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Section 1	Early life history: her parents lived in Szalejewo, but she mainly lived in Wroclaw with her grandparents. Her parents “kept a tight rein on me”.
Section 2	Remembers the village that she came from as being “beautiful” and “very tidy as well”, with lots of shops, fairs and a pond. Her relationship with her “weak and sickly” mother. After school, she had compulsory work on a farm (which she hated). Later she learnt shorthand typing.
Section 3	Weeps when she remembers the day the war started. Does not want to discuss when the Russians entered, as there was “violence and force everywhere”. Believes that they were “stupid: they put the watches on their legs”. Seems to have met husband (a Pole who escaped from a Russian camp) as the war ends. Remembers their courtship: they had to communicate “by signs, without words. Neither he spoke German nor I spoke Polish”.
Section 4	The gradual and difficult process of learning Polish. Recalls that the Germans were treated very poorly by the Polish who “wouldn’t give us anything to eat; not even milk from the cow”, and so the Germans saw the Poles “as enemies”. However, she also notes that “in our village the Polish were generally very kind”. When the German priest eventually left, she continued going to confession: “I confessed in German but I committed my sins in Polish.”
Section 5	She changed her traditions and “habits into Polish ones”. She now perceives herself to be Polish, although when she visits Germany she “feels different”. She has a lot of bad memories and “ups and downs”. Says “I wouldn’t like to be young again.”
Section 6	Her worst memory is the Russian invasion: “ … the Russian made a lot of harm to the people”. Joined a club in 1993, where she can speak and sing with friends in German. It also sometimes brings German visitors over.