Gerda's
biographic story
I was born in Suriname
(in South America) and since the age of five years I am in the
Netherlands / Holland. My Dutch is also better than my Surinaams I have
to say. In the Suriname language I would say (and I don't know exactly
how to write it so don't blame me): "Mi kan tak Sranang ma no so
boeng." If I would talk Surinaams than you would be laughing your socks
off because I pronounce the emphases of words wrong.
I came to here together with my
aunt Alma. Actually it was an aunt of my
father. My fathers mother her sister. The mother of my father (my
grandmother) I have never known. She died before I was born. My aunt
her daughter would be married and therefor my aunt Alma and I came
initially for vacation to Holland. But it was in the '80 years what a
hectic period was in Suriname so my aunt and I stayed in Holland.
From the moment I was born I was under care of my aunt. Why me? Well, I
was a very cute baby, ha! No...I don't know why I was 'the chosen' one.
My mother had left my father and was fled to Holland leaving all her
children behind for her particully reasons. Later she wanted to get the
children here in Holland but my father was against it. She had with
another man
four children en has taken the youngest with her to my father. With my
father they got
a boy that died young. My aunt always said that he died because of 'the
evil eye'. If everyone say:"What a beautiful baby", but they don't mean
it than the child can become ill. If you believe it or not. But in
Suriname you have loads of such superstition and I always ask my aunt
for such stories. After the boy my parents got an two fraternal twin,
which I was one of. But my twin sister died in the hospital. We were
born to soon and there was a virus in the hospital and we both became
sick. Apparently I was the strongest. According to my aunt I was often
ill. She often thought that I would not survive. Perhaps that is why I
am not so often sick these days. I have to say that I have a good
health.
After that my brother and sister were born. They are grown together
with my other (half) sister in a sort of sos-village. My
father also had his job.
I was eleven / twelve years old when I went back to Suriname for
vacation. Those photo's you can see here.
After my aunt's death in
1993 when I was nineteen years old I wasn't in the opportunity no more
to go on vacation. Thanks to a good friend of mine I could go to
Suriname. I knew this was important because I heard my father was
sickly. Eventually he seems okay with his health but it had made me
speeded things to go to Suriname and not postpone it. It was one of my
goals that I wanted to do. I've been to Suriname in October 2006 with
my good friend. My father died in april 2007. You could say that
I had the time to see my father while he was still alive. I could not
go to his funeral. My aunt's daughter (who I just call aunt) is
together with her husband and their daughter still my only family who I
have contact with. I had from my 23rd year till 2008 contact with my
mother and two half sisters. But that contact is no more. With one of
the halfsisters I didn't have contact for years. I don't have a quarrel
with them...it is simply diluted. Or maybe I let it diluted. I didn't
want contact no more. Family is relative.
Maybe because I
do not know.
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