Lucky ManI moved back to Buenos Aires in January 1998: merely 2 days before I boarded the last Swissair flight I would ever take, my girlfriend at the time (and, needless to say, one of the major reasons I had decided to move back to Buenos Aires for) called to tell me that she had unilaterally decided to break up with me.
My Grandmother Herta SchlerffThe name of my maternal grandmother was Herta Schlerff. She died 40 years ago, when I was 11 years old. She suffered a series of chronic health problems, including a couple of heart attacks and a broken hip, but she died peacefully, in her sleep, one morning of April 1985 at the Clínica Olivos, near the corner of Arenales and Maipú Avenue, in Vicente López, province of Buenos Aires, Argentina.
Car Accident, 1976I was 2 and a half years old, almost 3. My mum had a small dark blue Fiat 600, very common in Argentina in those days. It was a dark winter night (that is, Southern Hemisphere, so around June or July) in Buenos Aires in 1976.
Ancestors from Geneva and BeyondI’ve already written about my grandmother Herta, about one of my Polish ancestors in the 16th century, and about how my four grandparents arrived to Buenos Aires at various points of the early 20th century. Now it’s time to learn about some great-great-grandparents from the side of my maternal grandfather.
When My Grandparents Arrived to Buenos AiresAn article on the Argentine newspaper Clarín prompted me to visit the CEMLA search engine and search for the arrival details of my grandparents migrating to Buenos Aires, and guess what, I found them.
Thirty YearsAs the taxi rushed away from my old home along Avenida del Libertador, I looked through the rear windshield for one last time. My mother barely acknowledged my gesture. She was silent, and most probably did not want to turn around. She hid her eyes behind her sunglasses, trying not to think about what laid ahead of us, in a journey that, a few days later, would take us to Europe.
Mi Abuela HertaMi abuela materna se llamaba Herta Schlerff. Murió cuando yo tenía 11 años. Encadenó una serie de problemas de salud crónicos, entre un par de paros cardíacos y una fractura de cadera, pero murió tranquilamente, en su sueño, una mañana de abril de 1985, en la Clínica Olivos, ahí en Arenales y Maipú.
20 Years AgoExactly 20 years ago, on Wednesday February 20th, 1991, my mother and I arrived to Geneva, Switzerland, from Buenos Aires, Argentina.
14 y 20 años despuésEl 3 de diciembre de 1996 volví a Argentina después de una ausencia de casi 6 años. Volví para buscar un padre, unos amigos, una realidad que estaba plasmada en un pasaporte argentino, del que me costaba entender el sentido.
Color Sin Dolorviejita, te fuiste durante la mañana del 15 de marzo del 2010. seguramente la noche anterior cenaste, miraste la television, tomaste tus medicamentos, despues te acostaste mirando la foto de tu hermano charles, y te quedaste dormida. te quedaste dormida, mama, sin dolor.
BlessedI’m blessed. This post is about life, about the tiny little things that make our current world a great, truly enjoyable experience. Grab a cup of tea, sit and relax on your chair, and read. This is clearly a blog post suitable for a Friday afternoon.
Gracias, y feliz vida, no solo para el 20062005 habra sido el año que espere durante mucho tiempo. Nada quedo en el tintero; nada quedo sin desvelar, ninguna bronca quedo sin el abrazo o el mate y ninguna caricia paso desapercibida. Nada, nada, nada. Y no solamente en mi vida, creo yo. El 2005 habra sido una bisagra fundamental y extraña donde se dieron vuelta muchas cosas. El que quiera ver, que vea.
El Primer Kosmaczewski? Y Los Ultimos?Hace un tiempo encontre esta pagina donde me parece que esta la referencia a la primer persona con el apellido Kosmaczewski.
AsteroidIt turns out that there is an asteroid (number 15609) named “Kosmaczewski” (well, that won’t surprise many of those who know me too well…) Here’s the story of how it happened, taken from this document: