Lithuanian Out Loud 0300 Sovietu Okupacija The Soviet Occupation
LL0300 \u2013 Soviet\u0173 Okupacija The Soviet Occupation
Hi everybody, just a quick message before we get started, for today\u2019s episode, we have a letter a Lithuanian sent us a few years back. We weren\u2019t able to get to it until now. The letter was written by, \u201cLina\u201d, not her real name, and Raminta reads the letter for \u201cLina\u201d. If you\u2019d like to see a translation of the letter, just go to the Lithuanian Out Loud homepage and you can read it there.
Now, on with the show!
\u2028Jau pra\u0117jo 18 met\u0173 nuo tada, kai Lietuva atgavo nepriklausomyb\u0119. Per t\u0105 laik\u0105 sp\u0117jo u\u017eaugti vos viena jaun\u0173 \u017emoni\u0173 karta. Ta\u010diau tie, kurie mena sovietinius laikus, savo prisiminimuose turi daug skaud\u017ei\u0173 dalyk\u0173, ir visa tai atsiliepia lietuvi\u0173 bendravime, j\u0173 \u012fpro\u010diuose bei po\u017ei\u016bryje \u012f kitus. Tod\u0117l jei sutikote ka\u017ekuo pasipiktinus\u012f ar viskuo nepatenkint\u0105 lietuv\u012f, gal \u0161i istorija jums pad\u0117s suprasti, kod\u0117l yra taip, kaip yra.\u2028Linos mo\u010diut\u0117 lauk\u0117si, kai abu senelius nakt\u012f i\u0161ve\u017e\u0117 \u012f Sibir\u0105. At\u0117j\u0119 ginkluoti pareig\u016bnai dav\u0117 15 minu\u010di\u0173 susikrauti daiktams, tod\u0117l vienas lagaminas b\u016btiniausi\u0173 r\u016bb\u0173 buvo viskas, k\u0105 jie tur\u0117jo su savimi. Jie nebuvo nusikalt\u0117liai - jie buvo tiesiog inteligentai. O toki\u0173 tuometin\u0117 vald\u017eia steng\u0117si atsikratyti, nes papras\u010diau m\u0105stantiems \u017emon\u0117ms lengviau "praplauti smegenis", pripratinti prie naujos ideologijos nei tuos, kurie i\u0161silavin\u0119 bei gal\u0117t\u0173 pasiprie\u0161inti sistemai. Seneli\u0173 nam\u0105 automati\u0161kai per\u0117m\u0117 vald\u017eia, ir jie \u012f j\u012f niekuomet nebegr\u012f\u017eo.\u2028
Tai buvo vieni paskutini\u0173j\u0173 tr\u0117mim\u0173, tod\u0117l galima b\u016bt\u0173 sakyti, jog mano seneliams pasisek\u0117 - jie nebuvo u\u017edaryti \u012f konclager\u012f. Jie buvo nuve\u017eti \u012f lentpj\u016bv\u0119, kur dien\u0105 nakt\u012f pasikeisdami tur\u0117jo dirbti. Savomis rankomis jie tur\u0117jo pasistatyti sau namus, nesvarbu, kad nei vienas i\u0161 j\u0173 nebuvo nei architektas, nei in\u017einierius, nei statybininkas. Ten gim\u0117 mano mama. Jiems v\u0117l pasisek\u0117, nes po 8 met\u0173 gyvenimo Sibire jie gavo leidim\u0105 gr\u012f\u017eti atgal \u012f Lietuv\u0105. Ta\u010diau ir toliau jie nuolat buvo sekami kaip vald\u017eios prie\u0161ai. Tod\u0117l seneliai paslap\u010dia \u0117jo \u012f ba\u017eny\u010di\u0105, apie Sibir\u0105 niekam negal\u0117jo pasakoti, ir mes, an\u016bkai, tik i\u0161 pavieni\u0173 \u017eod\u017ei\u0173 gal\u0117davom suprasti, koks i\u0161 ties\u0173 buvo gyvenimas ten. Trispalv\u0117 taip pat buvo u\u017edrausta, ir tave gal\u0117jo pasodinti \u012f kal\u0117jim\u0105, jei b\u016btum j\u0105 parod\u0119s kam nors vie\u0161ai. Net ir daugeliui met\u0173 pra\u0117jus po to, senelis vis dar laik\u0117 d\u017eiovint\u0173 duonos rieki\u0173 mai\u0161\u0105 - kad netekt\u0173 badauti, jei staiga v\u0117l reik\u0117t\u0173 palikti namus.\u2028
