"Hallo Friends, this is L. Martynec, called Gloria,
born 7 March in Austria. Married (and div.) an Austrian and immigrated to
Canada when I was 20. Later went to Cal., studied at UCLA and got a BA in
Spanish. For a large Austrian vehicle company I went to South America
(Argentina, Bolivia) as simultaneous translator. Again in Winnipeg, Canada, I
owned this beautiful bungalow in a delightful setting - then came the flood of
1993- not once, but three times. I was shocked. I returned to live in Austria.
Well, I guess it also has something to do with the fact that as we grow older we
go back to our roots. However, life in Austria is far more complicated than in
America.
My mother was a teacher - a very warm and loving person. My dad was
manager of the hydro plant in Salzburg. During WWII he was captured in
Stalingrad and got badly tortured. He would not do anything against his
principles, against his religion, he was a very strict christian. He escaped his
torturers thanks to his ability to speak Russian. I always told my kids - learn,
learn, you never know what it's good for.
In Canada I used to be with St. John's Ambulance and translated for the International Center. I love music, my aunt was
a music teacher and when I was young I played the piano. I used to have a dog, a
lab - but I could write a book about it. I was hoping to take care of dogs for
other people as with my arthritis I should not take on a new dog myself - would
be unfair to the dog. - I used to do oilpainting. Maybe in retirement I might
do drawing and some more photography. My favorite movies are mysteries and warm
loving dramas.
I enjoy meeting new people, have company, enjoy cooking, baking,
love dogs, cats, swimming, bike riding, hiking, camping, teaching, gardening
(when I had the house), old maps, dancing, knitting, crochet, crossword."
posted 1/28/00