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So, I just joined here looking for some advice about my dilemma about keeping or ditching my whole life insurance policy. I appreciate everyone who responded. This is a long story.
This isn't an advice-asking post. I just feel compelled to share Dad's story.
I think it will help illustrate poverty/frugality, and overcoming hardship.
He was born in a small village in Romania, in the Transylvanian region. Apparently he was "discovered" by a bishop there for his smarts while in grade school. He went on to boarding school in the city nearby. The other kids' families had means, his didn't. They were farmers, self-sufficient.
He did really well there. Full scholarship, thanks to the Catholic Church. Enter Communism, exit Catholic Church. Somehow, I guess because of his academic achievements, he went on to med school in Bucharest and graduated.
All this time as a scholarship student, he only remembers being hungry, while the other privileged students had food.
He said he mentioned a dream to a guy that he considered a friend - a dream that he was in America. That guy was actually an informant for the Communist gov. My dad was arrested, and spent a year and 7 months in "labor camp". During which he was tortured, and starved.
Not able to make a living (still blacklisted), he tried to escape, with a friend. They walked across what was then Yugoslavia on foot. Busted by a horse who sniffed them out. Another six years of torture and starvation.
My dad was released, a 5'-6" guy, weighing about 80 pounds. Again they attemped escape on foot (how else?) and they made it. They arrived in Trieste, Italy
Free. Spent a year in Italy's refugee camp. He initially would have preferred France as his next move (French is a Romance language like Romanian. But he got the opportunity to fly to the US.
He arrived in NYC, penniless with a connection to a couple from the Rom Orthodox Church who would take him in. That couple did not show. He was then placed with another couple.
Elena and Ioan Teodorescu Faget. They became my grandparents. Ioan died in '92 I think. God bless him, amazing grandpa. Elena, I don't know. Last I saw her was '95, in her Queens apartment where she was scared to answer the door. I heard she went back to Romania but back to the US, because her Romanian folk just wanted her $. I think she had dementia. I want to tell her thank you, but I'm afraid she's gone. Thank you Matusa Elena.
My dad had to start his internship over. He was the kid that the Teodorescus never had. My pa wanted to pay them back while living with them My grandma Elena said, how much have you got saved? My dad I suppose said 1000.[B]Elena said, well when you have 2000, we can talk. And so it continued.
My dad met my ma. She offered to teach him English. He accepted.
This account is all raw. I don't know why but i needed to get it off my chest. I trust that the site admins will tell me that my post is too long.
The moral of the story is, no matter what your circumstances are, you can come out ok
-Anastasia.
PS - my dad's good now at 77 years of age. Walks 2 miles to work and back every day.Sent me and my bro to college minus my school loans, which are now paid off.
This isn't an advice-asking post. I just feel compelled to share Dad's story.
I think it will help illustrate poverty/frugality, and overcoming hardship.
He was born in a small village in Romania, in the Transylvanian region. Apparently he was "discovered" by a bishop there for his smarts while in grade school. He went on to boarding school in the city nearby. The other kids' families had means, his didn't. They were farmers, self-sufficient.
He did really well there. Full scholarship, thanks to the Catholic Church. Enter Communism, exit Catholic Church. Somehow, I guess because of his academic achievements, he went on to med school in Bucharest and graduated.
All this time as a scholarship student, he only remembers being hungry, while the other privileged students had food.
He said he mentioned a dream to a guy that he considered a friend - a dream that he was in America. That guy was actually an informant for the Communist gov. My dad was arrested, and spent a year and 7 months in "labor camp". During which he was tortured, and starved.
Not able to make a living (still blacklisted), he tried to escape, with a friend. They walked across what was then Yugoslavia on foot. Busted by a horse who sniffed them out. Another six years of torture and starvation.
My dad was released, a 5'-6" guy, weighing about 80 pounds. Again they attemped escape on foot (how else?) and they made it. They arrived in Trieste, Italy
Free. Spent a year in Italy's refugee camp. He initially would have preferred France as his next move (French is a Romance language like Romanian. But he got the opportunity to fly to the US.He arrived in NYC, penniless with a connection to a couple from the Rom Orthodox Church who would take him in. That couple did not show. He was then placed with another couple.
Elena and Ioan Teodorescu Faget. They became my grandparents. Ioan died in '92 I think. God bless him, amazing grandpa. Elena, I don't know. Last I saw her was '95, in her Queens apartment where she was scared to answer the door. I heard she went back to Romania but back to the US, because her Romanian folk just wanted her $. I think she had dementia. I want to tell her thank you, but I'm afraid she's gone. Thank you Matusa Elena.
My dad had to start his internship over. He was the kid that the Teodorescus never had. My pa wanted to pay them back while living with them My grandma Elena said, how much have you got saved? My dad I suppose said 1000.[B]Elena said, well when you have 2000, we can talk. And so it continued.
My dad met my ma. She offered to teach him English. He accepted.
This account is all raw. I don't know why but i needed to get it off my chest. I trust that the site admins will tell me that my post is too long.
The moral of the story is, no matter what your circumstances are, you can come out ok
-Anastasia.
PS - my dad's good now at 77 years of age. Walks 2 miles to work and back every day.Sent me and my bro to college minus my school loans, which are now paid off.
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