Tie, kurie nepakluso soviet\u0173 uzurpacijai, nuolat gyveno baim\u0117je. Tarp toki\u0173 buvo ir Linos t\u0117tis. Atsisak\u0119s tapti Komunist\u0173 partijos nariu, nuolat buvo persekiojamas. Kart\u0105 buvo bandoma padegti j\u0173 but\u0105, bet laimei, t\u0117tis laiku sp\u0117jo gr\u012f\u017eti namo. \u0160iandien Linai ir jos broliui vis dar m\u012fsl\u0117, k\u0105 jaut\u0117 j\u0173 t\u0117vai, gyvendami tokiomis s\u0105lygomis, ta\u010diau pabandykite j\u016bs \u012fsivaizduoti savo gyvenim\u0105, kai kas dien\u0105 turi ka\u017eko bijoti, kai \u017einai, kad aplink tave pilna paslap\u010di\u0173. Kai niekuomet nesi tikras, ar su tavimi ir tavo \u0161eima vienaip ar kitaip nesusidoros vien d\u0117l to, kad tu esi m\u0105stantis \u017emogus.\u2028
Sovietin\u0117 sistema dar\u0117 visk\u0105, kad \u017emogus pats nem\u0105styt\u0173. Pagrindinis jos tikslas buvo priversti \u017emog\u0173 paklusti nustatytai sistemai. U\u017e \u017emog\u0173 buvo viskas nuspr\u0119sta. Niekam nereik\u0117jo kovoti u\u017e savo viet\u0105 pasaulyje. Baigei mokslus - tau automati\u0161kai bus paskirta vieta kurioje nors \u012fstaigoje. Apsivedei, stoji \u012f eil\u0119 butui gauti. Atrodo gra\u017eiai... Ta\u010diau kai visa tai griuvo, pasimat\u0117 tikroji \u0161i\u0173 dalyk\u0173 \u017eala. Daug vyresn\u0117s kartos \u017emoni\u0173 dar ir \u0161iandien ne\u017eino, kaip i\u0161gyventi, neturi motyvacijos, yra priprat\u0119, kad jiems viskas b\u016bt\u0173 paduota, u\u017e juos nuspr\u0119sta. \u017dmon\u0117s pikti, nes nesugeba konkuruoti su jaunesniais. Gal tod\u0117l ir savi\u017eudybi\u0173 skai\u010dius Lietuvoje vis dar did\u017eiausias pasaulyje.
Translation:
Jau pra\u0117jo 18 met\u0173 nuo tada, kai Lietuva atgavo nepriklausomyb\u0119.
It has been 18 years since Lithuania regained its independence.
Per t\u0105 laik\u0105 sp\u0117jo u\u017eaugti vos viena jaun\u0173 \u017emoni\u0173 karta.
During that time, only one generation of young people grew up.
Ta\u010diau tie, kurie mena sovietinius laikus, savo prisiminimuose turi daug skaud\u017ei\u0173 dalyk\u0173, ir visa tai atsiliepia lietuvi\u0173 bendravime, j\u0173 \u012fpro\u010diuose bei po\u017ei\u016bryje \u012f kitus.
However, those who remember the Soviet times have many painful things in their memories, and all this is reflected in Lithuanian communication, their habits and attitudes towards others.
Tod\u0117l jei sutikote ka\u017ekuo pasipiktinus\u012f ar viskuo nepatenkint\u0105 lietuv\u012f, gal \u0161i istorija jums pad\u0117s suprasti, kod\u0117l yra taip, kaip yra.
