From: "George Ion" <geion@verizon.net>
To: < international@cisv.org>
Cc:
Date: Sun, 5 Oct 2008 22:20:17 -0700
Subject: Question
Gheorghe Ion
6810 SW Hall Blvd #16
Beaverton, OR, 97008
geion@verizon.net
503-367-3377
Hello
In 1972 when i was twelve I've been in a CISV camp in Kisdorf, near Hamburg, Germany, sent by the communist regime in Romania.
The exact location is Ulmenhof in Kisdorf, as shown below. It's probably a school now.
http://www.panoramio.com/photo/4659551
Seeing that picture triggered lots of memories.
I never quite understood why me, because there were many other eligibile (children of the communist elite), like the other three kids in the Romanian delegation. I never quite understood why an organization like yours would invite children from the communist countries, since the only ones that would benefit would be the children of the above elite, with few exceptions.
Not speaking any international language, except for a few french words made it tough for us, almost traumatizing. We weren't able to communicate with the other kids. I remember quite vividly Klauss, the director of the camp asking me severeal times in French: "Pourquoi tu es toujour si seul ?". That made me feel somewhat guilty.
I also have nice memories from there, like driving a car for the first time in my life (a Renault 4 owned or rented by Olaf from Sweden) and being saved from drowning in an Olympic size swimming pool. (I was a poor swimmer at that time.)
Also dancing for the first time in the dark in a "discoteque" with the chef's daughter, Suzanna (I don't know the exact spelling) organized by a couple of local german guys that were hanging around. I think one of them was the son of a prominent local CISV member.
I remember once Klauss filmed me with a nice camera with zoom I also played with and during projection, the film jammed and I saw my image catching fire on the screen.
I am asking your help in consolidating the memories of those days with the complete list of the sites visited and a list of the staff present in the camp with their qualifications.
As I said I didn't speak any English at the time. But from singing the camp's song every morning, i memorized the words and reconstructed the lyrics later on. Please confirm that this was the camp's song lyrics.
"Here in this village you may see
Children living happily
Swedes, Finns, Turks, Romanians
British, Germans, Canadians
Philippines, Italians too
We have many things to do
How am i alike to you"
Especially the last line doesn't sound quite right.
Many appreciations for your work,
Gheorghe Ion
---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: "George Ion" <geion@verizon.net>
To: <secretary.hh@de.cisv.org>
Cc:
Date: Tue, 7 Oct 2008 06:36:38 -0700
Subject: Fw: Fwd: Question
Hello
I wasn't lucky contacting the global site. Please read the following thread and help me if you can.
George Ion
----- Original Message -----
From: Bertil Hron
To: geion@verizon.net
Sent: Tuesday, October 07, 2008 5:07 AM
Subject: Re: Fwd: Question
Dear Gheorghe,
Thank you very much for your e-mail. It is good to hear that, after so many years, you are still thinking of your CISV experience.
First of all, as regards names and addresses we are not able to give out personal details about participants. However, we recommend that your register on the CISV Friends website ( http://friends.cisv.org) and claim participation in your Village (V-1972-006), and in doing so, possibly make contact with other people who participated in your programme.
By registering on the CISV Friends website you will also receive regular links to CISV publications such as CISV News and the CISV Annual Review.
Secondly, I am afraid we do not have the specific information you are requesting as related to excursion destinations.
Thirdly, as for the lyrics you provided, these appear to have been specific to your programme. Sometimes in the different programmes the lyrics of the CISV song and other songs are adapted by the participants to fit their programme or as part of a performance for a public occasions such as Open Day.
The official lyrics of the CISV Song are these:
The CISV Song (Kathleen Milne/Bjarne Kirk)
Here in this village you may see
Children living happily
Different race and different land
Here we come to understand
One another’s point of view
Learning through the things we do
How alike am I to you
Here we live and eat and sleep
Talk and laugh and sometimes weep
Here we share our hopes and fears
Build a bridge across the years
Sow a seed and plant a tree
Beneath whose branches there may be
All the nations gathered free
That our children so may grow
In a world we did not know
Sharing all they have to give
Learning how to love and live
In our hands the future lies
Seize the moment ‘ere it flies
Stamp the present with an act
Dare to make our dream a fact
Cheers,
Bebbe
Tuesday, 7 October 2008
03/31/1972 Don't know if i wrote above about holding hands while singing the version of the song written first above. Stumbled across a picture today. At the end of the song we were turning around while still holding hands forming a circle eacg facing outside and only then we were breaking with hands throwing them towards ground.
