Two Choices

I am eighty-six years old. At the age of three, we were invaded by the Germans in my hometown of Kollumerzwaag, Netherlands. As a little girl, I could see the soldiers everyday from my living room window. They occupied the school right across the street from our home. I was one of twelve children, and food was very scarce. The Germans would give us coupons for food, and that is what we had to live on. My Dad had a clothing store and he would trade clothes for meat and milk from the farmers. Many cities in Holland were bombed and people were eating rats and tulip bulbs, whatever they could find to eat. Many people were starving. After 5 long years, the war ended. We thanked God for freedom!

When I was twenty, I immigrated to Canada via boat - called the Rydam. I was on the boat for nine days and five days on the train to get to B.C. where I reunited with five of my older siblings who had already immigrated to Canada after the war. In order to learn the language, I cleaned homes and worked in the hospital as a nurse's aide. I couldn't speak a word of English when I came. I met my husband here, and we got married in 1958. I was extremely homesick and I would have crawled back if I could have. I had two choices: either go to Holland for our honeymoon or start building a home. I chose the home. We bought a farm in 1960, had six children, three boys and three girls. After thirteen years of being in Canada, I finally got to go home for a visit! Canada is now my home. We were married for forty-two years. My husband passed away twenty-two years ago. I'm thankful for the many years we had together and I now enjoy my children and grandchildren.