Maria Stasz

"Going to the cinema was not allowed, not at all. Sometimes, if the film on was very simple or infantile it was announces in my school and we could watch it if we got permission. And what’s more teachers controlled us. They often came round to the cinema to check if any of us breaks the rules. If any student was caught red-handed, they pulled them out the cinema and punished. Nevertheless I have to admit now they were right, it was not so bad. I remember there were kind of lodges in the cinema (we don’t have them anymore) and that was a place where the couples used to hide. The teacher control wasn’t so bad, not at all. This is how we were brought-up. What else? Books. We read a lot. I kept in my mind one book. I can’t remember the author but the book was telling a story about a young Caucasus girl, about her adventures, her life. We all dreamed to experience what she did in her life! Besides, we all sighed for famous artists, always crazy in love! Every single girl had a secret sweetheart! It was so ease to get some artists photos. In a chocolate. You could buy a chocolate and some artists’ pictures were hidden inside! I was absolutely felt in love in Charles Boyer, I still keep a collection of photos. It’s so strange, that foolish trifles stood the test of time but important things were lost. However all of those small things are my memories as well. Some memories. We also had parties. Obviously mum or aunties always kept their eye on us. But nothing really big ever happened. I remember one game (What was a name of this?) The adults were very watchful about it! The matter of the game was to draw a lot with a name of a boy or a girl on it. After that the couple was entitled to go to another room. But nothing bad happened, even there! If the boy was brave enough he could give her a playful little kiss on the cheek. But that was all. It was just a game. We also played a game called „A tomato”. You must know it, it is well known even today. You must know it, all those things were so funny, so innocent. Everything we used to do in those days were and tasted different than it would be here and now".

"We spent many days in Brześć, waiting on the railway station, I can’t remember exactly how many days. My father was obligated to report to the soviet commander that we were there every day. The rest on the family, and me – we just sat on our bungles and all we could do was wait. Some other group of people camped next to us. My mum told me: ‘Stay here, don’t go near them, I saw some fleas’. One day my father went to make a report and the soviet commander did a lot for us. He told – ‘You need to disappear from this place. The Poles are supposed to be sent to exile, to Siberia. If you want to avoid it, you must leave this place immediately’. My dad was surprised and he asked – “How can we go if the frontier is closed?’. ‘There is a green frontier as well, isn’t it’ – the commander answered. After that my dad came to us and said – ‘Come on my dear ladies, get ready now. We had to find a guide. We need to find someone who was able to take us across the green frontier safely. The frontier went along Bug River. It was winter, frostily and cold. Finally we found some guides and we paid big money for this and they appropriate some jewelry as well. I can’t remember where we had money from – there were a few of us – my mum, my aunt, and my father. We agreed with the guide and we reached Małkinia, in the same day, in the evening (have a look on a map, you will find this place, Małkinia is not far from Brześć). We wandered in a darkness as we achieved Bug River banks. The banks were very high there. Ten people were with us. The guides leaded us down the banks where very narrow boats were already waiting. Deep winter, frostily and cold. Then we got on a boat in couples. I don’t remember who I went with. I just know when I went out the boat my pants were totally frozen! Someone told me to look after my grandma. (Yes, my grandma was there with us, I remember, and grandma was a holy person in a family).My brother and me took grandma's arm and leaded her from the boat to the land. We almost pulled her up in a snowstorm".

"The ban to close polish schools was placed in October. There were three Girls' Grammar Schools in Radom, two Boys' Grammar School and one five-year technical and mechanical middle school. It was quite a lot and all of them were closed. The young were left with nothing, no prospects to continue their education. At that time, my school – Maria Gaj School began to work, still without supervision. Radom department of the ecret Teaching Organization (TON-tajna Organizacja Nauczycielska) was under Kielce surveillance. The way everything was arranged was just brilliant by all account. The headmaster of the school called me and my friends and she said – ‘You need to start to learn again, you will join to underground education group’. She was the one who initiated underground education in Radom. Consequently I was assigned to the secret school. I had to pass my high school exams, didn’t I? Sooner or later the headmasters of many schools agreed and underground educational system was approved and students attended in number. I’ve never known the names of people who organized it, I don’t know who they were. In the end, Radom underground educational system became a part of Kielce system".