Family History
About Ania Toretta
Ever have that one day when you just feel like the whole world is against you? Well think of this: you are a young child living in a communist ruled country in the 1970s and your Dad is in a movement against communism and was put on the Blacklist. That, is my Mom.
What are some of the strongest moments of growing up in Poland?
“I was two years old when we moved away from Poland to Switzerland and my brother was three and a half. We were both, very little so most memories I have growing up in Poland are from pictures, from stories, from my grandma and my grandma so it's mostly memories that my parents and stories that my parents told us.”
Why did you feel it necessary to leave Poland?
“In the eighties, when my brother and I were two, three, my dad was part of the solidarnosc movement, which was the movement against communist… [there was] a leader that was part of the solidarnosc and my dad was one of them. And as it happens at, in 81 82, the military started to move into Gdańsk and the situation didn't look good at all. [A] lot of my parents' friends went to prison because they were speaking up against communists or because they were part of the solidarnosc movement. And like who became president after that, he started that actually in the gdansk to the town where my parents lived, that's where the whole movement started... And my parents just didn't want to take the risk of two little kids. And as my mom's sister already lived in Switzerland, actually so close where we we ended up my mom and my dad were thinking it would be best for the summer just to go there to spend some time in Switzerland at my mom's sister and my aunts, and then just, you know, ride out the situation and see how, how things would go.”
Do you have any advice for the younger generation in your situation?
“I think nowadays or the world is so much more global. I mean, there's so much many people moving from places to places which was not as, you know, usually in the eighties, so was just starting to, to be the trend. So I think there's much more from the school set up, even a Swiss public schools, they have, you know, the whole integration program and, and extra German programs and all that stuff. But yeah, I think you, I don't think you shouldn't have expectation as in your own country. It should be open minded, but things will be different. Some things are much better than, you know, in your country where you were born and some things will be much worse and just take the, the things you like and, and, you know, the learn from what you, you learn. I think it's always a big an inspiration and also for, for the, for life, big learning curve to go to another country, to see it from a different perspective of how people live and why there are certain ways. And I can definitely understand the Polish culture from being there and traveling there, or, you know, living in the states or living in, in Switzerland, just have a different perspective of how people live. And I think to stay open minded like that, and a bit less critical is a, is a very helpful tool. Cause if you always compare your countries, it's going to be always a bit frustrated because every country cultures run differently”
How long did it take to plan your move out of Poland? How did you leave the country?
“It got to the situation that some friends went to prison. And my parents just didn't want to take the risk of two little kids. And as my mom's sister already lived in Switzerland, actually, so close where we ended up my mom and my dad were thinking it would be best for the summer just to go there to spend some time in Switzerland at my mom's sister and my aunts, and then just, you know, ride out the situation and see how, how things would go… My parents sold everything. an apartment there, their place and bought tickets. And my mom took me and my brother on the plane.”
What where your first impression of Switzerland as a new family?
“it's kind of going into the unknown, they knew a lot about Switzerland. it was definitely a place that they've seen before and, and felt pretty good about and safe. But the thing is once they arrived in Switzerland, you know, they were not allowed to go back. I mean, once they arrived in Switzerland, they weren't allowed to go back to Poland for 10 years. Because Poland just shut their borders for to all believing they might be spies and, you know, they might be people, groups forming outside the country. So they decided not to give us any passports. So we couldn't travel back. So my first time after living in Switzerland for over 10 years, it was when I went to Poland, I was almost 13, 14”
How were you treated? Did you feel “targeted” because you were Polish?
“No, I don't think targeted. It was definitely culturally hard for my parents as you know, following all the Swiss laws of like you, you know, when is the garbage day and when is the recycling and where you put, what and what is your time of what you were allowed to do? It's certainly very different rules. And, and as you know, the Swiss are very organized. They very strictly followed those. So that was a big change for my parents and they, they felt maybe a little bit kind of watched and not as comfortable of not knowing the language and my parents certainly right away studied German and learn, learn the language. But it took, you know, a couple of years definitely to get used to just a definitely different culture than what they were used to from back home.”
““Every family had their little tickets for, [a] certain amount of bread and certain amount of milk...””
