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