prairie women

Morag
I live in a house on the lush wild prairie with golden grain as far as the eye can see. I didn’t know how to milk a cow or ride a horse, when I married my husband. Growing up in England, there wasn’t much call. But the Scottish blood still flows in my name and now I can plow a field and give birth to a son, all in one day. My husband was a fine looking soldier. All of the women at the dance were looking at him. I lost my heart, then I lost my head, then I lost my country. But Canada is beautiful, and is not scarred by wars. And Winnipeg is a buggy ride away.

Hannah
I can see how they look at me. They think ‘filthy jew’. They whisper ‘filthy jew in her fur coat’. They don’t know it’s the only nice coat I have left. We came to Canada to escape this. There is this man they call Hitler that my husband said would bring us nothing but sorrow. He said he knew that this man hated the Jews and that if he ever got into power, that would be the last straw, and we would leave Germany. Three days after the election, my husband came home with tickets for some boat leaving in two weeks. Just like that. He made me leave my family. My mother and father were heartbroken. The children were pulled out of school. They were inconsolable and seasick on the boat. And then, to land here, in this little town of Brandon. So few Jews. So little help. They don’t care that we are being murdered back home. They don’t care that I haven’t heard from my mother and father in almost six months. They don’t care that their children throw rocks at mine. They only care that my husband’s bakery serves the best doughnuts in town.


Katya
We all came together. Mama, papa, Branya and I came on a beautiful big boat. My big brother Branya made sure to show me all of the interesting nooks and crannies on the ship. Little did he know that I would be curled up in my hiding spot the afternoon he tried to kiss Lucia. My giggling soon alerted him to where I was. He was so mad he actually turned red. I felt so bad. I love him so much, I would never want to hurt him. When I grow up, I will marry a man just like him. In the Ukraine, he went to school, but here in Canada, he works in Dauphin with father and I go to school. The school is two rooms. The older students are to the right, and I am to the left. The toilet is outside. I was so scared the first day. Everyone knew English, and I didn’t. I like my teacher though. She is so pretty with long blond hair and she is so nice to me. She gives me books to read at home so I learn English faster. I read all the time now. She doesn’t laugh at my accent or my clothes. Not like the other kids. They tease me and laugh at me and I don’t understand what they are saying most of the time. I once said one of the things they yelled at me when we were all sitting at the dinner table. I wanted someone to explain what it meant, but Papa just got up and dragged me to the washbasin and made me eat soap. One day I’ll get even. One day I will know what they are saying and I will yell things back. Or maybe one day, I will be a teacher, and make their children stand in the corner.