Interview with Anne Myszok 1.2

Partial Transcript: Brother’s schooling.
Brother preparing to go to the war.

Segment Synopsis: Anna told a story about her brother's schooling and recommendation to go the Business College in Calgary. But as the WWII broke out her brother decided to become a soldier. Anna tryed reasoning him that "there is no point" to go to the war. But he came home in an uniform.

Keywords: Business College; WWII; canadian army

Subjects: education; oral histories

Partial Transcript: Mother moving in to live in the city
Father’s illness

Segment Synopsis: Anna's father passed away in 1940, and after the brother went to the war her mother moved to live with Anna in Drumheller (1942). Mather stayed there with Anna for 29 years.

Keywords: WWII

Subjects: oral histories

Partial Transcript: When did you start attending school?
Where did you go to school?
Who was the teacher? For how long?
Where did he/she live?
Filvarok’s manager.
Polish authorities and schooling in Ukraine

Segment Synopsis: Anna was born in 1908 in Ukraine. In 1914 when the First World War broke out 'all teachers went to the war.' She was 'left without education.' However, she tried to catch up using sporadic opportunities. Anna said that 'good people' reported about her teacher and therefor she was unable to teach for many years. Under the Polish rule they also could not get education. With some level of literacy, she arrived in Canada.

Keywords: Poles; WWI

Subjects: coaches (teachers); education; elementary education; oral histories

Partial Transcript: Anna's clothing
Seamstress
Were your clothes different from those in the old country?
What kind of clothing did you wear?
In summer?
In winter?
Were the clothes made at home or purchased?

Segment Synopsis: Anna recalls her arrival in Canada dressed up 'as it was common in Ukraine,' but very soon her father bought 'a pair of dresses and a coat.' 'When I came to Canada, I thought I am a grown-up girl. Because my mom dressed me up like grown-up.' She also says that she had her dresses sewed by a seamstress.

Keywords: fabrics; modern appearance

Subjects: clothing; ethnic clothing; tailors

Partial Transcript: Did you cook everything at home?
Did you have garden?
What food did you produce yourself?
What food did your family purchase at the store?
'Kvatermakhy na kvartyri'
What about milk and eggs?

Segment Synopsis: Potatoes, cucumbers, tomatoes, onion - "we had a big vegetable garden". But we did not have what to retain for winter.
Anna sais that they usually purchased meat. She repeats the story about her mother who did not learn how to cook 'Canadian food' and once she cried that she used to be a mistress in Ukraine and here in Canada she is 'completely fool'. Anna's family also had a cow and chicken. 'I had kvatermakhy na kvartyri' [tenants] and therefore we needed more food'.

Keywords: cooking; garden

Subjects: canning; food shortages; food supply; gardening

Segment Synopsis: Anna's mother was a hard-working person. 'She worked from sun to sun'. Mother wanted to buy a farm for her son but it turned out he disliked farm life. The farm was bought in 1926 when her brother was 4 years old. And the house in Drumheller was for Anna.

Subjects: embroidery

Partial Transcript: Did you go to school in Drumheller?
Failing to attend a school in Canada
Night school
How did you learned English?

Segment Synopsis: Anna says that she went to school but the teacher said there is no desk available. Later on, she went to night school for two years.
Anna tells about their friendship with a German girl who wanted to learn Ukrainian language. Afterwards, Anna learned English 'a little bit from people, a little bit from myself'. 'And when the brother went to high school I wanted him to help me to spell words'.

Keywords: Germans; night school

Subjects: English as a second language; education; language

Partial Transcript: Where did you work?

Where did you work in Calgary?

Segment Synopsis: Anna decided that she does not want to provide a board for tenants anymore, so she went to Calgary and worked for Hudson Bay for two years. By that time authorities 'decided if the husband works then his wife should not work'. Strike against working women (?) Anna told to somebody at work about her husband's employment. After that, she could not work anymore, she decided to go back to Drumheller.

Subjects: labor (work); oral histories; sex workers