Anita Enichmaier - Photo by Nigel A JAMES
The Now Known Unknown Ifs of Then!
Mainly, we are how we
are because of where we were born. An
Englishman is English through and through, and, a Frenchman can only be
French! But, what happens when the goal
posts are moved?
Shortly after the First World War, a large area
of Western Hungary voted to become part of Austria. Overnight, millions of people became
something other than that they were born as, they all became Austrians! And, with this change came very many “ifs”. And,
for very many people, these questions are just as important as ever. And, Anita
Enichmaier has very many “ifs” in her life!
What if the vote had gone the other
way? Anita would have been Hungarian and
not Austrian, and, she would have grown up speaking Hungarian, and, more than likely,
fluent in Russian, as well. And, there
would have been other differences, too.
Instead of having her eyes to the west, she would have surely looked
east. Budapest,
not Vienna, would have been the place to go
shopping, and, maybe, even Moscow
for school! Who Knows?
Of course, not everyone voted to become
Austrian, and, many families suddenly found themselves unhappily split. As well
as a brand new system, there was also a brand new language. Life wasn’t easy, German wasn’t easy to
learn, and, for many the upheaval was very hard indeed.
And Anita?
What if the change had never taken place? She would be just as happy in the little Hungarian
village of Nagypeterfalva
as she is in the Austrian village
of Großpetersdorf. They are, after-all, the very same place -
and people - on the whole, never change.
We are, in reality, how we are because of ourselves - and not the flag
we were born to! Some people walk into
change, whilst for others, it comes in the night!
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