Jiřina (Georgia) Stredňanská

“Ernest gave a notice and I began to teach Slovak language instead of him. That was great, though, because before I used to sell hamburgers and that was horrible for me. I didn´t know the language and I always messed up what people wanted from me, so at last they just let me cut the onion. Six hours a day I used to cut the onion. My eyes have been sore and watery ever since. It was awful, those six hours used to seem endless and I worked for a minimal wage. And I stole. Every night I had to feed my children, so willy-nilly I was forced to take out those crushed hamburgers. We weren´t allowed to do that; we could only eat them while being at work. So I always stuffed my pockets to be able to give that to my children. We were so poor. I earned two dollars ninety per hour; prices over there were different, back then. Anyway, it wasn´t much, because I worked there only for six hours a day.”

“I was here once in 1987, in Piešťany. I needed a spa therapy because of my legs. I sent my application through some kind of agency, it got approved and I got visa. At first I went to Prague, where I stayed at my husband´s sister and then I traveled to Bratislava and Piešťany. However, there I found out that I was missing my exit visa permit. I tried to think how it was possible, but then I let it go. On the second day, the State Security (ŠtB) was there. They locked me in my room, I was not allowed to talk to anyone and they insisted on my collaboration with them. I endured; I still wanted them to call the American consulate. They refused until I´d tell them this and that… I said: 'Why are you asking me this? I know you already know it all.' And they did. At the beginning one Slovak came and kept asking me what I did in America. I didn´t want to tell him I taught at this school, because it was a threat for them, of course. So I said I was teaching Czech language. 'Excuse me, but who learns Czech over there?' he asked. I said: 'Oh, you´d be surprised.' I tried to avoid it as I could, but at last he told me, 'Look, I know where you teach!' 'For God´s sake, why do you keep asking me then?' And he continued to ask me all kinds of crap, so I just answered him: 'Look, I´m not going to answer to these questions, because I don´t know, I don´t care, so let me be.' This way I came in for a nervous shock and my doctor had to treat me with Valium. She was very nice, the doctor I mean, and I told her what happened. My exit visa permit was still missing, however. 'You cannot leave without your exit visa permit.' I told them: 'How come I cannot leave? I have an American passport; I can leave without the permit, although I´d like to have it.' 'We won´t let you go without it.' It was truly a problem. They ordered me to come to the police headquarters one day before my flight. I was afraid they really wouldn´t let me leave. That guy took me to see the police commander. I was so scared they´d arrest me, I couldn´t believe it; I had great fear. Well, the police commander accepted me. By the window there was that ŠtB member, and they even called a Czech and one more man to deal with me. There were two of them. Oh, they began their interrogation by saying something like: 'What a pretty chick you are, shouldn´t we rather go to a bar or so?' … It was horrible, I felt awful. I don´t even know how many hours I spent there in a nervous wreck. And if my nerves are shot to hell, those men have surely a great merit on that, although I don´t know their names. The police commander spoke to me: 'Mrs. Strednanská, we have your exit visa permit, of course, here it is.' And I saw how he hated that man standing over there. That one didn´t say a word. He probably said all he needed when he locked me in my hotel room before. This police commander was very obliging, 'If you need anything, call me and I will be pleased to help you. Have a safe journey.' And I left, although, I couldn´t believe I was allowed to go.”