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| Category: Autobiography |
(requires Adobe Reader)
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| About the Book | |
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With over 250,000 words, 29 Chapters, and hundreds of photographs, Wieslaw (then 88) describes his life. Chapters #1 through #12 cover his life in Poland. His ancestors, childhood, and teenager years during 2nd World War - witnessing Holocaust and German & Russian combats – are described in detail. After completing high school, he enrolls and completes Merchant Marine Academy, but because communists recognized his father - residing in France - as Enemy of State, Wieslaw is forbidden to continue his marine career. Then being 21 years old, he falls in love and marries Olenka (18), who two years later begot him one daughter. Residing in one-room apartment in Gdansk, because of overworking and food shortages, he catches tuberculosis. Declaring his father as dead, he starts evening study at Gdansk University and gets employment as Architectural & Structural Technician. After 4 years studying, he obtains Bachelor Degree in Civil Engineering (1956) and initiates Architecture at Master Degree level. New political situation (1958) formally permits Wieslaw to return to his marine occupation. He embarks on German ship, contemplating future escape from the communistic Poland. Chapters #13 though #15 cover his life as the Sailor on three German ships, hiding his identity of Civil Engineer and of Merchant Marine Academy’s student, he enjoys his sailor duties, learns the German language, and visits foreign harbors. Chapters #16 and #17 cover his life in Germany (1959 to 1964), where as Architect and later as Civil Engineer, accompanied by his wife and daughter, he resides in Hamburg, gaining professional experience and good income. Chapter #18 covers the voyage of Wieslaw and his family by passenger ship from Hamburg to Montreal in Canada in June 1964. Chapter #19 covers his life in Canada (1964 to 1972). Employed as Civil Engineer and gaining Canadian citizenship, he owns one house with swimming pool in Toronto and enjoys rich social life. Chapters #20 and #21 cover his life in Brazil (1973 to 1980). Employed on international Nuclear Power Plant projects as Chief Structural Engineer, and later as Executive Engineer, Wieslaw earns high VIP salary, making him able to purchase one real estate in Houston and to travel with his wife to Argentina and to Europe. Chapter #22 covers his life in Canada (1980 to 1984), where he is very close to become rich and famous thanks to his special abilities as Computer Programmer & Analyst. Chapter #23 covers his life in the USA (1984 to 1990). Residing with his family in Houston, he writes computer programs but is also involved in international sales in Poland. Chapter #24 covers his life in Milan, Italy (1991 to 1992). Employed as Project Scheduler, he and his wife visit many Italian cities, admiring Italian art and food. Chapter #25 covers his life in Saudi Arabia (1993), where accompanied by his wife and employed as Project Coordinator on a construction site, he observes Moslem customs. Chapter #26 covers his life in Poland (1994 to 1996). Residing in Sopot at Baltic Sea, but employed as Bureau Director on Gas Pipeline Project in Warsaw, he commutes by railway, spending 5 working days alone in Warsaw. When Polish Authorities offer him Polish Citizenship on condition of resigning from his Canadian one, he declines. Chapter #27 covers 9 months of his life, when employed as Consulting Engineer in West Africa, Wieslaw (67) earns as much as $144,000. Chapter #28 covers his life as the retired person, becoming the USA citizen (2001). Professionally active in computer programming until his old age, he publishes his first engineering book (1980) and also his autobiography (1988). In Chapter #29, entitled the Last Chapter, Wieslaw portrays such subjects as his own death, the after-life, the God, our Earth, and the Universe.
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| About the Author | |
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Wieslaw Jerzy Jurkiewicz, born in Poland (1930), escaped from communist Poland (1958), became Canadian citizen (1969) and USA citizen (2001). As Professional Civil Engineer and Architect (1956), he was involved in many projects worldwide, residing with his wife in Germany, Canada, Brazil, USA, Italy, Saudi Arabia, and retiring in USA. |