"Margus Reinsalu's Diary"

Photo: my mother before World War II My mother, Agnes Reinsalu (maiden name Kuutma), was born in March 1920 at Marjametsa farm in Sagadi , Virumaa . She was born as a member of a large and hardworking family, the daughter of Anton and Helena Kuutma, there were 8 brothers and sisters in total, including her brothers Julius, Kaarel, and Raul, whose fates during World War II led them to different armies. Mother attended Sagadi manor school . She was a smart girl and could have gone far, but her father Anton was an old-school man who believed "a girl's place is in farm work, not school." So her education was cut short, and mother began helping the family at a young age, with days full of work, caring for animals, and working in the fields. When World War II began, everything changed. Her older brother Kaarel, my godfather, was sent to the Red Army but deserted to the German side, was captured, and sent to Norilsk for forced labor, from where he returned in 1960. The oldest...

Section 1: Birth and Baptism and early Home Life in Kohtla-Järve Video: My Baptism in Esku Chapel Near  Sagadi Manor - Mother, Godfather, Godmother, Father and Me   On November 20, 1960, I was born in Kohtla-Järve, an industrial town with gray chimneys and dusty streets that contrasted sharply with my childhood summers in the countryside at my grandmother's. The following year, in the summer of 1961, my baptism took place in the Esku chapel belonging to Sagadi Manor. In addition to my parents, my godmother and godfather were present. My other godfather was still in Norilsk at the time, but his role in my life was still significant. The Esku chapel, built in 1861, was a small chapel in the forest near Sagadi Manor. Norilsk, where my godfather was, was a forced labor camp in Siberia where many Estonians were sent during the Soviet era . In 1961, we got a new three-room apartment with all amenities on Narva Road in Kohtla-Järve, which was a big step up from previous condition...