The teacher hated Germans. She slapped me so hard I hit the blackboard
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Renata Möckelová was born in Staré Sedlo near Sokolov on 27 April 1944. Her father died on the Eastern Front before she was born. During and after the war, the family experienced hardships and food shortage. They were separated and displaced to different locations in East and West Germany and inland Bohemia in 1948. Those who stayed in Bohemia had to work hard for meagre shelter and food. Since Renata Möckel was of German descent and did not understand Czech, she experienced violence and many hardships. Both the children and the teacher would beat her at school. They did not begin to treat her better until she learned some Czech. She graduated from medical school and worked as a nurse all her life. She married a Sudeten German, Herbert Möckel, who had similarly tough childhood background. After the August 1968 occupation, they considered leaving the country. They eventually stayed in Bohemia out of respect for their elderly parents who did not want to move anywhere. Her husband joined the Communist Party in the 1980s, hoping to ensure that their children have less difficult a start in life than they had. Relatives from West Germany supported them and would occasionally visit them in Czechoslovakia. It was only after the Velvet Revolution that the witness was able to really get in touch with them and take care of them now that they were old and ill. At the time of the interview in 2023, Renata Möckelová was living in Ostrov nad Ohří. Her memories were recorded and processed thanks to the financial support of the Karlovy Vary Region.
