Connie Page Two

Could you describe your mother to us? What did she give you on your way?
I think my mother is a strong woman for whom the family is very important. She was always there for us and made everything nice for us. I took this dependency, safety and security for granted, because I didn't know anything else. What I found so wonderful was the harmony between my parents. When we left for school, mum would always stand at the kitchen window and wave to us until we were out of sight. It was the same every day. Basically, she put her interests second to those of the family.

And your father? Please tell us a little about him.
He's still working for the city in the land registry office. My father is a quiet, lovely man, who has an incredible affiliation with nature. He spends time in his garden every day. Since the early 1970's we've had a small allotment with a summerhouse. It's right by the river and that is his great hobby. He mows the lawn, puts out food for the blue-tits and prunes the apple tree, puts (in a pond and everything. All year round he comes here to the allotment to have a change. I can say that he was always there for me and made lots of things possible for me too. We had great fun there as children because it was pure nature. You could say, I went to bed when the ducks were calling and woke up to the sound of the great crested grebes. It was obvious that I would gain an interest in ornithology. I joined the young ornithologist's club when I was twelve and that was very exciting. Later, when I started to work shifts at the children's home, I didn't have time for it anymore. I opted for the children and my career, and the birds have remained my hobby. Now, when we're sitting outside in the SOS Children's Village, I can say, "That's a starling and there's a buzzard." The children are impressed. They are getting a feel for it too and I like that.

Perhaps you could tell us something about your grandparents?
My father was an only child and was born here in Brandenburg. My grandparents ran a health-food shop. After having to give up the shop, my grandfather got a job in a banana-ripening factory. Yes, in those days there was such a thing! I can still see it now: there was a huge hall full of green bananas that were ripening. My mother's parents come from Laubusch, on the way to Dresden. My grandfather was in the mines and my grandmother was a kindergarten teacher. When I think of my Laubusch-grandmother, I go all warm inside. She was just the sort of grandmother I'd wanted. She was kind and generous. If you wanted another helping of the wonderful pudding she'd made, you'd always get one. It was always fantastic when we went to our grandparents in Laubusch. It was really cosy and old-fashioned in their house. If you wanted to go to the toilet, you had to go across the back yard to an earth closet. There was an orchard where we'd climb the trees. And I'll never forget the smell. There was always a whiff of coal in the air from the mines. I can still smell it today.

Connie's Story:
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All these mother's stories come from SOS Children's Village Hermann Gmeiner Academy. Copyright is reserved and no unauthorized use permitted. Use for non-commercial purposes may be requested. The interviews telling about the lives of some SOS Mothers form part of an interesting study on being a replacement Mother to children in need in SOS Children's communities worldwide.