Karel’s story, Czech Republic
Karel in the front with a friend from Karviná
Mr. Karel was born in the Karvinsko region and spent his whole life there. He does not even remember ever being farther than Brno. He loved it there; although the work of a miner was not easy, he had everything there – his family, his work and his home. And even the political situation was looking hopeful then. “When the Prague Spring began, we were all enthusiastic and full of hope. I remember walking through the colliery with friends collecting signatures under the Two Thousand Words. When the August occupation started then, the decision about emigration came up very quickly. It was either now or never. At that time I really believed that another world war was beginning.” Mr. Karel decided to emigrate to Canada, out of fear of persecution for his activity in support of democracy in the context of the Prague Spring. “Before the normalisation era it was not so hard to emigrate; it was only after 1970 that the borders were closed completely,” he recollects.
Although he had no relatives or friends in Canada and he did not know a lot of English he decided to go straight there. Although he had a university degree he worked first as a wage labourer and only when he learned some English could he begin looking for work in his field. “I had a terribly homesick. Even though Canadians are excellent people, they are not as open as we are. I only had a few friends, spending most of my time at work to stop my mind from thinking of all the people I left behind in Czechoslovakia. At that time no e-mail and internet existed, and the telephone was a luxury, and so it was not easy to talk to people living thousands of kilometres away from you. After 15 years I could not bear that any longer and decided to return, although I knew prison was waiting for me at home, but I was too homesick to care. I knew my mother was ill and that only accelerated my decision-making. When I returned I was sentenced to three years of imprisonment and peonage. But I am glad I returned. When I was let out of prison I could finally begin to live, marry and have children.”
Text: Dorota Ciompová
