I was born in a misplaced persons camp in a village named Trofaiach in Austria. The camp held approximately 11 thousand refugees from all over Europe. The camp had a school, a shop and was guarded by British soldiers.
My mother was from Slovenia and dressed in the national dress of Slovenia. We kids wore embroidered white shirts and lederhosen. The pants were made from cow hide and were very thick. The braces to keep up the pants were also embroidered. White long socks and stout leather boots completed the outfit. The embroidery was stitched by my mother in the winter months as the snow was very deep and no travel was possible.
My mother was from Slovenia and dressed in the national dress of Slovenia. We kids wore embroidered white shirts and lederhosen. The pants were made from cow hide and were very thick. The braces to keep up the pants were also embroidered. White long socks and stout leather boots completed the outfit. The embroidery was stitched by my mother in the winter months as the snow was very deep and no travel was possible.
*Photo from google images...
We kids, there were four of us, were normal kids as we often got into trouble, as kids do.
Once when we came home late from school – it gets dark early in the mountains – Mum found us playing in the village pond, which had geese and ducks swimming in it. She came skiing down the hill carrying a big stick. We knew we were in trouble. She beat us and made us go home.
That night my older brother asked if Mum’s whack with the big stick hurt. We all said that we cried out when she hit us, but the lederhosen took all the punishment. We all just giggled and did not tell Mum we could not feel any pain. We went to sleep happy.
Once when we came home late from school – it gets dark early in the mountains – Mum found us playing in the village pond, which had geese and ducks swimming in it. She came skiing down the hill carrying a big stick. We knew we were in trouble. She beat us and made us go home.
That night my older brother asked if Mum’s whack with the big stick hurt. We all said that we cried out when she hit us, but the lederhosen took all the punishment. We all just giggled and did not tell Mum we could not feel any pain. We went to sleep happy.
Lou Sigmund
August 2023
August 2023
"A story written in response to the topic - ‘An item of clothing which symbolizes a time in my life’ - Write a story about an item of clothing you still have (or have a photo of) which symbolizes a time or event in your life. Tell the story surrounding the clothing, the context in which it appeared in your life, significant moments which occurred while wearing it, what it means to you, why you find it hard to let go."