Re: [Cz-L] My first day at school,

This is a very nice story, but I wonder : how could you remember all those
details, at 8 or 10 years old ???
I have only images, many images from my 8 or 9 years in Suceava, and then at
10 years in Israël !!!
I have no real long stories souvenirs like this ....... Somebody must have
told you many things afterwards ??
But I found this story, which happened in Czernowitz, very interesting and
touching !!
Lydia.

--------------------------------------------------
From: "Arthur von Czernowitz" <vonczernowitz_at_yahoo.com>
Sent: Wednesday, January 05, 2011 8:48 PM
To: "Czernowitz List" <Czernowitz-L_at_cornell.edu>
Subject: [Cz-L] My first day at school,

>
> My first day at school,
> It is the end of summer and school is supposed to start, everybody is
> exited, I will start school.
> Tante Fanny took me to school to talk to the principal to find out in
> which class I will be placed.
> Tante Fanny is arguing with the principal, Arthur is 8 years old and you
> cannot put him in first grade. The principal is asking me all kind of
> questions to see if I am knowledgeable enough to be placed in second
> grade. Finally after much debate with my aunt it is decided that I will
> be going to second grade. I was in Transnistria and lost 2 years of
> school.
> We come home, Tante Fanny and my grandmother start an argument, look at
> Arthur’s clothes there is no way we can send him like this to school. His
> clothes are full with “lates” patches and look at his shoes. It was
> decided to take me to the “schneider” tailor around the corner. After
> arguments and haggling, the tailor takes my measurements and tells us to
> come back in a week for the first “probe” fitting. The suit was going to
> be made from a Russian military blanket; it is a very ruff material and
> every time that I wore that suit the collar rubbed my chin.
> We come home and my grandmother looks at my shoes and says that I need new
> shoes.
> They take me to a “schuster” shoemaker in the Herrengasse. Again a long
> discussion and haggling and finally it was decided that shoemaker is going
> to make me a pair of “bokantschen” boots. I also got a new shirt and
> later back to the Herrengasse to purchase a new toothbrush.
> A week later we go back to the tailor, we enter his atelier and he not
> there. My aunt goes over to the kitchen to look for his wife to ask the
> whereabouts of the tailor. The wife yells, not again with the mishugas.
> She opens the closet in the atelier and in there is our tailor hiding. My
> first fitting was not ready. The wife starts to yell at him telling him
> to finish my suit and not play games.
> A week later, just before school begins I have my suit and boots. I am
> very excited, and when time comes for bed, I will not take of my suit or
> boots off.
> Later in the year they buy me a “kufaika” a cotton padded jacket,
> “valenky” felt boots and a “kubanka” a Russian fur hat, to be ready for
> winter.
>
> First day in school, Tante Fanny takes me to school and leaves me at the
> student’s entrance. After asking several kids, I find out that my class
> is on the first floor and the first door.
> We all stand around waiting for the bell to ring. I look down and there
> is my cousin Rudi who is in the tenth grade, she yells at me, “Arthurel
> come runter ich will dich sehen”, Arthur come down I want to see you.
> Arthurel, “Du sieht aus wie eine Puppe in Deinen neuen Anzug” you look
> like a doll in your new suit. She kisses me and tells me to be a good
> student. As I walk up the stairs there is my cousin Arthur der Grosse who
> is in the 9th grade and his brother Ziggi who is in the 7th grade.
> The bell rings and we all stand up to great our teacher. The lessons are
> in Yiddish, I have a little difficulty understanding as at home we spoke
> German, but after a sometime I start to understand.
> The second day our teacher comes over to me and tells me that I have to
> have my hair cut.
> A day later, the teacher calls me and asks me why I have not cut my hair
> and not to come to school tomorrow without having my hair cut. I will not
> cut my hair, after the camps where you had to have your hair cut I was not
> going to cut my hair. I tell the teacher, the girls don’t cut their hair
> why should I cut mine. It does not help, the teacher gives me a letter to
> give to my parents, I take the letter to my aunt and she writes something.
> I return the next day to school and give the letter to the teacher and
> this time she tell me to go home and not to return without having my hair
> cut.
> I am quite worried and hope that my father will not find out. I leave the
> school and walk down the Siebenbirgerstrasse towards the Prut River. On
> the way back I stop at the Herrengasse and with the few kopecks which I
> had I buy myself a soda. By this time, it is mid day and I walk home for
> lunch. The next day the same, I am thrown out of class, but now I have my
> routine, slowly I walk towards the Prut River and on way back I buy myself
> a soda at the Herrengasse. On the 3rd day, I have some extra Kopecks
> which my Onkel Shoil gave me and it is just enough for a movie. I stop at
> the Apollo cinema in the Herrengasse and see a Russian version of “Romeo
> and Juliet”.
>
> I had beautiful blond hair “mit schrint” parted on the left and I was not
> going to cut it. Two to three days later I am back in school and I tell
> the teacher that I will not cut my hair and that’s final.
> The teacher finally gives in and lets me stay in class.
> I won. I persisted, I never gave up and I stood my ground.
>

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
This moderated discussion group is for information exchange on the subject of
 Czernowitz and Sadagora Jewish History and Genealogy. The opinions expressed
 in these posts are the opinions of the original poster only and not necessarily
 the opinions of the List Owner, the Webmaster or any other members
 or entities connected with this mailing list. The Czernowitz-L list has
 an associated web site at http://czernowitz.ehpes.com that includes a
 searchable archive of all messages posted to this list. Please post in "Plain
 Text" if possible (help available at:
<http://www.jewishgen.org/InfoFiles/PlainText.html>).

To remove your address from this e-list follow the directions at
http://www.cit.cornell.edu/computer/elist/lyris/leave.html

To receive assistance for this e-list send an e-mail message to:
owner-Czernowitz-L_at_list.cornell.edu
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Received on 2011-01-05 16:04:01