h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

well, you already mentioned the state of war, as it was called in Poland. It was really a dreadful experience for all of the Poles.

At this time I was living in Munich/Germany. The 13th December 1981 was a Sunday and I do remember my father, who runs into my room at 7 am and wakes me up with this horrible information. The next few days were very bad, cause all phone connections were cut and we didn't know exactly what happened. During the first week, there was also a lack of information through the newspapers - an information blockade was held. So we didn't know: are the Russians in Poland, do we have to cope with another Prague's spring (1968 the Russians marched into Czechoslovakia), are our families and friends okay...

The next few months were also not so easy: after 2 or 3 months I was able to phone to Poland, but there was always an information, that this call is 'controlled' - someone was allways listening to it and it happened several times to me, that the phonecall was cut of as my friends or family started to talk about the present situation. I received letters, with a stamp 'censored'; the letter inside started with 'Dear Kasia', then all what was written was marked black, so I was unable to read it. Several of my relatives and friends were arrested.

A bad time... And I'm so happy, that it's now 19 years ago and I live in a totally different country, it's like another planet, you know.

Kasia