19 Nov 2007

A BAD WORD

For MANIC MONDAY scroll down



This is the first time I participate to Fun Monday ! I read the theme on Hootin Anni's blog who hosted it last week. This week it is Karisma who gave us following theme to write about :

"I want you to take a trip down memory lane, and keep right on going, right back to your childhood. And I want to hear "THAT STORY". You remember the one? Yes, you do! The one your parents, siblings, extended family or friends, would never let you forget, live down or get over!"Add a picture of yourself at the age your story took place. So there you go. Not too difficult, I think. The only rule is, that the story MUST be about yourself. Not your children, siblings or your significant other. (This is the one rule you may NOT bend, even you Swampy!)"

This is probably an easy one, but not for me ! When I go back to my childhood there are not many pictures of me. I was 2 years old when World War II ended and people had other things in mind than taking pictures of their children or paying attention to what they may have said. Cameras, who had one ? That was something which people could buy later in the 50th, when I was little, people were running behind food.

But there is one story I remember because a neighbor told me about that years later when I already lived in Brussels and was there on a visit.

I lived with my parents in Bonn which was the capital of the new Germany from 1949 to 1990 and the official seat of government until 1999. My father working for a government department was very lucky that with his job he also got a flat for his family. Most of the people were living in the basements of the ruins of their house or in the remaining bunkers.

In this council estate all people were equally rich or poor because they all had started with 1 DM.
We kids had a playground in the middle of two buildings where we spent our days together. School anyway was only half a day and as there were no buildings to house a school we went to school for 4 h in the morning or for 4 h in the afternoon so that everybody had a chance to find a seat. I remember when I was 8 years old we were around 80 pupils in one class. We had to share one seat into two. But all this was completely normal to me and my life was nice and funny. The less I had to go to school the better it was.

Of course I also learned bad words and these were very interesting to all children because they were forbidden. My mother had told me that "Shit" was a very bad word and I should never use it. Apparently that made me curious. Indeed I didn't use it but one day from the playground I screemed for my mother who was in our flat in the second floor. My mother appeared on the little balcony and asked what happened and I shouted : Mamma, Gisela has said SHIT ! SHIT is a bad word isn't that true, Mamma that SHIT is bad and you told me never to say SHIT, but she said SHIT, Mamma isn't that bad ? She shouldn't use SHIT true ? My mother apparently was very embarrassed and tried to make me stop because the other women also appeared on their balcony to see what happened. But I still continued to explain to everybody who wanted to listen to me that SHIT was bad and SHIT shouldn't be said and that Gisela is a bad girl because she had used the word SHIT.

The neighbor told me then that my poor mother disappeared from the balcony to stop my logical explanations and I had the satisfaction to have used a bad word at least 10 times without using it.



This is me around 8 or 9 years old at the Rhine. (Just notice the guy who has a strange glance on me !)

Next week our host is Blue Momma

25 comments:

  1. How funny. Where did you learn that word ... an English word.

    I didn't realize that you lived in post war Germany. I guess I should read back in your blog other stories??

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  2. You naughty girl, lol! I love your picture wearing that little purse, very cute.
    I have a new post, you put pressure on me ! :)

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  3. Hi Gattina ~~ Good story; do you use that word now? It is one I do not like, but was amused at you repeating it over and over to your mother ~ of all people. Glad you had a great time in Egypt and now home to the cold. It won't last forever, Same with my darn heat ~ it won't last forever. Just seems like it. Try to feel better about things Gattina, apart from the cold which you can't change, but can
    get warm with lots of clothes and heating. But you are lucky to have had several great holidays, and travel to lots of places. I hope your health is good, and there are so many things to be thankful for.
    You have your cats and your art.
    Take care, my friend, Love, Merle.

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  4. That's a lovely photo of you as a child!
    I read most of your Egypt posts. Sounds as if you had a wonderful trip...
    ~~~Blessings~~~

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  5. This is just too funny! You were trying so hard to be good and embarrassing your poor mother!

    I just look at the photo and think what amazing posture you had.

    (Now I apparently need to go back and read about your Egypt trip. :)

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  6. I just put the wrong URL in the box...I just linked you back to Kari. It should go to the real me now.

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  7. Lol! That reminds me of getting my mouth washed out with soap and water at age five because I'd said f**k. I'd obviously heard it somewhere but didn't have a clue what it meant. Mum said years later that she overreacted because she was so shocked about what I'd said.

    It doesn't stop me today...lol, lol!

