Born in socialist Hungary

Bananas showed up three or four times a year.

Arpi1 min read · nostalgic

I was born in socialist Hungary. Don't be alarmed. In my lifetime it was more of a joke than a hardcore dictatorship: minor inconveniences, a perfectly fine childhood, and everybody more or less equal. But I sure missed bananas, which showed up maybe three or four times a year. Honestly, some things were better back then. I'm not asking for the '80s back, though. Just my youth.

My father was a sportsman who competed abroad and brought home the Western goodies our stores lacked, so I was a little privileged: pineapples, Kinder eggs and treasures like a Mars bar. I grew up on the Buda side of Budapest.

Show 4 photos

A small child in a red snowsuit, knit cap and big yellow mittens standing in deep snow — Bundled up for winter.

A blond little boy in a striped vest sitting on a wooden stool holding a toy car in front of a shelf of toys — Me and my toy car.

A row of small kindergarten children in white shirts and dark shorts and skirts standing in front of a wall hanging — Kindergarten days.

Two small boys with a large black dog on a sunny grassy hillside, the younger one reaching for the dog's ear — Me as a kid, with a very patient dog.

Born in socialist Hungary

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