How I met Mobi Urbanová
Mrs. Alena Mervartová, née Krejčová, was born in Prague on February 25, 1938 to hearing parents. She is deaf and she lost her hearing as a result of brain fever she contracted at the age of four. She has no siblings. She lived in Prague and since kindergarten age she has been attending the Institute for the Deaf-Mute in Prague-Smíchov, where Catholic nuns were taking care of the deaf pupils. For the last two years of school (8th and 9th grade), she attended the Institute for the Deaf-Mute in Prague-Radlice, but afterwards she returned to the school in Smíchov where she learnt the seamstress’ trade. She likes to remember the time she spent in the vocational school, even though it was during the communist era. The memories she cherishes most are those of her childhood, when she was taken care of by nuns in the school in Smíchov. While in this school she met Mobi Urbanová, a deaf dancer, who led a theatre ensemble there. After completing her vocational training she worked as a seamstress and as a worker in two factories, and later as a janitor. She is divorced and she has two deaf daughters.
