Showing 42 results

RECORDED: Victoria (B.C.), 1985-08-26 SUMMARY: Came from the south of France in 1982; was a student, her husband is Canadian; talks about marriage and leaving France; how her lifestyle changed upon moving to Canada; social strata more strict in France, more open here; making friends, finding a job; speaking English; support from the Multicultural Association and the Francophone Society; social events, comparison here and France; father's attitudes about education and work for a woman; job at Gibson's, English improved; return to school here; attempts to find work teaching; wants to feel independent; how philosophy has changed, grown; learning English; work on cable TV program; able to approach MLAs; what she misses, going back; differences in childrearing, education; respect; male/female roles here and in France; view of women in France and Canada; how she has changed here; women's movement in France; feeling both Canadian and French; teaching/sharing her language and culture; being part of French groups here; making good friends here is difficult; friend's experiences have been different; suggestions for integrating into Canadian culture; taking courses; classes at different places; clubs and associations; English-speaking people need to be more aware; possibility of exchanging [ideas?] between immigrant and Canadian women; difficulty in going to university here.

RECORDED: Victoria (B.C.), 1985-08-30 SUMMARY: Came from Hong Kong in 1984; was working in a bank and a school as a secretary; meeting husband; marriage; immigration to Canada; feelings about coming to Canada; speaking English, learning English; c;lasses concentrate on grammar, not conversation; changes in life upon coming here; difficulty in finding work because she can't speak English; what she does with her time; shopping; friends; the Inter;cultural Association; feelings about living in Canada; financial situation; life in Canada and Hong Kong; language problems; becoming more Canadian; Chinese and Canadian customs; life in Hong Kong.;

RECORDED: Vancouver (B.C.), 1985-08-21 SUMMARY: Came from the Western Ukraine in the Soviet Union in 1979 with her husband; difficulties in coming, language problems; graduated and taught French there; husband got language classes; she took ESL; getting permission to immigrate; finding work here; living conditions here and in Russia; people; easier for her daughter; apartments and medical care in Russia; getting clothes and furniture from the government; family left in Russia; spare time; working here; freedom here; Russian communities here; initial politeness from Canadian; two cultures; speaking Russian at home; adjustment from women immigrants; women having a double load, housework and job; keeping old values; childrearing here and Russia; school system there; going to university in Russia; childrearing there; small ethnic communities; some examples of her Russian clients' problems for professional women coming here; freedom of life here; counseling and work as Mosaic; advice to new immigrants; finding jobs here; support from immigration; getting experience; giving up her profession; women from different cultures have different problems; Mosaic very important help.

The series consists of a slide show created by the Ministry of Labour in 1985 to show the women's programs available.

RECORDED: Victoria (B.C.), 1985-08-30 SUMMARY: What the Intercultural Association is, what they do; programs they have; ways they reach groups of immigrants; agencies that refer immigrants; staff; funding and staffing problems; getting worse since; 1983; 50% is through own fundraising; numbers of people served in community; learning what Canadian life is like; survival English classes; social orientation; priority needs of immigrants; employmen;t needs and goal setting; suggestions for SWAG to interact with ICA and/or immigrant women.;

RECORDED: Victoria (B.C.), 1985-08-19 SUMMARY: Talks about her escape from Vietnam on a boat in 1980; talks about camp in Malaysia and being allowed to come to Canada; arrival in Montreal, then Victoria; help from different Canadian people; what life was like in Vietnam before they left; getting a job when she first came; learning English; children speak English; she has two jobs, her husband can't find work; learning to get around in Victoria;, shop, pay bills, etc. Intercultural Association, Catholic-Vietnamese church; festivals; raising children; taking the best from two cultures; some differences in raising child in Vietnam and Canada; learning English is the most important thing, then getting a job; working is very important and makes her happy; doesn't want money from the government.

