Be the one to fulfill his dreams!

In Saxonian town Zethau, there is an NGO called Grüne Schule grenzenlos that had become my host EVS organisation for 12 months. Apart from the environmental education (grüne) and a life-long learning (Schule), the organisation aims on connecting prople from different countries (grenzenlos) via international projects. As a volunteer, I had been given space for my own ideas, so it happened that, in January 2015, I invited to Zethau a travel exhibition „Das verschwundene Sudetenland“ (Sudetenland Disappered). It was a spontaneous idea but I had known the organisators before (‘Antikomplex‘, Prague) and followed their activities for a long time.

With this exhibition, the story of „my special person“ has begun. A man in his 70s came for a visit one day. He was moved by the photos and impressed by the fact that the exhibition „came“ so close to the place he lives now. The exhibition brought back memories from his childhood because he was born in the town illustrated in that exhibition – which does not exist anymore.

He invited me for a visit and we spent hours talking. He expressed himself more personally and shared his inner feelings. I will never forget the way he was describing his wartime memories. As a small boy, he witnessed a few cruel situations, both during the war- and in the post-war time. How the German soldiers murdered their followers in front of him because they just wanted to go home. How the revolutionary Czech guards came to his town in summer 1945 and killed the villagers. These are the „pictures“ that had been imprinted deeply in his child soul. The fact that he had been always dreaming about a meeting with Czech people was crucial for him and suprising for me. Eventhough he has not been living far away from the Czech-German borders, he has still dreamt about the Czechs who would behave friendly. Those Czechs who would be interested in listening to him, who would be willing to share the feelings. It was a very emotional and moving moment. Fulfillment of someone’s dreams…

Later that spring, I asked him to take part in a school project I was responsible for (Back to the Roots). Its aim was to find out Czech-German common ‘roots‘ which was not easy. Particularly, in the border regions where the continuity has been destroyed by the post-war expulsion of the inhabitants. Since that time, the region has been suffering from social instability, insecurity and has been searching for its new identity.

To understand a historical continuity is not easy, neither it was for the teenagers. But a group of seniors, including „my special person“, helped us!  As a result, the youngsters met the oldest generation - all of them witnessed the WWII events. They shared the emotions, asked questions and discussed about the common issues. Many students reported in their feedback, that it was „a deep and a moving experience“, so it was for the seniors! Students further concluded they were „happy that the seniors liked the meeting with us“ and moreover, some of them „want to build up the Czech-German community“.

Overall the project helped to eliminate some stereotypes and a black-and-white perspective that is presented by the politicians and the media. The face-to-face discussion was extemely important. An abstract historical period has thus got a „human“ face.

„My special person“, whose roots are also in the Czechoslovakia, plays a crucial role in my EVS year. He does not only represent the Sudetengermans who visited „my“ exhibition or project, he also helped me to identify my own identity. I discovered that our stories are similar. He helped me to change the perspective of Czech-German relationships and inspired me with his wisdom, vitality and a peaceful mind. „My special person“ is representing the whole generation of people who were born in a country which does not exist anymore (Czechoslovakia), in the region which refused its identity (Sudetenland), and whose voice should be forgotten.