Elaine White | ✔️

1

September 15th, 1966

The Shubenacadie Residential School. Since coming here I have gotten used to the fact that this place will be my new home. I'm honestly not really that sure why I'm here but I've been told multiple times and from the parts, I've managed to understand from the new languages that they force us to speak is that they are here to help me. They say I came from a bad place- a place with a "dying" culture. I don't believe that. I can't believe that.

At night, all I can see around me are other girls just like me, young and ripped away from their homes, their families. Many of them don't remember their first language. Some don't even remember what their homes used to look like. It's hard to see so much pain every day, so much hurt...

I can still remember the day I left, the day they took me from my family, and stripped me of everything related to it - my hair, my clothes, my language. Everything.

The day I found out, my parents told me to wake up early. I remember making my way to the main room, where my family was waiting for me. I've never seen my mother cry until then, even my brother- Daniel, who I had known to be strong, was fighting tears. He was in my mother's arms and I wished for nothing but to do the same- but I was not given the chance. These strange men and women entered the room and rushed me and my brother out of our home. We were quickly ushered into a car - that was the last time I saw my parents.

When I arrive at the school, there were women dressed in black robes waiting for us. Just based on the looks on their faces, I could already tell that this would not be the place they claimed it would be.

Almost as soon as we got out of the car, the women in the black robes - they call them nuns - came and pulled us apart. I haven't seen my brother since then. We aren't the same age, so we don't share any classes. Hopefully, I'll get to see him soon.

Elaine White