RECORDED: Vancouver (B.C.), 1985-08-21 SUMMARY: Came from China [big city near Hong Kong] in December 1980; was an accountant in China; why she came - her children were here; difficulty in coming to Canada; what she knew about Canada; differences here; language barrier; how she felt on coming here; family problems; language problems; job problems; dependency; had a job, but her son wanted her to quit; sons supporting parent; older women working; different living conditions here and in China; economic conditions, jobs, etc. in China; how she spends her time here; English lessons, learning English; she is active, independent; feeling of inferiority about language difference; Chinese/Canadian culture; wants more programs to integrate better; harder for older people.

RECORDED: Vancouver (B.C.), 1985-08-21 SUMMARY: Came from Argentina in 1969; was working for an airline selling tickets; took French and Italian; husband's brother coming here from Italy, so they came too; lived with them; had three children and was pregnant when she came; return to Argentina in 1970, decided to return here as there was no work there either; speaking English; loneliness, missing home; making friends here; talks about neighbours; here and there; learning to speak English; working at White Spot; shopping without much English; husband picked up English faster, he was outside the home more; staying at home most of the time; Spanish-speaking community; Mosaic, joining and working; differences between here and Buenos Aires; started going out after about five years here; talks about children and childrearing; speaks Spanish at home; expectations on women; family life; learning language before coming; importance of orienting new immigrants; relating with English-speaking people.

RECORDED: Vancouver (B.C.), 1985-08-22 SUMMARY: Born in India; came here with family in 1962; returned for 10 months in 1974; father is a Sikh priest, asked to come to Canada; mother encouraged him to come; father worked in mill as well; wages in both jobs very low; sponsored family with help of temple committee; 1969 father had a bad accident and now gets handicapped pension; mother more modern than father, mother is more educated, made easier adjustment to life here; mother's English pretty good, had a B.A.; mother worked in janitorial; dishwasher; reception; waitressing jobs; feelings about being part of two cultures; mother was rejected by the Indian community for modern ways; expectations of Indian community; respect for parents by children; retaining Indian culture, sense of family responsibilities; difficulties growing up part of two cultures; father didn't like children speaking English; sister rebelled against arranged marriage; father's feelings about modern wife; marriage eventually destroyed; restricted life living in the temple; sisters and brothers; Westernization depends on length of stay; father went to England in 1972; difficult for women immigrants; comparison of upbringing of boys and girls; working at Oasis; alcohol; women able to help themselves here, alternatives, support; how people come to Canada; some had a better life at home; women don't work in India; adjustment hardest for old people; learning English; differences in age groups; problems coming here; restrictions on and mistreatment of women; alcohol and physical abuse; what men do with their time; recommendations; Oasis; changing attitudes; attitudes and expectations of men; Caucasians and Indians need to reach out to each other; political problems, fear, hostility, discrimination; problems of visible minority; tolerance here and in India; change and assimilation takes a long time.

RECORDED: Victoria (B.C.), 1985-08-27 SUMMARY: Came from mainland Greece near Delphi in 1960; small towns and villages in that area; she left when she was fifteen, she wanted more freedom; sister came to marry; changes in coming here; returned hom;e and decided to stay in Canada; difficulties; her will to make it work; advantages and youth; sense of freedom; children don't leave home in Greece; differences in childrearing; bringing two cultures; together; carrying old values and passing them on; sense of heritage plus freedom and openness; family life in Greece; differences in treatment of boys and girls, men and women; women in marriage; We;stern versus Greek customs; not speaking English; difficulties of immigrating; language problems; going to school and working, dishwashing and waitressing; put herself through trade school; has her ow;n business now; surprised at the government support here; not much time to socialize; cultural organizations and the Greek community; Greek customs and celebrations; advantages of cultural association;s; no more Greeks coming here; people leave Greece to better their lives; education in Greece when she left; feels cheated by her lack of education; difficulty for older people to adapt to a new count;ry; advice to newcomers; be open-minded and patient; language problem; different people are different in their priorities; programs which reach out are helpful, but people need to do it themselves; IC;A and SWAG working together.;

RECORDED: Vancouver (B.C.), 1985-08-21 SUMMARY: Came from Taiwan to Vancouver in 1983; came to Canada because her children are here; what surprises she found here; working; marriage; differences here and in Taiwan; living conditions Taiwan, better here; husband was a teacher, but is now retired; she is happy here; easy to immigrate here; what she does here; languages problems; diet changes; wants to learn about Canadian culture; Chinese and English speaking agencies working together, using body language, games and activities; citizenship; women and work in Taiwan; day care; childrearing in Canada and Taiwan; shopping; swimming; encouraging senior Chinese to get out and about; misconception of Chinese isolation; desire to integrate.

