(B+) Anita Enichmair - A history

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Anita Enichmair was born and grew up in Austria.  But, things could have been different.

Shortly after the First World War, a large part of Western Hungary voted to become part of Austria. Overnight, very many people – Anita Enichmair’s ancestors included – stopped being Hungarian and became Austrian instead. And, the changes of then have become the questions of now.

             

What if the people had voted to remain Hungarian?  The answer is simple. Anita Enichmair would have been Hungarian and not Austrian, and, she would have grown up speaking Hungarian not German.  And, there would have been other differences, too.  Instead of having her eyes to the west, Anita Enichmair would have  looked east.  Budapest, not Vienna, would have been her centre of interest.

And, one more thing, too! Anita Enichmair, if she had been Hungarian and not Austrian, would still be just as happy in the little Hungarian village of Nagypeterfalva as she is in the little Austrian village of Großpetersdorf.  They are, after all, the very same place.  And, people – on the whole – never change. 

We are how we are – and not the flag we were born to.  Some people walk into change, whilst for others, it comes in the night.

Vocabulary – Wortschatz – Szókincs

                                                     

ancestors - Ahnen – csapa

differences – Unterschiede – kulönbseg

different – anders - különböző

German – Deutsch – nemet

grew up - grow up/grew up/grown up – aufwachsen – felnött ember

Hungarian – Ungarisch - magyar

instead – stattdessen – helyett

on the whole – im Großen und Ganzen - leginkäbb

surely – sicher – biztos

village – Dorf – falu

(B) - CHRISTIAN RINDER - A coming home story with feelings we all understand!

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Christian Rinder - listen here.

Coming-homes are possibly the shortest and sweetest moments of all. Coming-homes are things to look forward to, moments to dream of, and things to hope and pray for as well. And, coming-homes are seldom forgotten. But, there are special coming-homes that happen only once. And, Christian Rinder never forgot his coming-home from war.

It was a hot summer day as Christian Rinder came up the road. It was a long road. And, being back where he was was something he'd never imagined. For him, and millions of others as well, still being alive was a question of chance. And, Christian Rinder had had a very hard war. He had survived Holland, Belgium, and Stalingrad, too. And now, all that mattered was home. And, when he got home the door was wide open. And, there was his mother. She was down on her knees and washing the floor.

And, Christian Rinder just stopped. And, then his mother looked up. And, she froze. This was a moment she had never expected. But, before she could reach him, she fainted. And, he caught her. And, then she fainted again. And, when she came round she was in her son's arms. This was a moment she had never dared dream of. A dream had come true without being a dream.

Coming-homes are beautiful moments. But, the ones that come out of the blue are the nicest and sweetest of all, and, when Christian's girlfriend Lucy arrived it made the moment complete. Coming home is all about those who are waiting. Coming home is the nicest of all!

The Sweetest Moments of All – Christian Rinder

Please wait!   Vocabulary and questions start in (ca) 20 seconds - Please wait!

Vocabulary

came round (come / came / come) – zu sich kommen

caught – catch/caught/caught) – fangen

dared – (dare/dared/dared) – gewagte

fainted – (faint/fainted/fainted) – in Ohnmacht fallen

hope – (hope/hoped/hoped) - hoffen

look forward to . . . – sich freuen auf …

pray – (pray/prayed/prayed) beten

survived – (survive/survived/survived) – überlebte

Questions -

Was it summer or winter when Christian Rinder came home?

Where was Christian Rinder in the war?

Did Christian Rinder have an easy war?

What was his mother doing when Christian Rinder arrived home?

How many times did Christian's mother feint?

Where was Christian's mother when she came round?

What made Christian's coming-home complete?

(B) Edith Neni - Bowls of hot water keep the doctor away! Try it and see!

 Edith Nene and bowls of Hot Water

Edith Neni grew up in the depths of an Hungarian forest. And, she knows the secret of getting through freezing cold winters without catching colds. And, this secret is nothing more than bowls of hot water.

Every evening, Edith Neni's mother would prepare the bowls of hot water. One for each family member. And, into each bowl of piping hot water went a touch of bicarb' of soda and a sprinkling of salt.

And, there the family would sit in a circle, each with their feet in a bowl and all having fun. Stories and jokes, and, for those old enough, a cup of hot spicy wine. Wonderful ends of very hard days.

And, these bowls of hat salty water were very important. Edith Nene grew up in a very poor family. Everyone, even the children, had to work very hard. Foot baths in piping hot water kept people in very good health. And, very good health meant money as well.

Edith Neni, who's now 86, grew up in the depths of an Hungarian forest. And, she's never had a cold in her life. Bowls of piping hot water with bicarb' of soda and a small pinch of salt. This could be something for you. You will not only have very clean feet, but good health as well. It's not only cheap, it's easy as well.

Edith Neni and bowls of Hot Water

piping hot – very, very hot

a sprinkling – a small amount

a touch of . . . a small portion ...

a pinch of salt – a small amount

Edith Neni on her 80th birthday