IamA 91 year old great grandmother that survived during WW2 under the occupation of both the nazzis and the soviets. AMA!

What does your aunt think of your username?

Hello. She doesn't understand it. Maybe she would if I were to tell it to her :))

What was everyday life like when Nazis were allowed to pass through the country freely? And did you have a lot of people in your town/country who agreed with the nazi's views?

It was a hard life. I was at home, we were 6 children and my mother, my father was in the USSR a prisoner. When the Germans came, they made us leave our homes and go to a different village. They didn't allow us to take anything but what we could carry. The Germans were kind. They had weapons and cannons placed everywhere. They allowed us to go home once a week. We used to talk to them, they were educated people. They had a central commandment in my village. The factories were kept running despite the war. They never beat anyone and they never harmed us. Despite this, there were no villagers that enjoyed them staying there.

At first did you view the Soviets as liberators? and how did your views on them change over time?

Yes, they were seen as liberators. We thought we would have a better life with them. They put a communist regime in our country that lasted for 50 years.

Thanks to both your grandmother and yourself for doing this AMA!

What did she think of the Soviet occupation compared to the Nazi occupation?

The russians were meaner than the germans. And the russians brought the communism ideology to Romania. Overall the soviet occupation was worse.

Did poor people in Romania think that Communism was bad?

They actually thought of the communists as a something positive. The poor that is. The rich were soon relieved of their assets.

During the war did you come into contact with any Jewish people trying to escape S.S. hunters?

Yes. There were many jews in my village. But all of them were taken away and none of them returned.

What was life like in a communist country?

It had its ups and downs (my grandmother is a nostalgic sometimes). The hardships of the communist regime were felt harder in the cities, with the shortage of food and basic utilities in the last 10-15 years. But in the country-side it was ok. We had food from our gardens, from our livestock. Everyone had a job. There weren't so many murders. You had job security and your family was taken care of. But you also had corruption, a lack of education, a lack of openness towards the west. In the later years it became harder. We weren't allowed hot water only at certain hours, the TV was running only a few hours a day and so on.

I noticed your intro comments on Russia. What are your feelings on a resurgent Russia and their stance as the liberators of eastern European countries from fascism?

We were happy that they came and liberated us. We were happy to escape from the Hungarians and the nazzis. There was huge propaganda towards them. How wrong we were...

When the germans left our village they set the factory on fire. When the russians came they set the hay ballots on fire because the germans had placed bombs inside them. {random thoughts of my grandmother)

How normal did you consider your life during these times?

They weren't normal. I missed my father and my brother (one was in USSR as a prisoner and one had fled to other parts of the country). I had to work in the factory so that my family could survive. The germans used to give us food and they had a system that used points to get building materials and other rare items. The points were awarded based on how good of a worker you were.

The russians were mean. They had patrols that used to go to peoples houses and take food and valuables. We were moved by then to another village and our house was empty. Despite having boarded up the windows with plywood they still got in and stolen the valuables. My father had hidden his books. The russians used some locals to go to peoples houses and search for hidden items, they found my fathers books and burned them in the middle of the house. When we returned we only found the ashes.

When the russians came to our house in the other village, they always used to ask for the young ladies. My uncle used to sleep at our house just so we'd feel safe. Once they found us at home, my sister ran and hid in the barn. They said that I would go with them to work at a bridge, but I knew what they wanted. The russians used to rape women. They once raped a woman, placed her in a hey ballot and lit the hay on fire. They took me to another house and while they were searching for bottles of vodka I ran and hid in another house. They were angry and they started swearing and kept searching for me until they left my village. There were times where I hid in a stove just so that they couldn't find me.

During the Nazi occupation how did you feel about Hitler and Stalin? when the occupation switched did your opinions also switch? Also, what was the opinion of Romanians of Great Britain at the time? Thanks for doing this AMA, It wont be long before there wont be anyone left to answer these questions first hand.

I used to know them from the newspapers. We didn;t knew much, the newspapers were highly censured. All we knew was that they had taken the jews and gypsies to concentration camps. We used to have a lot of jews in my village. They were all taken away, with all their belongings left as if they were out to the store. None of them returned. None. They were all doctors, engineers, dentists, all educated people.

As for the western countries, we didn't know much about them at the time. All we knew was about the germans, the russians and the hungarians.

What was the general feeling about Jews amongst the villagers before and after the war?

We liked them very much. They were great people. We got along really great. My dad used to deal with them a lot, they had a lot of businesses in our village, from butcher to baker and so on.

What do you think is humanity's greatest invention?

The internet. I still don't understand what it is, but my nephew is on it all the time and every time I ask him something that he doesn't know he goes to it and finds out. I saw my other nephews on the internet a few times. And their pictures all the time. When my nephew shows them to me. (every time I can - the nephew)

Can you please tell us random facts about your great grandmother? Also, What did you expect when the soviets occupied your village?