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  8. Bravo! Gattina! What a great effort for your very first Fun Monday! Very Funny Post! Now I don't think shit is a bad word these days but I love the way you used it without actually using it. What a clever girl you were. LOL. And what a pretty little girl you were and still are of course.

    Now I have to admit to a similar story to puss-in-boots above. Same age, same word. Oh dear! But we did have teenage neighbours at the time and they MADE me say it and then dobbed on me! I have to say the soap certainly worked. I did not say THAT word again for at least 30 years.

    Thanks for joining Fun Monday, I look forward to visiting you much more often.

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  9. Oh Gattina....this is truly a hoot!!! I love it. You did an excellent job. Not shitty at all!! Ya, I'm with the other two ladies, I got my mouth washed out with soap too....but it never stopped me from saying what was on my mind. rofl

    I remember one time, trying to give our OWN kids a good example and our daughter, 4 or 5 at the time, was telling her dad something,.....I can't even remember what it was all about, but when she was done telling her story to her father, father [my hubby] said to her: "No shit?" And without thinking she said: "No shit!!"...and sauntered off in bliss!

    It was funny.
    You did good lady!!! Loved your Fun Monday.

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  10. Who would have thought that that cute girl in the photo, who was already turning men heads, was fascinated with naughty words. Now you are such a cute funny lady.

    I know you are fascinated with Royals. Did you get your invitation the the Diamond Anniversary wedding celebration for Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip. Mine must have got lost in the mail. LOL

    I met the fair Prince once but I could not compete with girls for his attention!

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  11. Too funny. I guess when you hear a new word you can't help but to say it over and over even thou it's bad. Beautiful pic!

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  12. I think I would have taken the opportunity as well - but I'm wondering, did you say shit, or scheist? I know that's probably not how you spell it - but I recall the German word being quite similar!

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  13. The good news: You tested out a minor bad word. I have gotten in trouble for using the major bad words.

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  14. I can only imagine your mother shrinking away from the window. I need to go & read other post war posts. I imagine you had an amazing childhood.

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  15. My son does this but he IS intentionally trying to get away with saying those words. Trying!

    Great story and wonderful picture.

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  16. That was a great story of post war Germany. I suspect that you actually said "Scheiße" and have translated it for our benefit.

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  17. that is a great story, and it reminds me of one from my youth! it didn't happen to me, but it happened to a classmate.

    we were all walking home from school together--probably about second or third grade.

    and one boy said to my friend rick, "say ship."

    and rick said, "ship."

    the the other boy said, "now drop the p."

    and rick said, "shi."

    and the other boy said, "now put a t on the end."

    and rick said, 'I'M NOT GONNA SAY THAT!!"

    so you were a worse little girl than rick was a little boy!

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  18. What a very funny story. Welcome to Fun Monday. I will go back and read some of your old blogs. You have definitely piqued my curiosity.

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  19. WOW! You must have had an interesting childhood.

    Its funny, this is the second time today that I have been reminded of Bonn. The first was a news article about how wonderful Christmas season is in Germany. I was in Bonn the week before Christmas a couple of years ago and it was beautiful. I loved the Christmas Markets!!!

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  20. wow, what a nice picture gattina, interesting, The Rhine has never changed - it still almost looks the same. I know that story with saying bad words - that's what the kids do at work too. They repeat the words more than 10 times so they can get the kick of saying a bad word. Sometimes I get them away with it too especially when I'm taking pictures of them I tell them right before that click to say "Ameisescheiße!" and i get the best smiles ever :)

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  21. hee hee - the best time to use a dirty word!!!

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  22. That is funny. When my grandparents came to Canada from the Ukraine between the wars, my aunts and uncles learnt words at school. They taught my baba that word with reference to going to the bathroom. She would also use it in reference to what the animals did. They got a good laugh at it at her expense. My sister picked up the word, and used it a few times to which my parents gave her correction, and my mom explained to my baba that it wasn't the proper terminology in public.

    Great first Fun Monday. It is so cool to learn of people in different places at different times. Thanks for sharing a piece of your childhood, and the photo.

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  23. I had the satisfaction to have used a bad word at least 10 times without using it.

    LOL :)

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  24. Interesting hearing the story of Germany just after the war. You must have some interesting stories to tell.

    I was brought up not to swear either. I don't recall many swear words coming from my parents. But, at least you were right that she shouldn't use the word shit in public :-)

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  25. Haha - you can tell stories you .

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