It's 3:45am, so, despite my sudden enthusiasm for writing I'll rather get some sleep first. Is there a modest synonym for "memories" or "reminiscences"? That's what I plan to write ("plan" is way too strong though). It has occurred to me that while it is hard to write chronologically (well, I always knew it :-), it may be easier geographically, just short notes, perhaps several disconnected notes about places which were a longer time in my life. This geographic simple idea is what made me excited, just a bit, enough to delay going to sleep.
Let me start both geographically and chronologically.
Ural Mountains: that's where I was born. I claim that in Asia. If it's true, it was only a few kilometers from Europe (over there there are kilometers, not miles). My mother told me that I had tuberculosis there, in my very early childhood, but my lungs have healed so well that there was no trace left. Since then I had always excellent lungs, and, till recently, also heart. Had a dog bitten me there or in my next place? Since then, for a long time, I had a slight fear of dogs, which I tried to overcome, because I had a romantic view of dogs (and a bit of a prejudice against cats). It rather vanished when I had my own dogs, much later, already in the States (my fear of dogs has vanished together with my prejudice against cats, since I had cats as well). I remember only isolated snapshots from Urals. I am not that sure of it. Possibly I imagine them based on what my parents told me.
Krivoy Rog: that's Ukraine. That's where my brother was born. We (my family) lived there in the basement of a ruined home. Krivoy Rog was destroyed by Germans during WWII about as bad as Warsaw (Warszawa). I did great there as an actor, in my kindergarten. Once again I am not sure that I remember anything. I think that I do. It's a moot point today. I did and do remember some scenes from the train trip, from the inside of the train. But was it from the Urals to Ukraine or from Ukraine to Poland trip, or from both? I don't know.
Why do I remember so little from my first four (almost four) years of life? Is it normal? I know of at least one person who remembers a lot from her early childhood--my (ex) wife.
Łódź: this time I remember quite a bit. But it's already after 4 a.m. And the task overwhelms me. I guess, I'll switch now to a random geography in place of the chronological one. Also, I'll be coming back to the same place like Łódź several times. Well, it's 4:18 a.m.
