they born, I have no Idea, but very possible that I have some 100 of cousins, without knowing or seeing them. All of them live somewhere in Poland.

2. My grand-fathers

Grand-father Czeslaw Wisniewski was a forest keeper and according to some eyewitness he was hiding Jewish people, saving their lives and risking his own. No, he hasn't a tree in "Yad Vashem", and even he never pretended some gratefulness. In these times it was not good topic to talk about. Grand-mother talked to me this only when he died and I became a seminarian, in deep secret and jealousy. She motivated his behavior, a bit strange way. His first love was a Jewish girl, and he was forbidden to marry her by relatives, but he keep loving her along many years, and this is why he helped some of her relatives, perhaps herself also. It is why, I knew more about it from others than from my family. My father for example, never mentioned.

Grand-father was poor, and as teenager he was begging food. When the people were asking "why is he not working" he was answering, "Please give me a job and I will work for food". Perhaps in these times his stomach worked bad way from starving, because he ever had problems. I saw him as a boy just one time with naked belly and I realized a big wound. I asked my father what it was and he answered, that it was a cancer, and grand-father has only half of stomach. The sick returned back and finally grand-father died in age 66. I was his older grand-son 16 years old in the day of his burial. It was winter 1979-th.

He had nice voice, deep and good silent eyes. He liked to sing and his singing was good. I remember him as humble and peaceful man. Perhaps such impression was deepened by sickness. He was smoking very much. In his small forest house in Czerwonka I spent with him together many nice moments, but mostly he was telling nothing. Just sitting and smoking. Sometime he was answering grand-mothers questions in one or two words. I was asking his permission in many cases, to go in the garden, in the forest, or just hide in the roof. He was telling nothing just giving me a sign by had, that he agrees.

I was trained to look for mushrooms and cut grass for cows. Their forest house was so small that most of the guests in summer were sleeping in animal house, the section with nice smell of grass. Throw the wholes in the roof it was possible to see the stars and hear some animals in the forest. Not easy was sleeping because of mosquitoes.

Grand-father Wladislaw Lewandowski was 10 years older than grand-father Czeslaw. He died as 71 years old man, also because of cancer. He was rather stronger man. The people were calling him "pan Lewandowski" (pronouncing word Pan-mister, with a special expression, in Poland means a man with blue blood ). He got such title because of his 10 hectars farm and his way of being. The youngest daughter Sophie, my aunt, told me that even he was villager; he ever was doing good impression when he was visiting her in Pedagogical Scholl in the city Chelmno near Torun. His dressing was ever beautiful. In time of German occupation at first he was made responsible in the village, but late he resigned because they took from him all the bricks he bayed before the war to built new house. The bricks were used for construction of the school building in Stalmierz and grand-father was very unhappy. Because of his resign, he was send as obligatory worker to Germany and spent there many years until the world finished. He returned later than others with big beard so that grand-mother cannot recognize him. It is why he did not permit my mother to give me a name Waldemar. Mother was in favor of such a name. Grand-father protested. "Germans took bricks from my home, your son will not have German name". "So what name he will have asked my mother, call him Jaroslaw, to venerate Russians". Such was the problem of my grand-father which affected me and which partially decided my destination and my "oriental" activities in the future. You my smile, but sometime a name of somebody if properly chosen, may affect all somebody's life.

Grand-father was never ever starting building new house. In new Poland it was too difficult to many farmers to make some new projects. Mostly they were fighting to survive as a class in the Socialist country. Poland was the only one with private farmers. All the rest were collectivistic. Polish farmers as priests were the only two kind of population insulted by lack of free medical care and by restrictive pension system. If some farmer wished to retire, he have to give his farm to the state, if not he has no pension as all the rest of old people in the country.

Grand-father Wladislaw had no hairs, was using glasses and also was smoking much. Sometime he was also drinking much and liked play cards. It is why he ever had many guests. The second reason was that he liked reed papers and the first in the village had TV. The people around was ever curious his opinion. He was talking like village scientist. In fact he was trained in Russian elementary school just before First World War (He born 1903) in the settlement Obory 15 km from East Prussian border. He was ever counting in Russian. When he died I was 12 years old.

Both of them died too early to be able seriously influence my life, but because they seriously influenced my parents lives I have to be thankful.

