Monday, June 30, 2008

Ago Algma was born in Tallinn, on 25th December 1942. He has lived in Tallinn his whole life. As child he lived with his parents Juhan and Ellinoora Algma on Wismari street. He went to school on Tallinn 22. School(Jakob Westholm School). My grandfather was the middle child. He has an older brother Eevart and a younger brother Eeralt. Why both his brothers have very similar names yet my grandfather's name is Ago remains a mystery. He had two uncles and two aunts on his mother's side of the family and two uncles and one aunt on his father's side. Ago finished 9 grades and went to work as a mechanic. In 1957 (when he was 15 according to my calculations) he was summoned to the army, the airdrop division in Russia to be exact. There he started parachuting (so my fear of heights couldn't have come from him) and remained interested in parachuting for a long time. In 1963 he met Õie-Johanna Hanga (my grandmother). They got married the same year and moved to Puhangu street in Pelguranna, Tallinn, where they are living to this day. On 28th February 1965 their first child Piret was born. On 18th August Argo, my father, was born. From 1979 to 1981 Ago was in the Afghanistan war. He himself says he can't even remember which war it was. He doesn't like to talk about war. In 1985 my father and grandfather were involved in a serious car accident. They were driving a cab on a warm day and the window was open. Then a wasp flew in and the driver panicked and hit a post. My grandfather concealed my father with his body, saving him from death. My grandfather went into a coma for many months. My grandmother stayed on his side nevertheless. When he woke, he couldn't speak, write, walk – nothing. He had to relearn everything. Now his spelling isn't great and he doesn't remember everything either. But besides that hes a very active and cool grandfather. After the accident he went on disability allowance and retired at the age of 63.
I talked to my grandfather one day, when he had had a few drinks. He's a skydiver and told me how wonderful it feels to descend with a parachute. On his 12th jump he almost got killed. There was a mistake when he lept out of the plane, so I think he hit the wing of the plane? So he fell uncunciously. Anyhow eventually he pulled out his chute and landed on a railway, twisting his ankle. He had to walk 1,5 km with a twisted ankle. Luckily he had his rifle with him so he made a stilt out of it:)
He also said that when he was in a coma, he saw God and Death. They were talking about how it was too early for my grandfather to leave our world. Death didn't want him yet. So he woke up. And the doctors told him he would have to spend the rest of his life in a wheelchair. But guess what, he's walking! He can run too, if the need arises:)