She is my grandmother. She is a great grandmother, but to me she is my grandmother. She is very strong, she had been through so many things that I can't imagine how one can survive. She only has one brother alive out of 6. Her husband (my grandfather) for 58 years has died 8 years ago. 7 years ago her son died (my uncle). She had a surgery 2 years ago and she recovered completely. She is a true inspiration for us. She is becoming weaker and weaker these days, unfortunately. - this was my answer

We expected to live a better life. We were wrong. - This is my grandmother

To the grandmother, How wrong were you?

They were cruel and they setup a communist regime that lasted 50 years. We saw them as our liberators, but they ended up being a ruthless occupation force.

Did you ever feel scared in your own home because of your village's new visitors?

The russians used to rape young women. They were going from house to house to see what they can steal and if they can find your women. I was taken once, but managed to escape before anything happened.

Congratulations on your longevity.

Do you have any advice for those people out there in the world today who are going through similar situations like you went through during and after WWII?

Thank you for your time

To remain optimist and seek the happy things in life, no matter how small they are.

What's the most inhumane thing you've personally witnessed during the war?

We had a girl in our village that was raped, placed in a hay ballot and the hey set on fire.

What happened during an occupation of the Nazi party? What are some things you were not allowed to do compared to a "normal day" in your villiage before the occupation?

We weren't allowed to walk the streets at night. We weren't allowed to receive money as we worked, only food and work-points. We weren't allowed to place phone calls, they collected all the radios in my village and they were taken to the town hall, from where all the pro-russian villagers took them.

Did nazis do any war crimes in your village?

No, nothing at all.

They took the jews and gypsies, but we don't know were.

Do you remember finding out about the camps?

Only that she found out from the newspaper. She was working at the local factory when words first came out about the concentration camps. That is all that she remembers.

It must have been very hard to be a teenager at that time. What did you do for fun under occupation? Did you have friends, or a boyfriend, that you could talk to about what was happening? Are you still in touch with any of them?

I started working at a really early age. When we had some time to enjoy ourselves we used to play ball with my brothers and sisters and other children from the village (a sort of early soccer/football). I had some young men coming to ask for my hand in marriage. But I didn't like any of them. After the war was over I had my future husband come from the Siberian gulags and I fell in love. We were married for almost 60 years.

Any incidents where you or someone you know/knew were nearly caught or taken away?

I was almost taken away. I've explained this in a previous answer. We had a girl in our village that was raped, placed in a hay ballot and the hey set on fire.

From your other answers I'm assuming that was the Soviets and not the Nazis?

Yes, this is my bad - the nephew. She was referring to the soviets.

What do you think of World War 2 movies?

She doesn't like to watch movies. She has some local shows that she watches. - the nephew

Hi. Thanks so much for doing tHis ama.

I was curious if you could answer. .. how similar was the Nazi occupation to the Soviet occupation? Where there any noticeable differences?

Yes. The nazzis were more educated and kinder to us. And they didn't hurt us or steal from us. It wasn't great, but it was better than with the russians.

Have you read Maus? It's a great piece of war literature, from the point of view of a Holocaust survivor..

I haven't read Maus.

When was the first time you heard about the homocidal gas chambers used by the Nazi's? Who was a 'better' occupier, the Nazi's or the Soviets?

Is was more or less the same. We had to work to live. But the russians were meaner. And less educated than the germans.

THey gathered all the jews and gypsies from my village, took them to a barn and they chose the ones that would work. The other ones, women, children, old men, were taken away. We knew they were dead. But we only found out for sure after the war, from the russians.

Thank you so much for taking time to speak with us today. My Great Grandmother here in the US said when she was 96, her favorite development/invention that happened in her life was presliced bread. What is your favorite invention that changed your life? Giant hugs from the US!

She hugs you too. She's asking God to give you all health and happiness.

Hey, my grandmother recently died and she went through a similar experience. She was a teenager when the German's came through Transylvania. She also had complimentary things to say of the German occupation, and similar horrors of the soviets. She said a German soldier, if they caught you after curfew would walk you home, and a soviet soldier would steal all of your belongings.

Her uncle was also a soviet prisoner. Can you ask her if she remembers the name Iuliu Maniu? He was prime minister in the late 20's (she would've been a child). Iuliu was sentenced to Singhet prison after the soviets installed their puppet, since he was a former leader. I was just hoping she may have heard the name once.

She knows the name, but not from where.

Bunâ, I'm from Bistrița and my grandma, 85 now, went through many of the same things you are talking about. Very familiar stories. Just wanted to say, give your grandma an extra hug for me, as I am an expatriate and miss mine dearly.

Curious, where exactly was your grandmother located, by which town or city?

Hello. She is from Feldru and Ilva Mică, Bistrița-Năsăud county. Where is your grandma from?

What are your thoughts on the current Syrian refugee crisis?

She doesn't watch that. - her nephew.

Can you ask your grandmother where in Romania she lived? My whole family was born there! I'm part of the first generation born in America. My family was born in Iasi and I've visited the country a couple of times now.

I don't have to ask her :) She was born in Feldru, Bistrița Năsăud and lived most of her life in Ilva Mică

Which soldiers treated the civilian people with more respect? The Germans or Russians?

The germans. (I gave a more complex answer above)

What do you think of Donald Trump? Is he like Hitler?

I don't know who he is.