The following poem has been written based on the journey of Alice V. She fled from Holland with her family to Canada during World War II when the Nazis in Germany invaded the Netherlands. During the interview, Alice shared her childhood experiences as a young girl who was born in Holland, to a Canadian citizen who built herself a new life in a foreign country.
The Spring of May, 1953
I remember those mixed emotions running through my body;
The feeling of leaving what was home was upsetting,
But the fact my family and I would be in a safer place together gave me a sense of relief.
I remember the last time I was walking down the streets of Holland,
Looking around the community I spent my childhood in,
The places I made numerous memorable memories.
I remember those peaceful days in Holland as a child,
Where walking out on the streets to buy a piece of candy from the nearby local store was no big deal,
But walking out on the streets during the war was not safe at all.
I remember the journey was long,
On the boat from Holland to Canada,
Those nights were tough, in the cold breeze in the middle of the North Sea.
I remember I would look down from the boat into the sea,
And search for fishes swimming around the sea alongside my brother.
My brother and I would compete – who found the most fishes.
I remember when our boat first landed in Halifax,
It was Mother’s day, the first time we celebrated Mother’s day in Canada,
My brother and I went around the fields looking for flowers that we picked and gifted to our mom.
I remember that it was May, the spring of 1953,
But we were still welcomed into to Canada with a snowfall,
The sun was out, but snow was falling.
I remember that wasn’t all from the very tiring journey from Holland to Canada;
Once we had reached Halifax, we had to get to our real home – Calgary;
It took 5 days in a trailer from Halifax to Calgary.
I remember it took time to settle in,
But I also know what had happened in my life, all to lead up to these moments.
To cherish these moments.
Thank you, Alice, for being an inspiration!
With Kind Regards,
Maha & Sultan
