Ivana (Ivica) Hočevar was born on May 18, 1945 in the village of Šentjošt to Anton Hočevar and Terezija Mavsar.

IVICA POTISEK: "ABOUT ME AND MY FAMILY"

Content provided by Ivica Potisek on March 28, 2012.

I was born on May 18th, 1945, as the eight child of Terezija Mavsar and Anton Hočevar. My sisters Mici and Jožica often told me that, despite the already large family and a humble life, provided by our small house and a piece of land in Šentjošt (in the county of Novo mesto), everybody was overjoyed when I was born. As the war came to its end in May of 1945, people were filled with new energy and a hope for a better future. The same hope and energy affected our family and I was born as a ''child of freedom''. We didn't have much, but we were bound together by the love of our parents, the love we felt for each other, by work, modesty and honesty. Our parents taught us values that to this day are a part of me, of my brothers and my sisters.

My sister Jožica told me that my father had loved me immensely. He wished for me to become a dressmaker and wanted to buy me a sewing machine. At the time I was just a little girl with curly blond hair and I was too young to understand why; but, now I know that in those days such profession brought food to the table.

I was a happy child who loved to sing and run around the house barefoot. Our humble home was a castle to me. And why was I barefoot? Because I only had one pair of shoes that had to be kept for special occasions. Isn't life strange? Back then poor children had to be barefoot more often than not, but now walking barefoot in the grass is a comfort, which many are willing to pay for.

On April 3rd, 1950, everything changed. We were struck by the horrible news that our beloved mother had been in a car accident, which had killed her and her unborn child. She was only 43 years old. I was 5 and did not realize what it meant to lose a mother.

After my mother's funeral I was sent to Ljubljana, to my mother's sister Karolina. My father and she had agreed that I would only stay until the situation at our home improved. My sister Mica (Marija) was not even 21 years old and she had to take care of my father, seven children and our home. When I went to Ljubljana, my father cried inconsolably, hoping I would return to him soon and help him lessen the pain he felt losing his wife. But our tragedy did not end there. On March 1st, 1951, a year after my mother died, sadness and illness took my father as well. I was not yet six years old and already my brothers, my sisters and I had lost both parents. My father's wish for me to return home never came true. Still, I frequently visited Šentjošt, where I spent my school vacations with Mici and her children. It was modest, but wonderful. Mici loved to hear me sing. So we sang, we worked, cooked, carried water from the well and sometimes we would even go to the village Stopiče to buy candies. Whenever I went to the store to sell the penny buns we had collected, they had a lot of candies and white bread. My sister Jožica lived in Prečna near Novo mesto with her husband and children and she often invited me to spend summer vacations with her. She would always make me feel welcome despite the fact that all the Hočevar children were living apart. She pampered me with her cooking and baked desserts, which were her specialty. On Sundays, I usually visited my sister Štefka, who lived in Ljubljana. I rode my bicycle all the way from Šiška to Črnuče.

My fondest memories remain of my brothers Jože and Janez (although I still call him Ivan). Whenever I came to Šentjošt, my brother waited for me halfway between Novo mesto and Šentjošt because he knew I was afraid to walk alone past the forest and the gypsy camp. Ivan came to visit me often at my aunt's house. No matter how little money he had, he would always give me some and tell me to buy candies with it.

My life after moving to Ljubljana looked something like this:

Janez Lampič (the husband of my mother's sister Karolina) took me in foster care. Not having anybody who I could call ''mother'' and ''father'' had a tremendous impact on me. I wanted parents. I called Janez and Karolina uncle and aunt until I finally asked them if I could call them mother and father and they agreed. Being a foster child marked my entire childhood. It is impossible to describe what it means to live without your parents. Without being able to hold them, to hear them say they love you. Their death had left a gap inside of me, which has not yet gone.

My aunt and uncle passed away, but I am still eternally grateful for everything they did for me. I am also grateful to my cousins Slavka and Iva (who had unfortunately passed away too soon) for making me feel like a part of the family.

My aunt and uncle raised me, fed me and made it possible for me to finish primary school and the Administrative school in Ljubljana. As is normal for a young girl, I had other dreams, which were also far from my father's wish to become a dressmaker. I wanted to be a teacher, I wanted to play the piano, dance ballet and so much more. Of course, it was financially impossible. In those days a girl, who did not come from a rich family, was supposed to get a job as soon as possible and start earning money. That was even more so for me, since both my parents had died.

After finishing school I got a job as the secretary to the vice president and secretary of the Ljubljana Centre County. The County also gave me the opportunity to continue with my education for the head of the department. It was there where I met my husband-to-be Marjan, who often visited his father, the secretary of Ljubljana Centre County. In that time I got a new job as a technical secretary at the Fire Fighting Association of Slovenia in Ljubljana. I was experienced and 5 years before my retirement, I was working as the secretary of the Fire Fighting Association of Slovenia.

Marjan proposed to me very quickly and after 15 years of living with my aunt I wanted to be independent and create my own home. We were married on February 20th, 1965, in Ljubljana. Marjan finished the Administrative school in Ljubljana and was employed at the Employment Service of Slovenia in Ljubljana. Until his retirement he had also worked as a private consultant at the Statistical Office of the Republic of Slovenia.

I loved my job at the Fire Fighting Association of Slovenia and was very dedicated to my work there. I was there for 34 years and had in that time met a lot of people from all parts of Slovenia. I was always happy to help them, listen to them and I appreciated them a lot. And they appreciated me as well - I received a lot of decorations, but the awards I am proudest of are: the Medal for special services in Yugoslavia, the Golden Badge of Civilian protection from The Ministry of Defense of the Republic of Slovenia and the highest decoration in fire-fighting, "Matevž Hace award".

Marjan also received a lot of decorations for his work in the community and in civilian protection, as well as recognitions from various Mountaineers' associations. Mountaineering was never just a hobby for him. His love for mountains and nature is deep and he has walked numerous peaks of Slovenia and of other countries.

We have two sons. Marko was born on November 18th, 1965, and Borut on July 2nd, 1974, both in Ljubljana. Marko is an architect and has his own company and Borut is an engineer of multimedia. We have two beautiful granddaughters, both Marko's daughters. Asja graduated in Sociology and is now working on her masters, while Nika is a student of Spanish language and literature and of Cultural sociology.

Marjan and I are enjoying our retirement in our house in a village, called Dole pri Polici. Still, while our peaceful life has its positive sides, there are also some negative ones: as we get older we realize that with our health problems, it might be better to live somewhere closer to the city and the necessary infrastructure.

During the day, I like to work on my rose garden and my vegetable garden, while Marjan takes care of other things. We both love to read – Marjan is a fan of history novels and science-fiction, but my passions are travel journals that tell me something new from real life. I was never a dreamer and I never longed for things I could not have. Both Marjan and I listen to classical music, our favourites are Luciano Pavarotti, Renata Tebaldi, Anna Moffo, Placido Domingo, Ana Netrebko, Jose Cura, Andrea Bocelli, and Angela Gheorghiu. Of course, we also find time for popular music.

I like to cook, especially when we invite our children and granddaughters to lunch. I want my family to be close and after I am gone, I hope to be the mother and the grandmother that my family will want to remember.

Ivica Potisek

Click here to see images of Ivica Hočevar and Marjan Potisek.