3. Jadwiga i Janina

Grand-mother Jadwiga from Nowe near Chrostkow, born Zglinska, she was growing in rich family and sometime was making comments to grand-father, that his family was poorer than hers. Comparing grand father she was 6 years younger and has none education. She has born in 1909. In her childhood the First World War just started. It was the only man I know in Poland as analphabet. She never cannot read or write. Her inscription was a cross.

It is why grand-father Wladislaw was a bit crazy with her. She mentioned to me many times later his injustice behavior. She was younger and living bit longer so I had opportunity to know family history from hers words.

My grand mother has a gift of talking with souls. She had a big photo of her youngest son John, which inherited the farm after grand-fathers death, but same years he also died as 27 years old man, by suicide. She talked to him daily. Sometime her voice was peaceful but many times very strongly.

Some of her favor topic was the First World War She talked to me about her 3 brothers fighting against Red Army in New Poland. One of them was even in Kiev. The other one when Red Army came close to Warsaw was defending city Torun. In his letter were such words: "I am so close to you that I hear the voice of chicken in the morning, like in native village it was".

Same way she talked to TV. I had impression she really believes, that actors or journalists may hear her comments.

She was very angry seeing ladies in sportive games. She was telling, it is not good to show naked legs in public. She had very long hairs and never cut then, caring every morning about them.

She died alone when giving food to chicken. How much time she was laying on the ground nobody knows. Neighbors took her paralyzed to hospital but she did not come back from coma. In burial ceremony she looked younger and nice. She got real peace after long, full of hardships life.

We got friends before she died and it is why she was coming to me in dreams many times, but as a girl. We were talking as good friends. I still love her very much and I miss her.

Grand-mother Janina, primo voto Kazmierczak was 12 years younger than Jadwiga. She knows books, especially religious and looks much TV without comments. She likes to spend time in church so much that ones a priest gave her the keys telling, "When you will finish praying, close the church and give me the keys". Later he made a special key to her.

Richard, her oldest son is my father, so I am the oldest her grand-son. Not surprisingly, I have some privilege between other hers grand-children. It is why I know some her secrets. I may tell you, I was not grateful pupil.

I know from her many stories from native places of father and some messages about close and far family.

She is still alive and possibly she may read someday these stories if they appear written way soon.

4. Some relatives in church vocation and some foreigners.

As a priest I am proud to have some relative religious people, even overseas. Somewhere in New Jersey is still living sister Fidelma Klutkowski, native from Linden. She is very close family to grand-father Wladislaw, his sister Laurie Lewandowski has gone to USA in age 16-een and she got marry with another polish expatriate Mr. Klutkowski. Fidelma have to be my aunt from grand-fathers side.

I know her only from the letters and gifts she sends to us in 1970-1980-ties. Poland was really poor these days and I was so happy and proud dressing shirts with inscription LINDEN as a boy.

In fathers side we have also a nun in the city Tczew near Gdansk. She was superior there when I finished seminary.

My father has also a relative priest in Pallotine monastery in Zabki close to Warsaw. His name is Stanislaw Chabinski SAC. He is working in Pallotine Publishing House and he himself as scientist is publishing own short books with spiritual guiding. I am very proud of him.

One of his sisters in Skierniewice is keeping some genealogical tree of this family brench, but I do not know her. I do not know her records also. I only know, that most of family was living in the triangle Lowicz-Kutno-Skierniewice.

One of family secrets in my father's side was some foreigners in France and Germany. It was ever punished in soviet times in Poland to have relatives there. Such was the time.

I know only from rumors that relatives in Germany are the possible family of young grand-father Czeslaw's brother.

He was forced to work during the war somewhere in Germany but he came not back. He also did not die, he just disappears, but all the family was convinced that he is alive and he has family in Germany.

I am writing this with hope that some day I will know them, the people with the same family name and DNA.

French family lives somewhere near Bordeaux and their story is better known by another Czeslaw's brother brench in polish Biskupice.

5. The city Lodz and some relative citizens

I hope that in my family there are no VIP people, who will be famous in all the country, but geography of Wisniewski, Lewandowski, Kazmierczak or Zglinski is so large that every 10-th Polish may think we are far relatives.

