Feručo Šestan

* 1947

Croatia, Emigrant 1948 – 1989
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    Meeting with a border guard in the middle of the night

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    délka: 04:44
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    -".. right to this.. hill, and from there we realy saw the bay of Trieste, we could see it, not just down, but I mean, the pier and there by .. these who… what comes next, you know. As need to look like this, wright. And .. then we look around this .. border, as we think it is a border …. Continue right away, and came at .. 5 o clock up there in Kozina and already at 8 o clock we have been at the border. - You were walking from railway station up to hill? - Yes, yes up hill and then down into the valley and up back again to to … slowly to the hill. - To the hill from where you could see Trieste? - Yes. But from the other .. I mean the other hill was lower, far lower .. a small hill, so here we calculate there is this border and it was it. - Can you once again tell us how .. this story 15 minutes ago… - Yes, yes, yes.. Ok, when went up it was dark, normally, we could only se.. see this… horizont …the hill is not so high and than we saw everything, it was a little … and run into a guard with.. with a dog so ..we jumped back a little to wait ..dog start to bark, but this …the guard tried to calm him down. We lie down for an hour and…thinking guard has left and .. start … raised up and continue. But after two steps away here he go again. In front of us. Like a ghost. And dog start to bark very loud. “Ooo”, I said, now we won´t be able to escape. But everything was well for us, a guard calm the dog down, but I tell you we already decided to co… to come back as we saw it is .. it is too risky, than we withdrew for about 200-300 meters down, not all downhill but a small valley and there decide to spend the night, on the lop as there was … snow up there. So we… shake it a little. We slept on it. And in the morning.. we saw … we heard these …these sounds, and said: “ now we are .. we are surrounded! Sent us again.” Wen day light came, we noticed rabbits eating clover. After, we thinking what to do next, how, now is a day time, what if they.. there on a meadow they will notice us. But, whatever, I said: ”Lets go! What do we wait for?” We will go up … and went on … like this, till.. and there is a small peak, and a valley again, all of this is a peak .. peak of the hill. When came up, we notice a barrack, here … here where the border is. A crossing area. The border. And here .. but where is the border? It has to be here. So now there has to be some mark for a border. Maybe is … we were thinking naively … didn´t came up with anything conclusion, where is and what is.. but decide to run downhill only, well … told him:”Watch not to run into a wire, to get hurt.” So it was like that. Nothing happened to us. But we crossed one, like deserted .. path and .. border … guards and so …this path was their. When came down, ask this peasant who cultivate carrot did we passed the border and then he told us everything, it was true all, all what we was thinking how it should be. Then peasant said if we want to register to the police it is here close by."

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    I will buy motorbike with my money

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    - "For me it was easy decision.. I saw that … here in … Pazin, during my practise that I have … I have .. a very bad practise. Education in school was good … but, let say, when I finished school, I didn´t have any practise with my occupation. If a man don´t have .. don´t have conditions to educate more, to … to learn, improve, than he stay on …. a low level. Already in 2nd grade was thinking..and saw it coming, so told myself: only for my parents I will finish this school but after I will go away… as far as I can. Remember when … when we .. when my father sow grain and I helped him with chop up the soil. Then he said to me:”Now”, said,” when spring come”, “when you are 18”, …”we will by you … we will give you a motor bike from your older brother, and to him we will by a new one.” I told him, just said: “If I have a motor bike, I will by it myself”. My father ask like: “What?” “Why?” then I answer:”I won´t be here anymore, will not live here.” Father was standing there like I knock him, as he knew me, he knew when I say something there won´t be other way, he knew I will do it, go away. But it was.. in .. October, at the end of the month, but these.. plan I had in my mind.. for more.. than year. After, a few of us .. talked about it, how to arrange this escape. So four of us decided to go, and two more.. two of them I asked they refuse to do it. Rejected. People in my age. So , .. say it was in fall, and on 4th … December I escape. - It was in sixty..? - In 1964."

