My "Bupka"

"Baba" or "Babka" is the Slavic word for "Grandmother".   Mine was "Bupka".

Like most Americans, I am a living example that nearly half the world's ancestry can reside in one person. That's all well and good, but when you have a host of squeaky Slavic wheels in the family, it's amazing how quickly six other countries of supposed ancestry can fade into the background of one.  "You come from Slovakia, child.  Mind you never forget."

I've always found this fascinating and surprisingly....comforting.  As a child, these brief little reminders of my great grandmother's allegiance to the Old Country had an effect of a warm blanket or an extended wing.  I always imagined this whole village of people dressed like Matroshka dolls welcoming me with open arms, wrapping me up in one giant blanket-wing and asking where I'd been this whole time.  Would you like some fresh milk from our farms?  Perhaps some dumplings and a kolache?  Here, why don't we just dance a little in these clogs we're all wearing.

Yes, Slovakia was an amalgamation of every impression of Eastern Europe I'd gathered over the history of my little life, but it was such a magical place of acceptance and love.  It wasn't till I was older that I realized those impressions were not of the Old Country at all, but from my kind, nurturing grandmother.

Examining my maternal lineage a little closer, I found something extraordinary.  It is comprised of a string of very strong, somewhat sassy, but always loving and supportive women who take the position of "mother" and "grandmother" very seriously.  My "Bupka", my mother's "Bapka", my mother's mother's "Babka" - for us, our "Bupkas" have been places of comfort, of strength, and to be honest, a whole lot of butter.   It is because of these women I am who I am today, and if you're asking, I'm happy with that person.  When I'm happy, I can create!  So, in all fairness, everything here should be attributed to my Bupka, shouldn't it?

I think so.

Her ship to America.

 

Three Gens of "Bupkas".  GGG, GG, G (to the right)