Three fathers sisters; between them my God Mother, their children and grand-children choose city Lodz as permanent staying. The most known for me is Olsztynska Street between Lodz Kaliska and Lodz Zabie, on the north from the center of the city.

I was visiting this place as a boy. These days we were living in Zielun town, Zuromin county. The closest train station was in Sierpc or in Lidzbark, so I remember these stations and also Plock, which I saw throw the window in the night as the city illuminated by fires of Petrol-chemistry Company.

Mieczyslawa, Jadwiga, Zuzanna...these are their names. In Jadwiga's and Zuzanna's house I've never been. Perhaps they were living in poor conditions. Also their family status was unclear. Jadwiga's daughter is Monika, Zuzanna's Angelica. They were visiting time to time"grand-mother in Czerwonka" it is why I know them a bit. They were nice girls. Perhaps their children same beauty.

Peter and Paul my God's mother Mieczyslawa children, "typical bourgeois", bit younger than me, they were looking more educated people than me. It was ever in Poland hidden complex of village children in presence of city children. I had same complex in their presence. They were nice dressed people. They were visiting grand-mother Janina occupying her all the summer and I was shy visiting her in their presence. It seemed they are hosts and me only a village visitor.

In Lodz I like old market and Orthodox Church in the center. I like also Lodz-Lagiewniki, in the far north, Franciscan Shrine of blessed Rafal Chylinski and Franciscan Major Seminary.

Lodz looks the same from any side. It is easy to loose yourself without good memory. It is the second Polish one million citizens' city.

6. Bydgoszcz gangs etc...

Bydgoszcz in German times: Bromberg is full of channels, old Prussian houses in Holland style from bricks and wood as construction material together. Big train station and some round Basilica of some missionary priests.

As a boy I was here in excursion and we were seeing big monument of the people killed in war time in all the Bydgoszcz Prefecture. Between others there was also inscription "Rak", meaning the Skrwilno forest in which 3000 people were buried by Rypin Gestapo, between them educated people, teachers, priests and a group of young polish scouts from Grudziadz.

Here in the age of 17-een, my mother had surgery of right ear in Clinic and afterwards partially paralyzed during 10 years. Here my sister Margaret (Malgorzata) spent 4 years studying in Pedagogic Institute. Same institute were studying many my classmates from both Brodnica and Wloclawek. I saw them there many times visiting my sister.

Another my Aunt Teresa was living there on Bartosz Glowacki Street. Near there in the north part of the city start big forests.

In Teresa's house I was seeing sometime sister Magdalena a nun from Tczew. Teresa's son Darek was never giving me uncomforted as city boy, he was very simple and his dream was to become a miner. He was a bit strange like his father alcoholic, but when he got marry with Kate (Kasia) he became very peacefully boy and father of family.

Once he took me in movie theatre on "Sergeant Paper's Only Hearts Club Band" Beatles movie. After this nice movie in the deep evening he took me to show how the gangs of local youngsters fight between each other. I got real fear seeing the story.

7. Relatives in Ostrobramska Street

To Warsaw I was traveling time to time with mother for shopping or because of her job activities. He did not like travel alone so took me. It was very interesting experience for my memory. Visually from that time I still realize many streets in the center as a part of my biography.

As schoolboy I spend vacations twice in some school on Szegedynska Street on Zoliborz, north part of our capital.

Traveling with mother as 5 or 6 year old boy I used first electric stairs near to famous Sigismonds Column. That time near there were still only remains of King�s Tower destroyed in war times. In some tunnel I saw the first time in my life some beggars. As high school boy I was coming to Warsaw to by books and to visit Ostrobramska Street (Grochow), in left side of Wisla River, which I ever remembered from childhood by visual memory.

But first meeting in Warsaw was in 1970. I was with my father, their son Darek or Mariusz just started as me studying in the school and we were playing during aunt and fathers talking. One of my favor plays was using the "ascenseur". It was for me first such experience.

In Warsaw on Grochow was living another father's sister Wladyslawa. She got a nice flat there in 1970. It was thanks to hers husband which was a party worker and good specialist in some diplomatic affairs. A year later they went to Japan for 8 years working in Polish Embassy in Tokyo. I met them back only in 1979 after grand fathers Czeslaw death.

