88 89 The yellow note lists important documents, such as Radmila’s diploma certificate and the title deeds for a Sarajevo property. Among the few items she took were also practical ones such as a battery charger and a radio. Of greatest importance to her though were the personal items reminiscent of her life before she had to flee: video and music cassettes, children’s jewellery, photographs and films of the family as well as a tape recording of her youngest daughter’s voice. Not only do objects such as the ones Radmila retrieved serve as reminders of a life lived in peace, they also represent the great loss caused by displacement or expulsion. In fact, it is not just personal possessions that are gone but relatives, friends, social status and the sense of belonging to a community – not to mention an entire country that once was home. On their perilous way to safety, the displaced are often reduced to mere survival. Perilous Routes Which is the best path to safety? This is a momentous decision, for the chosen route may be fraught with risk and peril. On their journey the displaced often experience anxiety and are entirely at the mercy of others. While the causes of displacement and expulsion may vary, the problems people face far from home show similarities, irrespective of time or place. Many are at risk and experience violence. Frequently, female refugees are sexually assaulted. Children are particularly vulnerable as they suffer greatly when they are torn away from their familiar environment and daily routines. The harrowing experiences which seven-year-old Eitel Koschorreck made while fleeing the Red Army in the Second World War imprinted themselves deeply in his memory. His family came from Masuchowken (from 1936: Rodental, since 1945: Mazuchówka) in East Prussia. In January 1945, the Soviet advance cut off East Prussia from the German Reich. The only escape route left was via the Baltic ports. To reach them, Eitel’s mother found a place for him and his two older sisters on sleighs that were part of a trek of horse-drawn carts while she herself went on foot. To protect Eitel from the freezing cold, she wrapped her youngest child in an adult fur coat, much too large for him. Their route led via Heiligenbeil across the frozen Vistula Lagoon towards Danzig (today: Gdansk). They arrived safely in Mecklenburg on 13th March 1945 only for their mother to die shortly afterwards. The three siblings were placed in a children’s home in Neukloster. In 1946 their father returned from Soviet captivity and brought the children to Straussberg in Thuringia. Eitel never returned to the Baltic coast: he had no wish to relive his memories of misery and death. National borders are one of the many obstacles refugees have to overcome. There, others decide if and how their journey will continue. In February 2015, for example, refugees from Syria and Afghanistan discovered it was possible to enter the Schengen area by crossing the border from Russia into Norway, far north. Putting up with ice and snow was in any case preferable to risking their lives crossing the Mediterranean. However, Russia prohibited pedestrian border crossing, which is why the refugees bought bicycles in Russia and discarded them immediately after cycling across the border into Norway.
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