INTERGENERATIONAL

What are the three most inspiring traits of your grandma/grandpa?

Why I admire my grandparents for their strength. Both of my grandmas worked, raised five children and worked on their farms on the side. They are incredibly hospitable and always welcome visitors with open arms. My grandparents don‘t have a lot of money, but they are still generous and would do anything for their family.

What was the most beautiful moment you shared with your grandparents?

I have many beautiful moments with my grandparents. It was always very special to go on vacation with my grandma, because there I was allowed to do things that we didn‘t do at home. For example, there was bread with sugar butter, I was allowed to wear my grandma‘s self-made clothes and there was always coffee at 3 p.m. sharp. With all these little, almost irrelevant activities, I always felt very loved and taken care of.

Are there concerns or even fears about being that old yourself?

Before my grandfather died, there was a phase that I never want to experience myself and don‘t wish on anyone. He had dementia and was certainly no longer the same a few months before his death. You could no longer see his joy of life in his eyes. He didn‘t remember our names, but I‘m sure he recognized us because he was close to tears and very happy. It was very depressing to see him lose himself, so yes I am afraid of getting very sick in old age.

On what issues do conflicts arise between you and your grandparents?

I never have open conflicts with my grandparents. We sometimes have discussions where we have different opinions on topics like LGBTQ+. However, they accept that times change. They also know that they can‘t change my opinion and that fundamentally we have the same values: Compassion, respect; so we can talk to each other on a respectful level about different positions.

Can you recall an extremely formative moment with a grandparent?

My grandma and I once visited her sister who was a very energetic and loving person in the past. Unfortunately she became sick and was unrecognisable. My grandma began to cry and said that she fears the moment when her beloved sister dies .

The Eastern Bloc had already seen several mass protests in the decades following World War II, including the Hungarian Revolution, the uprising in East Germany and several labor strikes in Poland, especially important ones in Poznań in 1956. Waves of social movements throughout the 1960s began to shape the values of the generation who were students during 1968. In America, the civil rights movement was at its peak, but was also at its most violent, such as the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. on April 4 by a white supremacist. In Northern Ireland, religious division paved the way for a decades-long violent conflict between Irish republicans and Irish unionists. Italy and France were in the midst of a socialist movement. The New Left political movement was causing political upheavals in many European and South American countries. The Israeli–Palestinian conflict had already started, the British anti-war movement remained strong and African independence movements continued to grow in number. In Poland in March 1968, student demonstrations at Warsaw University broke out when the government banned the performance of a play by Adam Mickiewicz (Dziady, written in 1824) at the Polish Theatre in Warsaw, on the grounds that it contained "anti-Soviet references". It became known as the March 1968 events.