Anita Enichelmaier - 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 Enichelmaier 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!
