September 30th, 1966
Life isn’t always so bad here, I’ve learned to understand that. Things could be so much worse. At least, that’s what I keep telling myself. Don’t get me wrong, if I had it my way, I would be back home with my mother, father, and brother. I’d been running around the huge open field, brushing the horses first thing in the morning, and helping mom with the dishes after supper like she always asked. Sadly, it doesn’t work that way. I don’t get to have what I want this time and I need to learn to live with what I have, however scary, and unfamiliar it is.
I can hear some of the other girls crying at night. The newer ones do it a lot. They never join in the games at recess or smile when someone makes a joke while we clean the dishes. They look so sad all the time… I don’t want to be like them. I can’t let myself be like them. So, I’ve decided to make the best of it.
If I can’t change it, I just have to deal with it until I can.
Elaine White
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Elaine White | ✔️
Historical FictionResidential schools: Government-sponsored religious schools established to assimilate Indigenous children into the Euro-Canadian culture. Assimilate: cause (something) to resemble; liken. Elaine White was one of the thousands of Aboriginal children...
