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I have fulfilled a lifetime ambition. I had a dream for many years of visiting my birthplace in a small village in Poland. But, of course, today it is Belarus. Until a few years ago it was impossible to visit the little villages because the communists would not allow any tourism. Today, travel is much easier, but you still need an invitation to visit.
About a year ago, I started corresponding with one of the ladies in the village. She works in the town hall. I wrote her a letter asking if it was possible to visit the village of Volchin where I was born. The secretary answered with a very nice letter and from that time on we wrote to each other very often. When I received my invitation, my husband and I prepared to travel to Volchin. I was very excited and nervous because I really did not know what to expect. My family and friends keep asking me, “Why do you want to go there, what will you see, what will you find?” I gave them all the same answer: “There is something I have to do and I want to do it before it's too late.”
On 23 June 1993 my husband and I started our journey to Volchin. It was so hard for me to believe that at last I was going to Volchin. A year ago it was just a dream and now it was a reality.
Our first stop was Warsaw. We arrived at the hotel and were met by some very nice Polish people who took us to visit the old part of Warsaw and various other places. We had a very pleasant evening. Next morning, we caught the train to Brest-Litovsk where we were met by the young couple whom I had been corresponding with. It was so nice to see a friendly face because I was really worried whether the people in the village would accept us.
