My parents wanted something better for us
Radmila Rasmussen, née Matoušková, was born on September 7, 1965 in Znojmo. She grew up in Břeclav, where her father Pavel worked in a ceramics factory and her mother Hana in a bank. In August 1968, she witnessed the arrival of Soviet troops in Břeclav. In 1970, on the third attempt, the family managed to emigrate to Austria, where they spent almost a year in a refugee camp, first in Klagenfurt and later near Vienna. In 1971, they flew to the United States. They first lived in New Jersey, then moved to Ohio, where their father got a job in a pottery factory. This is where Radmila started attending primary school. In 1972, her brother was born. They later moved to Cleveland, Ohio, where their parents ran a Czech restaurant. In 1979, they were able to travel to Czechoslovakia for the first time, but the witness was only allowed to go together with her father. At the turn of the 1980s, the family moved to Minneapolis, Minnesota, where the parents again ran a Czech restaurant. Grandparents were allowed to visit them at the invitation, while Radmila and her brother spent some holidays with their grandparents in Czechoslovakia. She graduated from the University of Wisconsin with a degree in hospitality. For example, she worked for Hilton or Hyatt hotels, today she is employed in tourism. Today she lives with her husband in Woodbury, Minnesota.