Therefore, if you meet a Lithuanian who is outraged or dissatisfied with everything, maybe this story will help you understand why it is the way it is.
Linos mo\u010diut\u0117 lauk\u0117si, kai abu senelius nakt\u012f i\u0161ve\u017e\u0117 \u012f Sibir\u0105.
Lina's grandmother was expecting (meaning she was pregnant) when her two grandparents were taken to Siberia at night.
At\u0117j\u0119 ginkluoti pareig\u016bnai dav\u0117 15 minu\u010di\u0173 susikrauti daiktams, tod\u0117l vienas lagaminas b\u016btiniausi\u0173 r\u016bb\u0173 buvo viskas, k\u0105 jie tur\u0117jo su savimi.
Armed officers arrived and gave them 15 minutes to pack. So, one suitcase of essential clothes was all they had with them.
Jie nebuvo nusikalt\u0117liai - jie buvo tiesiog inteligentai.
They were not criminals - they were just intellectuals.
O toki\u0173 tuometin\u0117 vald\u017eia steng\u0117si atsikratyti, nes papras\u010diau m\u0105stantiems \u017emon\u0117ms lengviau "praplauti smegenis", pripratinti prie naujos ideologijos nei tuos, kurie i\u0161silavin\u0119 bei gal\u0117t\u0173 pasiprie\u0161inti sistemai.
And the government at the time was trying to get rid of them because it was easier for simpler-minded people to be \u201cbrainwashed" and get used to a new ideology, than those who were educated and could resist the system.
Seneli\u0173 nam\u0105 automati\u0161kai per\u0117m\u0117 vald\u017eia, ir jie \u012f j\u012f niekuomet nebegr\u012f\u017eo.
The grandparents' house was taken by the authorities, and they never returned to it.
Tai buvo vieni paskutini\u0173j\u0173 tr\u0117mim\u0173, tod\u0117l galima b\u016bt\u0173 sakyti, jog mano seneliams pasisek\u0117 - jie nebuvo u\u017edaryti \u012f konclager\u012f.
This was one of the last deportations, so it could be said that my grandparents were lucky - they were not locked up in a concentration camp.
Jie buvo nuve\u017eti \u012f lentpj\u016bv\u0119, kur dien\u0105 nakt\u012f pasikeisdami tur\u0117jo dirbti.
They were taken to a sawmill where they had to work day and night (they had to rotate working day and night).
Savomis rankomis jie tur\u0117jo pasistatyti sau namus, nesvarbu, kad nei vienas i\u0161 j\u0173 nebuvo nei architektas, nei in\u017einierius, nei statybininkas.
They had to build their own houses with their own hands, no matter that none of them was neither an architect, nor an engineer, nor a builder.
Ten gim\u0117 mano mama.
My mother was born there.
Jiems v\u0117l pasisek\u0117, nes po 8 met\u0173 gyvenimo Sibire jie gavo leidim\u0105 gr\u012f\u017eti atgal \u012f Lietuv\u0105.
They were lucky again, because after 8 years of living in Siberia, they received permission to return to Lithuania.
Ta\u010diau ir toliau jie nuolat buvo sekami kaip vald\u017eios prie\u0161ai.
However, they continued to be constantly monitored as enemies of the government.
Tod\u0117l seneliai paslap\u010dia \u0117jo \u012f ba\u017eny\u010di\u0105, apie Sibir\u0105 niekam negal\u0117jo pasakoti, ir mes, an\u016bkai, tik i\u0161 pavieni\u0173 \u017eod\u017ei\u0173 gal\u0117davom suprasti, koks i\u0161 ties\u0173 buvo gyvenimas ten.
Therefore, my grandparents secretly went to church, could not tell anyone about Siberia, and we, the grandchildren, could only understand from a single word what life really was like there.
Trispalv\u0117 taip pat buvo u\u017edrausta, ir tave gal\u0117jo pasodinti \u012f kal\u0117jim\u0105, jei b\u016btum j\u0105 parod\u0119s kam nors vie\u0161ai.