He returned higher than me in glasses like foreigner, but he recognized me and talked to me as before, showing his electric guitar, books, photos and disc from Japan. I got to know thanks to him Van Halen group, before they became famous in Poland.

His father was unhappy because of my visits, but aunt ever kind with me; it was encouraging to new visits.

Later as seminarian I came with my sister Margaret and my brother Czarek for short visit. Darek was just married and he had beautiful small daughter.

Last we met on my first Holly Mass in Skrwilno. My aunt was present and Darek with his wife also.

8. Native Pomorze Kujawskie

Four people: my dad, his tragically death brother John (Janek) and 2 sisters Zofia and Stanislawa have their homes in Rypin county. Here and the close Lipno and Golub-Dobrzyn counties (my mothers' roots) I have the most number of relatives.

For the religious people will help to find the place three famous in all the Poland Sanctuaries. Skrwilno, the native parish of my father is between Franciscan Shrine Skepe (Lipno County) and diocesan shrine in Osiek (Rypin County.

My mother's ancestors ever attended the Mass in Karmelite Shrine Obory, on picturesque see. Their village Lubianki was just at another border of the see, and the towers were seen form my grand's father farm.

Obory and Lubianki lay just on the border of three counties and the border moves here and there, you never know, finally what County my belong the village in fact. The third County close to Obory is Golub-Dobrzyn. It is just 15 km and Chopin's Family summer house was in the middle town Shafarnia. They also attended the Sunday Mass in Carmelite Obory and small Chopin was giving concerts on local organ as young boy. There is special inscription about it in the middle of the church. It is clear to me now, that my childhood and His passed in similar landscape. Perhaps I inherit a bit of his sensivity.

In Russian times Obory Shrine was a Prison-Monastery for all the Carmelite monks. The rest of monasteries in Poland were cancelled and new candidates were not accepted. The middle generation was send to Siberia; the old people in Obory have to slowly die. Such was a plan.

Yes, from mothers side I have of course relatives in Golub-Dobrzyn County, but to describe all of them will take time and help of my mother, which unfortunately died.

It is why I decided to tell you only the story of some ones.

9. Relatives from Skrwilno

I will start from Rypin County living around town Skrwilno. It is very picturesque place on the border of Dobrzyn Land and Plocks Mazowsze.

Our town has Middle Age history, but is well known from Swedish Occupation times 17-een century and January Insurrection in 1863. In Swedish times local priest Czapski martyred defending Eucharist from sacrilege, local rich people has hidden many gold and silver in Middle Age settlement. It was found by archeology group in 1960-ties and has special exhibition in Torun Tower Museum.

Zofia Frydrychowicz has three daughters and two sons. Iwona, Dorota and Anita are the names of girls. Robert their brother was sick from birthday and died having 8 years. Later born Arthur, I hope I do not mistake the name. He was the most loved child of all the family.

Stanislawa lives in the neighbor Okalewo lives in old Palace, has only two sons Robert and Peter. Her husband tall and handsome man, so I hope the boys now have the same good-looking. Grand-mothers Janina last times moved from small forest house in Czerwonka to them and has separate flat on the first floor in Palace.

Boys were studying in Bydgoszcz so very possible le they will be living there in the future. Young generation in Poland do not like living in villages, there is no job and future for them.

About the old owners of Palace there are many legends. One of them is that for some reasons they made a wedding between boy and girl from very close family and they baby was born handicapped. They understood the sin and walked as pilgrims by foot to Rome. They got Vatican blessing and the child was miraculously healed. In memory of that the beautiful chapel was built near the Palace and silver "votum leg" is hanging until now in parish church in Skrwilno by the altar of Saint Anthony.

In the Market Square in the nice center of the Skrwilno town live Boguslawa the widow of Janek Wisniewski, younger fathers brother. He tragically died in same age as mothers brother also Janek: 27!

His children are Agnieszka and Martin. They have also little brother Tomek from second father.

My fathers house is empty, it is theoretically also my house and the only permanent and official address I have in Poland. Sometime the middle brother Czarek (Cezary) is living there if middle time when he looses job. The life of actors now is not easy in Poland I can imagine, the big competition...Youngest brother Peter told me that when he has no job he looks crazy and better do not touch him. He ever called our house "baggage keeping place" in fact there are not so many sentiments concerning that place of painful childhood.

