Refugee in search of a homeland

pointed to his left wrist which had already about five or six watches there, demanding my watch. Evil tongues said the Russians needed a watch a day, for they didn't know how to wind them up. I pointed to my right wrist, which of course did not have a watch, and said: "Nyet!" I was not going to give him my watch, but I was uneasy, because Russians were known to be unpredictable. This one, however, seemed good natured. He wobbled away, as I looked at my watch on my left wrist.

I arrived at school that day having missed only the first period. My favourite subject was mathematics. Mr. Wesche, our teacher, had the gift to make mathematical problems relevant to everyday life. He would give us problems like these for instance:
° A publican bought Rhine riesling for M 90 and Moselle for M 60, a total of 110 bottles. How many bottles of Rhine riesling did he buy, if he received a bottle of Moselle for 30 pf. cheaper than the Rhine riesling?
° A train would gain 40 minutes travelling a distance of 180 km if it went faster by 9 k/h. What time did it actually travel the distance?

I also liked biology. With chemistry I had some problems, never having grasped the basics. My teacher, Dr. Schröder, whose son was also in my class, gave me some coaching, after which I improved. English did not seem such a problem any more, nothing in comparison with the problems I had in Posen. Times had been hard for teachers as well as students, and this, no doubt, contributed to an atmosphere of tolerance and respect on both sides. Also, our year was the senior year at school.

Getting home after school was a problem. There was no train to Quenstedt in the early afternoon. I would have had to wait until 5 pm or hitch a ride with a truck or lorry. I chose mostly to hitch-hike. The long approach to the railway bridge, on the main road to Magdeburg seemed to be the best place to wait, with two or three others. Sometimes I stood there for an hour or longer, with terrific stomach pains. It seemed to me that these were due to hunger. Although we had still plenty of basic food, living in the country, none of it was very substantial. My breakfast consisted of a wheat porridge with home-cooked syrup. My sandwiches were usually filled with some concoction of flour, bacon and onions, obviously not enough to last until late afternoon. Food was still scarce in 1946.

When I came home after school, I would have my lunch first and straight after lunch I would visit Oma regularly to unwind a bit. This daily talk with her became very important to me, as she had time to listen to me, and she also showed a great deal of understanding of human nature. She would never gossip, was always constructive, and I could confide in her things that I wouldn't confide in my parents. I had also asked her to

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