The tricolor (Lithuanian flag) was also banned, and you could have been put in jail if you had shown it to someone in public.
Net ir daugeliui met\u0173 pra\u0117jus po to, senelis vis dar laik\u0117 d\u017eiovint\u0173 duonos rieki\u0173 mai\u0161\u0105 - kad netekt\u0173 badauti, jei staiga v\u0117l reik\u0117t\u0173 palikti namus.
Even many years later, Grandpa still kept a bag of dried loaves of bread - so he wouldn\u2019t go hungry if he had to leave home suddenly again.
Tie, kurie nepakluso soviet\u0173 uzurpacijai, nuolat gyveno baim\u0117je.
Those who disobeyed the Soviet usurpation lived in constant fear.
Tarp toki\u0173 buvo ir Linos t\u0117tis. Atsisak\u0119s tapti Komunist\u0173 partijos nariu, nuolat buvo persekiojamas.
Among them was Lina's dad. Refusing to become a member of the Communist Party meant constant persecution.
Kart\u0105 buvo bandoma padegti j\u0173 but\u0105, bet laimei, t\u0117tis laiku sp\u0117jo gr\u012f\u017eti namo.
Once there was an attempt to set fire to their apartment, but fortunately Dad managed to return home in time.
\u0160iandien Linai ir jos broliui vis dar m\u012fsl\u0117, k\u0105 jaut\u0117 j\u0173 t\u0117vai, gyvendami tokiomis s\u0105lygomis, ta\u010diau pabandykite j\u016bs \u012fsivaizduoti savo gyvenim\u0105, kai kas dien\u0105 turi ka\u017eko bijoti, kai \u017einai, kad aplink tave pilna paslap\u010di\u0173.
Today, Lina and her brother are still puzzled by how their parents felt living in such conditions, but try to imagine your life when you have something to fear every day when you know there are mysteries (secrets) around you.
Kai niekuomet nesi tikras, ar su tavimi ir tavo \u0161eima vienaip ar kitaip nesusidoros vien d\u0117l to, kad tu esi m\u0105stantis \u017emogus.
When you are never sure if you and your family will have to deal with one way or another just because you are a thinking person.
Sovietin\u0117 sistema dar\u0117 visk\u0105, kad \u017emogus pats nem\u0105styt\u0173.
The Soviet system did everything to keep man from thinking.
Pagrindinis jos tikslas buvo priversti \u017emog\u0173 paklusti nustatytai sistemai.
Its main purpose was to force a person to obey the established system.
U\u017e \u017emog\u0173 buvo viskas nuspr\u0119sta.
Everything was decided for a person.
Niekam nereik\u0117jo kovoti u\u017e savo viet\u0105 pasaulyje.
No one needed to fight for their place in the world.
Baigei mokslus - tau automati\u0161kai bus paskirta vieta kurioje nors \u012fstaigoje.
You have completed your studies - you will automatically be assigned a place in an institution.
Apsivedei, stoji \u012f eil\u0119 butui gauti.
After you get married, you got in line to get an apartment.
Atrodo gra\u017eiai... Ta\u010diau kai visa tai griuvo, pasimat\u0117 tikroji \u0161i\u0173 dalyk\u0173 \u017eala.
Looks nice ... but the real damage could be seen only when it all collapsed.
Daug vyresn\u0117s kartos \u017emoni\u0173 dar ir \u0161iandien ne\u017eino, kaip i\u0161gyventi, neturi motyvacijos, yra priprat\u0119, kad jiems viskas b\u016bt\u0173 paduota, u\u017e juos nuspr\u0119sta.
Many older-generation people still do not know how to survive, have no motivation, are accustomed to being given everything; decisions made for them.
\u017dmon\u0117s pikti, nes nesugeba konkuruoti su jaunesniais.
People get angry because they fail to compete with the younger ones.
Gal tod\u0117l ir savi\u017eudybi\u0173 skai\u010dius Lietuvoje vis dar did\u017eiausias pasaulyje.
Maybe that's why the number of suicides in Lithuania is still the highest in the world.