The real and last house for my parents became house of my middle sister Malgorzata in far north Poland close to Gdansk, city Chojnice. Margaret has two children, the same my youngest brother in Plock.

10. Lipno County...

20 km north from Wloclawek on Wisla and 50 km south from Torun there is County city Lipno. In the heart of two hils city same as in Rypin small river. Some three churches, one Lutheran in the south part and nice picturesque road to Bobrowiec with middle Age ruins on the border of Wisla River. You may there take the boat, cross the river and visit the oldest polish sanatorium Ciechocinek.

My relatives in Lipno have family name Wenderlich, typical German name, so without doubt they have mix blood and some German ancestors from fathers side...very possible, myself also...like many other Polish in the North and South Poland. In Pomeranian region nobody surprises even do not care if somebody has such a Germanic name. My aunt Genowefa is my mother's middle sister. She married farmer Feliks Wenderlich and bore 5 children. She was telling me sometime ago that after she born one of them in house, same day with legs in blood he has gone to the farm working. These people were hard working days and nights. I really do not remember that they do something else except farming, relax was the winter time pleasure perhaps, but having animals you have to care about them also in winter time.

Their farm was poor, but every year visiting them I was seeing some exchange, some progress, especially new machinery. 20 years ago most of farmers still were using horses, but later everything changed. God is giving his gifts for the patient and hardly working people.

All the children of Genowefa and Feliks are: Jozek, Jadwiga, Stanislaw, Zbigniew and Bozena. They became middle class people and even some of them rich. The two youngest has own business in Lipno city. Jadwiga and Stanislaw are farming on own farms close to Lipno and the oldest still alone Joseph is together with parents without own family.

Perhaps he is too busy farming; perhaps too shy or just simply he is a victim of this wave, which took all the girls from villages. Now we see wave back thanks God, maybe someday in Josephs life something changes.

11. Rypin County

Rypin nice, Middle Age city in Dobrzyn Land, 25 km west from Lipno and 25 south from Brodnica.

Rypin has nice symbol as I well remember it is black face having corns down and up head. Rypin has 2 or even 3 hills and small valley with a river in the middle of the city. Just near the river there is small church from Teutonic Order times. Dobrzyn Land during about 100 years(14-th century) belonged to Teutonic Country. That time the Holly Trinity church in Rypin was built. I born and I was baptized in this parish in summer 1963.

I was living in north part of the city with my parents in lowned flat on Jagiellonska street 44 near the local Liceum.

The family which accepted us as I remember was Michalski or Michalowski. It was just one flat so when my sister born (I was 2 years older), our flat seem to be too small. We moved in 1966 to Zielun in Zuromin County.

Father got nice flat in so called Agronom House (father was agriculture, farmers adviser) and we spend there the most happy 6 years from my childhood. It was also Jagiellonski street.

Later we moved again on the flat in native Skrwilno on Koscielna street for another 3 years. The last stop was in the same town on Targowa 10 street, which is still actual adress of mine during last 30 years, even in fact I spend there only 3 years before starting studies in Brodnica Liceum, Pedagogical studies, Seminary and so on.

My record 6 year staying was only Bialystok. No one city or town I was staying permanently more than 6 years.

In Rypin was living also my God Father, uncle Zglinski. The oldest sister of my mother lives 5 km nrth from Rypin in the village Marianki. She has three children. The oldest is living in Torun with husband, officer in Army and children. Marek is the middle one, he has three children and lives near Brodnica in Szczuka village I believe, her wife if from Puszczykow near Poznan.

The youngest Slawomir is staying in fathers farm which is small but rich because the plant only vegetables and flowers. They sell them themselves on the market for good price. Ones a week they were visiting Thursday market in Skrwilno and these days mother being pensionnary was helping them.

In Rypin, I believe, lives also Margaret and Mirella Lewandowski, two daughters of uncle Janek who died in suicide.

Their mother was unaccepted in our family so unfortunately the contact broke. I was dreaming to met them, but my efforts were only in project so never in act. It makes me uncomforted in conscience. These two poor girls do not know nothing about their father and his relatives, even they wish in heart.