RECORDED: Vancouver (B.C.), 1985-08-22 SUMMARY: Came to Vancouver in November 1984 from Northern India; married in 1983, arranged by parents; just at home before that, went to college for two years, finished in 1975; supported by parents; husband was in Canada, went back to India to marry her; husband is a dishwasher in a restaurant, he came here in 1980; feelings about coming here; learning English; what she does here; unhappiness; family problems; treatment by her husband; demands for money; alcoholism and abuse; how her father- and mother-in-law treated her; left husband recently, supported by Oasis; confusion about staying or returning to India; difficulties now, not speaking English, getting around; future plans, going to England; comparison of life here and in India; came from a well-to-do family; projected problems bringing up a baby; discussion of help from Oasis; pregnancy customs in India; comparison of women's roles here and in India; can't take more classes because of the baby; reads English books; possibility of learning English in England; future plans to find work; not much contact with the outside world reasons for wanting to stay in Canada; feelings toward her husband; difficulty in getting money from him; why they got married; deception.

RECORDED: Victoria (B.C.), 1985-08-16 SUMMARY: Came to Canada from West Germany in 1958, her husband came in 1956; he got a job right away in the Kootenays; she stayed and worked in an office to earn money for the fare to move to Victoria; left daughter behind in a French boarding school for one year; spoke little English, neighbours, TV and radio helped; took her a year to become fluent; talks about upbringing and laziness; baked and learned how to make ethnic foods; now cooks "international"; neighbours helped her to cook and can; missed family, felt cut-off; difference in childrearing here and in Germany; language difficulties; people very friendly in the Kootenays and Victoria; English classes; meeting friends; Germans; help; immigrants are practical people; had no trade, could only clean houses at first; difficulties Canadians face hiring immigrants; accept new country's customs; didn't consider moving back; visit was a cultural shock; part of two cultures; speaks German at home; how it was for her daughter when she came in 1959; similarity of French, German and English languages; discrimination toward daughter at school; German club and school; passing on customs to daughter; learning how to drive a car; husband has control over money and shopping; learned things by herself when he went to Nelson; insisted on a car for independence; Europe them and now; changes in relationship between husband and wife; no money to have a baby; saved money; first husband supportive; ICA, German Club, Multicultural Association; activities she takes part in; courtesy to Canadians; learning to assimilate; differences between boys and girls; good citizenship; expectations on new Canadians; passing on traditions; advice to newcomers; BC government encourages immigrants to share.

RECORDED: Victoria (B.C.), 1985-09-25 SUMMARY: [No content summaries or documentation available for this interview.];

RECORDED: Vancouver (B.C.), 1985-08-17 SUMMARY: Came from Punjab, India in 1980; was a housewife; husband working in a private company; three children came here with her, sponsored by her son; better living here than in India; she takes care of the children and grandchildren; had her own house and land in India; husband works in a factory; partnership; similarity of life here and in India; what she does here, cooking, shopping etc.; missing India and the children there -- they can't come here; what she likes about Canada; difficulty of not speaking English; classes; social life; previous job in Canada; comparison of jobs in India and Canada; older women do not work in India; why she wants to live in Canada, her children; goes to temple here; being part of Canadian culture; feelings about Canadians; comparison of women working.