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    Police control in Kozina

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    délka: 04:09
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    -"One time, I tell you .. one time was … with my brother and two other friends … who were unloading lorries into wagons. This was so hard … after, for three days I could not sleep as I was in pain. From ..from pain. But we did make some money, I was .. my pay was 18000 dinars, and for this job .. for that night got 12000 dinars. But that was…aaa. Don´t know will I ever go to do this job again. Well, at that time I was young, was not .. so strong .. and that was also in October or November. In October. - The next time you came to Kozina..? - When was running away. - Came by train? - Yes. - How, from where? Here from Pazin? - Here from Pazin. - From Pazin. Ok. Did anyone ask you something, do the control, as a few of you went wright? - Yes they did, yes. No, no there were two of us. We decide, one of us will go to the first wagon and the other, me to the last one. When came to Buzet, train move … and came back. And a police officer board in. I was.. like … what now, thinking maybe my friends gave me away who didn´t came with us? From all people in the wagon he came to sit next to me. And start with questions: where you are going, what will you do … I had a ticket till Divača and he ask me: “Where you are going to?””To Rijeka.” And he say:”Why did you bought a ticket only to .. to …Pivka?” I say:”Did not know I have to change a train…didn´t know you can go straight and there I will ..” “So how will you?” It was .. afternoon. “ Where you will live? Where you will go if you have never been to Rijeka?” I said: “My neighbour has.” Then he mentioned .. a brother from Josip. Križmanić. Told him, as then he worked in Rijeka, “He will wait for me and … he will … I will sleep at his home.” He continue:”What will you do in Rijeka?” and I said:” Winter is coming, so … I was working here and earned some money so would like .. to by some clothes and stuff.” “Ok, ok “..he said. Everything went well that time. And my friend in the… the front wagon was.. identified. But, all went well. Came to Kozina, earlier we agreed as I already been at this station, told him to meet in toilet at the station. There was a big rest room. - Sorry, Kozina is in front of Divača or? How? - No, Kozina is … yes in front of Divača. Yes, yes, yes. It is on the crossroad when go to Trieste – Rijeka – this .. this when go to Rupa. - Mhm. - It is … like, don´t know how to say it. Do you know where Kozina is? - Yes, yes…just…, I was in Kozina, we were there … took some guests… - Ok, but up there … is Divača, thinking 30-40-50 km away up to the north. - Aha. Ok, good… - And .. he is gone. All the time I waited him in the toilet but he is not coming. There a steam engine taking … water. So when I came out to check where he was I see he is standing next to the police. Thinking he is caught. But then … train moved, police officer board in, and he is coming slowly. Told him :” .. what did … what did you do up there?” He said he was watching a girl, and told him:”What the hell you need a girl for now?!?” don´t you stare in her now.. now, do you understand, we have other things to do now. “What we agreed?? I thought the police caught you…” “ O, wright, he ask me, and I said a few words to him”, and everything was over there. “Why did you stand next to him? You told him you are going to Divača, and still standing next to him!” Heheheh … So, this was over."

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    Gologorica, 31.07.2013

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    nahrávka pořízena v rámci projektu Příběhy železné opony - Iron Curtain Stories
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I didnt see the future on the istrian village so I escaped

bjegunci -šestan 048.JPG (historic)
Feručo Šestan
zdroj: Snimljeno prilikom intervjua
zdroj: Snimljeno prilikom intervjua
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Feručo Šestan was born on 16th of May in 1947. in the village Gologorica , Istria, Croatia .  During the Italian rule their last name was changed into Sestan . Feručo father worked on the farm of family De Francheschi who lost everything after denationalization and then they decided to leave. Thus, his father lost his job. In 1953. another brother has been born and the whole family ( great-grandsmother, grandmother , grandfather , aunt , parents and children ) of ten lived in an area of ​​60m2 and has been supported from agriculture . There was nothing, the village became extinct because of army and defectors. In 1964. Feručo finished school and then he already had the idea of going away because he saw that he has a bad practice and no craft learned. He finished school just because of his parents. Few months later he decided to escape and it was successful. With his friend they crossed the border and continue to San Saba. Arriving in San Saba they were in quarantine for four days, and ten days they spend in the closed court yard. They have been transferred to a bad camp. This camp was for those who wanted to go to Sweden and they spend there two months. Sweden Commission gave him a visa, and after six months in the camp he went with flight to Sweden . He wanted to go somewhere where no one knows him as one brother went to Australia and two of his uncles are in America. Sweden has been a popular , social country but today is different and he is a little disappointed about that. For Germany he had the school remained in negative memories for the greeting : “ Uber ales .“ He started a new life in a new country. At the beginning he was working in Volvo - car industry. Later, he additionaly studied for a chef and got a new job on a ship line between Germany and Sweden. In 1977. he start his family business till year 2000. when he was retiered. Today Feručo lives in Sweden. Sometimes he visit his hometown.

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