In Russia and Ukraine exist special TV project under the name "I am looking you" and TV workers do big investigation to help poor people too look for each other during some special and heartbreaking show. I am afrain in Poland we do not have such a project.

12. Golub-Dobrzyn and Wabrzezno counties.

Another brother of my mother Joseph was also farming. His village Kurkocin is in the middle way between Golub-Dobrzyn and Wabrzezno Counties. It is still Pommeran Prefecture.

He and his wife Cecylia have also 4 children. Krystyna, Ryszard, Dorota and Bozena. I am not sure the name of the last. They live so close to Rypin, but because in past centuries Poland was departed between three emperors of Russia, Prussia and Austria, we can still recognize different styles of farming and building houses in the cities or villages at former borders aerie. So half of Golub(not Dobrzyn) and all the Wabrzezno were Prussian counties. Each small village here has similar church of Teutonic times as in Rypin, it is amazing, they still work untouched by time.

Joseph died just the next year after my ordination, and I was presiding in the funeral Mass. The farm was under very young boy Ryszard. He send me e-mail message these days, asking where am I, and I answered him from Beijing, that far away. It was also amazing to compare how difficult conditions he was growing and how nicely in modern times he is continuing farming on his fathers land.

The older sister Krystyna with her husband and two daughters is living in Golub and working in hospital, he was caring last days herself hers father, but his heart was ever weak so he died very young. Perhaps 50 years old, not more.

Two youngest daughters have also husbands' farms and live good happy life, so that I was proud visiting them in 2003, before going to Ukraine.

It is very amazing to me realize my brothers and sisters being successful people. Real Europeans, rather more than me, because staying on mission in soviet countries I had no opportunity to change my soviet habits, they does!

13. The most numerous brench in Biskupice Pomorskie

My fathers God Father, grand-fathers Czeslaw third youngest brother was living also in Old Prussian territories in Biskupice, half a way from Torun to Olsztyn. In the past it was nice city, there is still huge German cemetery there. Big church in the center, some taxi man was husband of grand-fathers brother daughter. Another relative in the city had 16 children. I got to know them just in the burial day. One of relatives was studying economy in Poznan and he just informed me about some relatives in France.

I came here once as seminarian with some missionary priest which visited his mother in Skrwilno parish. He was working in Argentina in Missiones Prefecture and his name was o. Juan Skowronski. He also had relatives there so we decided to visit them.

I maid short visit to taxi man, I visited also the church, but unfortunately I spend most time with Skowronski family.

I am a bit sad. I know from mothers' words that we have relatives in Susz even Elblag and Malbork.

Same message I got from grand-mother Janina, but I was unable to find all of them. I was looking my family roots only as teenager, as seminarian I continued with many limits and as missionary man I stopped.

14. Deep East Prussia "Mazury"

The beauty of Mazury is described in many books, so my effort will be very weak and no use to do big effort.

From myself I wish to give strong impression of devastation and abandon. So many cities in East Prussia looked so without any knowledge about history. Houses and churches, enterprises and the behavior of the people they words were testifying that something crazy here happened. The land had no proper host and no proper treatment.

The obligatory visit on German cemeteries was intuitive action which had perhaps such a meaning, as bow asking forgiveness of old owners for damaged streets, houses and all the land.

Also the abnormal for Poland number of collective agricultural farms which were of course worse that private section was easy to realize as something different to all the rest of Poland. The people in these farms, were living perhaps same life conditions, means poverty, as private farmers, but total lack of dignity or religious habits. Such farms choose the people without roots and life ambitions.

Euphoria of getting back "historically polish land" was very short time term. Daily life came and many generations has no idea how to return the beauty to these places. Same nostalgic picture I saw in territories which Soviet Union took from Poland or from Japan, just to show own hegemony not to develop these lands.

I may tell you, these years I saw East Prussia not as "polish land", but some poorest, dirty and forbidden colony.

Such was in 80-ties Elk, Olecko or Goldap, worse small towns as Wydminy, Straduny or Prostki. In Elk in East Prussian Mazury was living the youngest mothers' sister Zofia. Geographically most far, but psychologically most close. She is just 10 years older than me so like older sister. She got such place to live and work as graduate from pedagogical school for obligatory destination.