RECORDED: Victoria (B.C.), 1985-08-16 SUMMARY: Came from Tokyo, Japan in 1969; to Vancouver; husband wanted to live here; they knew no one here; moved to Victoria to get another job; biggest problem was not knowing English; was working in the Japanese community; not as active here as in Japan, partly because of the language; speaks of educational differences between Canadians and Japanese; value of two cultures to children; daughter speaks of being western; day care in Japan; more jobs needed here; Japanese Cultural Association, what they do; Tokyo is very crowded, although there are more jobs there; likes Victoria very much.

The collection consists of oral history interviews with Chinese women about their experiences working in British Columbia from the 1920s to the 1950s. The interviews, with nine first-, second- or third-generation Chinese-Canadian women, were recorded in Vancouver, Victoria and New Westminster during the first half of 1984. The project focused on "women's work" (whether paid or unpaid), including work in the home and in family businesses. The interviews discuss the kind of work these women did; what they experienced; how they perceived their roles in the family and the Chinese community; and the legislative policies which affected their work and their lives. The interviewees are to remain anonymous, and should be referred to only by the assigned pseudonyms. In addition, two of the interviews are closed to public access.

In 1983 and 1984, the History Division of the National Museum of Man sponsored "Behind the Kitchen Door", an oral history project documenting the day-to-day experiences of British Columbia women in their households during the years 1900-1930. The project was administered through the Modern History Division of the British Columbia Provincial Museum.

The collection consists of 64 Interviews on 71 audio reels with Victoria and Vancouver area women. The focus is the otherwise undocumented day-to-day activities of maintaining and running a home in B.C. The interviews were conducted by Kathryn Thomson, Lynn Bueckert, Kathy Chopik and Catherine Hagen.

CALL NUMBER: T4084:0001 RECORDED: Williams Lake (B.C.), 1981-09-22 SUMMARY: An oral history interview with Hannah "Mickey" Dorsey and Eve Chignall, pioneers in the Chilcotin region. TRACK 1: Mickey Dorsey (born 1910 [1911]) recalls her childhood in Vancouver and Bella Coola; early adulthood; marriage; teaching at Anahim Lake; childbirth. TRACK 2: Eve Chignall recalls giving birth in Tatla Lake, where she moved in 1935; ranch work; marriage. Mickey Dorsey talks about pack; trains; relationship with native women on the reserve; isolation; medical emergencies with children.; CALL NUMBER: T4084:0002 RECORDED: Williams Lake (B.C.), 1981-09-22 SUMMARY: TRACK 1: Mickey Dorsey: family life, living conditions; getting water, provisions, clothing; teaching at Rose Lake. TRACK 2: More on school teaching: started Indian school at Anahim Lake (first in ar;ea); moved to Williams Lake to put two youngest children through high school; taught in Williams Lake for 13 years (taught coninuously, 1930-1976); changes in teaching methods.; CALL NUMBER: T4084:0003 RECORDED: Williams Lake (B.C.), 1981-09-22 SUMMARY: TRACK 1: Mickey Dorsey describes the routine of a typical spring day with four children, five years old or younger; setting trap lines in early morning; carrying water on yokes; fording a stream. TRA;CK 2: Family history (current); cattle drive and cattle train to Vancouver; sounds of the Anahim area -- birds, coyotes, snow, spring break-up; changes in life style, attitudes, new equipment, etc.;

PERIOD COVERED: 1920-1979 RECORDED: Vancouver (B.C.), 1979 [summer] SUMMARY: Compares living conditions between Hong Kong and Canada, with special emphasis of welfare and education for children; wishes to thank the government for helping the aged; talks of her life in Lascow, China, where she lived for thirty years; she supported her family in Lascow by being a labourer, i.e. washing clothes; considers Canada a haven for old people and list many examples; remembers the war; in China and especially the bombings and the evacuation of people; she felt luck she and her children lived through that period; talks of government sponsor programs for senior citizens; when she fir;st came to Canada she lived with her son and his family and helped to look after the children; her son and the children moved to Calgary, so she lives alone; a friend introduced her to the social clubs and organizations in Chinatown which she belongs; if she was younger, she would learn how to sew and earn her living that way rather than doing hard labour as in the past; talks of her grandchildren; talks of the government and wishes to thank the government for providing the services.

