My "Family" in Bariloche (in English)

My Impressions of Argentina

Cynthia Solem

2011-01-21

I learned much in Argentina: about the history, the cultures, the climate, the people, and the language (for Argentina has its own variety of Castellano)

I was only in Buenos Aires for three days. I would very much like to return because Buenos Aires is an amazingly beautiful and exciting city. I would like to learn more about the lives of the porteños and go to the movies, parks, etc. To spend three days in Buenos Aires is like beginning to eat a delicious meal, and then having the plate snatched away from you.

After Buenos Aires, I spent three weeks in San Carlos de Bariloche, where I lived with a family, I will cal the Family H. The man of the family, Adam, is an archeologist. I was able to speak to him (in Spanish!) for many hours, including one night when we were up until 2:00. That is the night that he told me the following story, which I think says something important about the lives of immigrants to Argentina in the period following the Second World War

The History of the H Family

Adam's mother and father were both born in Poland, where they lived comfortable lives, attending university during the week and hiking in the mountains near Zakopane on weekends. Both families were fairly well to do. In the summer of 1939, following the pact between Germany and the Soviet Union, Poland was divided between Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union.

The father (Tadeo) and the mother (Eva) were living in the Russian-controlled part of Russia. They were separated and sent to Siberia, to different labor camps.

Though Poland's government in exile was an ally of the Soviet Union (because it was allied with Great Britain, etc.) Russia did not recognize the government. After a long time, and much negotiation, the Soviet Union agreed to release Polish citizens held in labor camps. A number of letters were sent on behalf of Tadeo and Eva, but they were "lost in transit." Finally, Tadeo and Eva were released and, with a great deal of difficulty and laborious travel (I saw a picture of Tadeo taken when he lived in Iran), managed to leave the Soviet Union. Eva ended up in Palestine, where she worked for the International Red Cross.

Tadeo, on his way to Britain, where he planned on joining the Free Polish Air Force, went by circuitous route, avoiding UBoats, to Rio de Janeiro. After his years in Siberia, he never forgot the paradise that was Brazil. His first view of South America was portentious.

The ship returned to Europe, where Tadeo began working with the Armed Fores of Great Britain.transportado a Rio de Janeiro.

At the end of the war, Tadeo was in England and Eva in Palestine. After many letters and international calls, Tadeo was able to find a job for Eva in Scotland, which was a precursor for her to be able to emigrate to Britain and marry him. He didn't realize that England and Scotland had different laws... finally, Tadeo was able to travel to Scotland and, after nine years of engagement, marry his lovely Eva.

They honeymooned in Scotland, which is where their first child was conceived. That child, Adam, was their only son. Two years later a daughter, Beatrice, was born. Both children were healthy and everyone learned English, but life was not easy in Britain.

The family was unable to return to Poland, because Tadeo and Eva, having been prisoners of the Russians, would live under suspicion there. In addition, the family homes had been requisitioned

Tadeo began to look for a permanent home for his family. Canada, South African, Australia, and Argentina were all places that he was considering. Finally, after many months, Tadeo received the coveted visa to move the family to Argentina. Eva's sister and brother in law were living in Patagonia and, not knowing the size of this large country, the couple thought that they would have relatives nearby.

The day that they booked their tickets to Argentina, they received visas for South Africa and Canada, but the decision had already been made. Besides, Tadeo couldn't get that memory of the beautiful beaches of Brazil from his mind. South America it was.

Adam was four when the family arrived in Buenos Aires. He went out to play at the playground. He spoke to the other children in English. They didn't understand. He tried Polish. They still didn't understand. He ran inside and said to his mother, "Those kids are stupid! They don't speak English. They don't speak Polish. What's wrong with them?" That's when his mother had to break it to him: At four years old, he was going to have to learn a third language.

The first few years weren't easy for the family, but they were young, strong, and optimistic. Tadeo found work as an engineer with the Argentine Air Force in Quilmes. They had two more daughters. The family vacationed in Cordoba, where they enjoyed hiking in the mountains. They missed the Polish mountains, though, until a friend told them about Patagonia. The family would camp in a tent near Lake Nahuel Huapi. They liked the area so much that they finally bought some land and built a cottage near the lake, at a spot near the current resort of Llao Llao. They were planning on retiring there when Eva died of cancer.

In the 1980's, after Eva's death, Tadeo, with his son Adam, was finally able to go back for a visit to Poland. He died in 1989, just before the Berlin Wall fell.

Tadeo and Eva made the most of their lives in Argentina. They sent all four children to university, thanks to free university education. Eva began a public garden in their suburb south of Buenos Aires, that exists to this day. They made friends, especially in the expatriate Polish community, where Eva was active in the church. Tadeo was always optimistic about the future, even though, in later years, he wondered if he had made the correct choice the day he decided to go to Argentina. He had not wanted to deal with the racial intolerance that existed in South Africa. He thought that, in Australia, he would miss snow-covered mountains. He didn't know, when they arrived in Argentina in 1948, that they would be arriving in a politically unstable country with a great deal of corruption. Tadeo had never heard the name Juan Peron.