Fifteen years in a childhood paradise

not with much success. But having absorbed a lot of French during my childhood must have made it easier for me to learn French later on.

Opa had always been interested in family history. He took up correspondence with Heinrich Rolffs, a chemist in Stettin, who had married a Tiemann. He had done some family research and in 1925 sent a hand written chronicle to Opa.

Opa 1941 Oma 1941

Opa was a great one for teasing others, not so good, though, when he was at the receiving end.

"Tell me, Dieter," he said, when I came home one day from school, "what mark did you get this time in English?"

"A six." "Oh really? Can't you learn English? Look at my school report here," and he delved deep in the drawer of his desk and produced a document. "Here are all the subjects, and it says: 'tres bon, tres bon, tres bon (very good) É for all the subjects."

"Could I have a look?" "Oh no, child, you will only make dirty marks on it. It stays here in this drawer."

Unfortunately, we never had the opportunity to see the document. So one day I asked Oma: "Does it really say 'tres bon' on all of Opa's subjects in his school report?"

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