Anna Lelescu
everyone has a story
Passport to Freedom
F
our in the morning came early on the
farm in Banat, Romania as Mama
Ana quietly rose to make a breakfast
of fresh-baked bread, milk, homemade
sausages and still warm eggs collected from
the hens. Tapping on the door to waken
her granddaughter Ana — her namesake—
who was already up and ready for the day,
Ana would quickly make her way down
to the kitchen where her family would
gather to start the work day. This was how
Ana Lelescu began many of her childhood
days. While it seemed like an idyllic life, in
communist Romania, it was anything but
unspoiled for most.
Ana’s family was more fortunate,
however. They owned three acres of land,
including an apple orchard. It was here they
raised cows, pigs, chickens, turkeys and two
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Written & Photographed
By Laura Wrede
horses. “I felt privileged,” Ana said. “We
did not worry about food although we all
worked hard to get it. A lot of people living
in the cities were staying in long lines to get
their rationed food in those times. I had a
happy childhood with long walks with my
sister to our land up in the hills to work
alongside my grandparents. My favorite was
hay harvest during summer. I remember
collecting wild flowers and the smell of
fresh cut grass.”
Life during the mid century was an
unrelenting strain for many. Romania
was under the rule of President Nicolae
Ceausescu who was known for his iron-
fisted rule. Ceausescu was a defender of
Socialism and rejected the reforms adopted
by other Eastern European states. He
formed a secret police organization known
G M H T O D A Y M A G A Z I N E
MAY / JUNE 2015
as the Securitate which encouraged residents
to inform on each other. It created a strong
element of distrust. This instilled fear in
Ana and her family.
“I was told not to talk about our
land and good fortune with anyone as
‘the Communists’ may take it away, or
even worse, arrest my parents. I was very
secluded and had no outside friends. I
trusted no one. It was a must,” Ana said. “I
grew up trusting none outside my family,
like in a cocoon…Communism was hated
by everyone, but life seemed to go on. I was
very scared that we would lose our farm and
my parents would be arrested.”
School and education were very important
to Ana’s parents. They eventually moved from
the farm house to the “City” in Timisoara.
Both her parents were teachers. “We lived
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