by James Mixon 18 Replies latest watchtower bible
I did not went to any of my HS reunion. I even turned down my 25th one down. I really do not care seeing my HS acquaintances. While I had a good time in HS and I had great teaches, it is not that important to me see people who I have not seen since my graduation.
My mom had her 60th years reunion and she went there. Her classmates were there as well. The most interesting she had meeting with two of her teachers! One guy was almost 100 years old, while other woman was mid 90's.
So happy I went. The high light, an old friend came up to me and asked "what
took you so long to get out". He was raised a JW, left after HS. I didn't find out he was a JW
until I became one and his father and mom were in my congregation. We talked and I told him
about the many active ex-JW . He have been out since 1966 and have found Jesus.
The fun part dancing to the 60's songs, it was ugly, 68 and 69 year olds shaking their tail feathers.
I went to HS under communists. Because my father was stanch anti-communist who disliked Russians with passion, I was unable to go to HS anywhere in the county. I have to go to neighboring county because commies in my town would not let me graduate. My HS had excellent teachers. We had teachers who were anticommunists, and were unable to perform their job due government repression or purges. Our English teacher was a lady, who studied in UK, after her return she was forbidden to teach at the university and was shoveled into my HS. We had a scientist who was part of the team working on developing microwave ovens, but refused to collaborate with communist regime, and ended as our science teacher. We had these teachers who were extremely brilliant, but due political system, were forbidden to be in their field. Eventually, this HS was used as staging ground during Revolution. One of my teacher was arrested by secret police during the lectures, was hooded up and taken away with handcuffs, never seen there again by his students in the city.
If I would go to my HS reunion it would reminder me these turbulent years. Otherwise, I am not much interested to meet with my classmates and I do not think much about the place. Food was horrible, we had to carry our own mess tin and most of us were hungry during the classes. Sometimes we only got soup and bread for lunch. We had to work after HS. Definitely, I am not missing anything, except to be 18 years old.
My HS gave me excellent education, and we had a lot of after school activities. We had math five days a week, well staffed chemical lab and machinery workshop. Our teachers were dedicated. Once a while we go to near by medieval monastery for excavation or quarry to pick minerals that we analyzed in our lab. Teachers were doing it for free. Only our principal was communist, who was constantly drunk, and polished busts of Lenin, Stalin, and Marx in his office.
The food in HS was really bad. We got military canteen truck that arrived every day, and food was served to us as we were a war enemy. We had cucumbers every day, which is reason, I hate them and I have not ate them for 26 years. Sometimes we got tomato. Meat was only once per week and was often not available at all. We had sometimes mushy peas and boiled egg, bread, and soup. And cucumber. My grandmother had to work until she was 75-80 years, because communist pension would let her starve. She worked in very exclusive restaurant as a cook. Prior WWII she used to cook at the castle for baroness. After class, I sneaked to the kitchen when she was on shift and I could have a decent meal. I ate first mango, dates, kiwis after the fall of communism when I was already adult. It was just crazy political system.
Communist stores in the end of communist era when centrally planned economy collapsed:
In the 70's till mid 1980's, stores were stacked with some goods, but economy was crashing. If I find more pics, I will post them.
Kaik: Really appreciate info. First hand account under communist.
I went to my 10 year and then last summer I went to my 40th reunion. I had reconnected with many of them through FB because our glass is spread all over the country. I throughly enjoyed every moment of it. Between the 10th and 40th I was involved in the cult so I lost out on the fun with my classmates. Never again am I going to miss a good time with them.