At first it was village Straduny. She met there the boy Anthony, humble, handsome ever smiling but never talking. All the family liked him, me also. They born 3 children. Two daughters and one son. Their names are: Julita, Aleksandra and Patryk.

Elk is close to Podlasian Bialystok. I was studying there during my staying in Seminary so I got opportunity to visit them many times in my 6 years studies time. Julita has husband in Szczecin on German border, so has not much time to wisit Elk. Her life is not sweet, she married with unserious boy. Time to time they have no job and perhaps starving. This message I got from her mother. Middle daughter Aleksandra is working in the office, her husband is working in the market so both have more-less good life conditions in Elk. Patryk last time was still studying, but summer time he worked as black worker in Italy, which was very dangerous experience, he was dreaming also to go to USA for same purpose, but get no visa. Both father and mother now on pension and their salary was not so good when I sow them 3 years ago. We still are close friends in heart.

Elk in 1992 was established diocese and Pope was visiting the city in 1999. It was perhaps the most beautiful event in the history of the city. Diocese and city fathers made effort to change the face of Elk. It was really hard to recognize... Three years ago also my friendly bishop Mazur got here his Sea, after expel from Siberia, so I have another relative in soul here.

15. Plock

Plock I know from school excursions to ZOO, from very beginning some main streets. Father Adam Walesiak took sometime ago three boys by car to show us consecration of new ordained priests. There was so many people in the Cathedral that I was unable to see anything, but I clearly remember the building of Cathedral and also all the Seminary outside, inside and the gardens. I was really impressed.

There was also in the same complex of buildings the Minor Seminary which during two years was studying middle brother Czarek.

Petrochemical Company which I saw as a baby traveling to Lodz is really poisoning the air around and many pregnant women are seriously afraid to born healthy baby. I know that one child of my youngest brother Peter died during pregnancy. Perhaps the reason was similar.

He is living there from his studies times. He got marry at the third year of studies in Torun. The last fourth year he was traveling by weekends to finish his mastership as married man.

Both parents of him and of hers wife poor people, but from their poverty they gave them all possible to have good start. It is really nice couple.

Iwona is working as German translator in local administration. Peter is English teacher in some College and even high school. He gives also private classes so busy days and evenings also. English become very popular in Poland so he really has good job. T is important to say again, that he born as last baby of about 40-ty year's old lady. I cannot imagine our family without his presence. Mother last days has the only happiness seeing him happy married man.

16. Chojnice

Chojnice is also in some sence East Prussia city. One difference that local Slavic minority was Catholic and ever loyal to Poland much more Lutheran Slavic minority in Mazury. We call them Kashub People, their language full of grammar and vocabulary "germanisms" is also familiar to me from childhood, and even we are not Kashubians. I was hearing this language during my staying in Stary Mlyn on vacasions in 5-th class of elementary school and summer scout camp in the 8-th class just in Chojnice and Tuchola.

My sister as a teacher got job and house there. My Brother Peter in Lyceum was staying with her.

My sister got in love with some Arkady who was working as car keeper. His fathers were taking some shops in the city and were one of the richest people in the city sometime ago. The market changed and now they have only one shop. Arkady is not so proud as before and we slowly get friends.

At first I was very afraid that she will be treated in such family as a servant. It is why I was suspicious. I was even absent on the wedding ceremony. Such strong were my principles these days.

Decision of my sister against my advice was providential for many members of family. Mother got some peace and relax visiting sister, family she died there, and god grave. Even sister is so different than me, I have to say. She was right, I was mistaken. She ever was more realistic woman so more helpful for others. Especially for the most close people. She has two babies: Patricia and Arek

Where are your toilet belongings

My personal geography, which contains also friends, places or religious feelings, is very large and I will continue in separate text. I got really according to Jesus promises after living home, fathers and brothers, hundreds of new brothers, fathers and houses which really happened to me.

Of course in many cases I was moving here and there without stops that I was really in difficult position when asked about my address. One of priests asked me, so tell me where is your toilet belongings for permanent.

I will tell you what your address is. Chinese monkey have address, own island even they do not use toilet. After expel from Sakhalin I have no island any more, sometime I have nice landscape which attracts my heart and I may call this my home.

Fr. Jarosław Wiśniewski