Vignettes of My Life
Gabe's mother, Katalin (Kate), recalls her life in her own words, from childhood through the present.
It was the fall of 1928. I was six years old and I started school!
My parents chose a nearby private school for me, the Protestant Orphanage, about 15 minutes walking distance from our house. The orphan girls and boys were together with the private students - also boys and girls - in the classroom. We had small classes, not more than 15 children in the class. I loved to go to school, it was interesting, never boring, fun...
The orphans wore uniforms, nice sailor’s suits. I wished I had to wear the same. Not that I didn't like the way my mother dressed me - always cute, simple, comfortable - but those uniforms were the envy of the private students.
We had individual school benches, the girls on one side, the boys on the other side of the classroom. The inkwells were not filled until the third grade - pencils were our tools still. It was fun and easy to learn the secrets of writing and reading, we had no homework to take home, just interesting stories about the school days. How can I forget the huge abacus - almost as big as the blackboard, we had to use a special cane to move the balls. We also had a small abacus on every bench - learning the basics was truly a lot of fun. I was a good student all my life, nothing but straight A's for me...
I had to get up at seven o'clock in the morning, we left the house by 7:30 a.m. and we started to walk with my mother - rain or shine, snow or freezing weather - every school day. Half way to the school we stopped at the big delicatessen store. It was my duty - and pride - to pick my snack for the 10 o'clock break. It was always a big, fresh roll, cut in half, buttered and loaded with my choice of the day: cheese, ham, balcony or salami. I also picked a piece of fruit: orange, apple or banana. this was the ritual during my elementary school years.
We got to school before eight o'clock, always on time, regardless of the weather!
On the 10 o'clock break all the children and teachers went to the big gym and set around the long tables with benches, eating their snacks. The school provided a small bottle of milk for everybody. On the first day of school - if it was not exciting enough - I got sick from the milk and from then on I got cocoa instead.
Fridays were movie days. After the break, we paired up and walked in a long line to the movie house, about 100-120 of us with our teachers. We filled the little theatre completely and enjoyed the cartoons and the silent films for children. Only the orphans had to go back to the school, our parents were waiting for us at the movie house.
About twice a week we stopped on our way home at a bakery. My mother and I had to have our favorite pastries: Me a Napoleon, she a Rigo Jancsi ( a rich chocolate cake filled with whipped cream). I'll never forget the taste and smell of that warm, fresh treat...we sat at that little ice cream parlor table, enjoying the pastry, laughing, talking, having a good time.
I had my 10th birthday, when I was in the fourth grade. My mother said, that I can invite all my good friends to a party. I had a few really good friends outside the school but I also invited the whole class. About 25 of us, boys and girls, had a great time, but the highlight was the huge ice cream parfait in the shape of a giant fruit basket , filled with all sorts of fruits - all made of ice cream - it was the talk of the class for days.
I had a hard time saying good-bye to my first school and went back for years, visiting the kind old Principal, some of the orphans, and teachers. It was almost as if I knew, that my carefree, happy and easy school days were ending right there...
Copyright 2008 - Gabe Dalmath Foundation
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