CALL NUMBER: T3693:0001 PERIOD COVERED: 1899-1979 RECORDED: Vancouver (B.C.), 1979 [summer] SUMMARY: Her birthplace; recalls her education; cruel teacher; living in Vancouver with her mother; Orma's working, embroidery, babysitting, cleaning fish; moving out to Commercial Drive; married at the age of 20 talks of her daughter; impression of life in the East End; experiences and impressions of hoodlums and muggings; description of her apartment; impression of the area on First Church; drunkards; drinking; more on her daughter; Orma's friends.

CALL NUMBER: T3693:0002 PERIOD COVERED: 1899-1979 RECORDED: Vancouver (B.C.), 1979 [summer] SUMMARY: Born in 1890 in Ontario; moved to Winnipeg at the age of 8; her mother; living with aunt; living on farm; got hurt at school; teacher threw her down the stairs; from ages of eight to twelve spent in hospital; sewing experience; Vancouver with mother; effects of the Depression of the family; babysitting; left home at age 18; her daughter and marriage; miscellaneous concerning her health and doctors; comments on her life in general her activities.

RECORDED: Vancouver (B.C.), 1979 [summer] SUMMARY: Came to Canada in September 1950; Chinatown was dilapidated and run-down; some of the houses were tiny. Worked for a fish wholesaler for eight years and also as a farm labourer and shrimp peeler; husb;and was out of work in the shingle mill; didn't speak English but surprised people by being able to go out alone; people thought her very brave; bought a sewing machine on credit and learned to alter ;and sew clothes to earn money; when she first came to Canada she thought people in Chinatown were old-fashioned; they wanted women hidden away; if a woman were to look out a window in her home, she wa;s considered shameless and men would stare at them when they were out; there were not many native Indians in the Chinatown area twenty years ago; there are also more prostitutes in the area now; twent;y years ago she was very naïve and didn't know what these women did for a living; now a Canadian citizen and votes in every election; husband came to Canada at the age of fifteen; during the Sino-Japa;nese war, he was able to send money via San Francisco to support her; talks about the positive aspects of government social assistance to senior citizens; gives the wages she was earning in the fish c;annery; talks about the purchase of a rooming house by herself and her husband.;

RECORDED: Vancouver (B.C.), 1979 [summer] SUMMARY: Came to Canada from Hong Kong in 1967 sponsored by her daughter; discusses her initial loneliness, language problems and cold climate when she first arrived; discusses improvement in Vancouver's Chinatown restaurants for the past ten years; belongs to senior citizen clubs in Chinatown and is active in these organisations; differences in social attitudes towards females in Canada and Hong Kong; talks of experiences of the Sino-Japanese war in China; talks of the inequalities in China towards females, i.e. treatment of females at village wedding banquets in China; living conditions and the hardships as a refugee in Hong Kong during the Japanese invasion; discusses the Communist takeover in China and how it affected her family and the confiscation of land and property; description of Vancouver's east side and of the residents; not able to speak English makes it difficult to mix with Caucasians; speaks of freedom of meeting people and enjoying herself now that she lives on her own in Chinatown, and not in the suburbs with her daughter.

PERIOD COVERED: ;1930;-;1979 RECORDED: Vancouver (B.C.), 1979 [summer] SUMMARY: Immigrated to Canada in 1973; received "Min Com" social assistance shortly after her arrival in Canada; thankful for the different levels of government assistance in Canada for Old people; presently baby-sits grandchildren while her daughter works; worked as a farm labourer in China; compares China and Canada's social welfare system; during the Communist revolution in China, she was classified as ;a middle-class labourer, so survived the purge; speaks of her life experiences during the Sino-Japanese war; her philosophy of life; not active in community affairs; the Chinatown district is unsafe for her at night; discusses women's rights in China before 1949.

SUPPLIED TITLE OF TAPE(S): Janet Judd : women postal workers, 1950s-1960s RECORDED: Vancouver (B.C.), 1979-07-17 SUMMARY: TRACK 1: Janet Judd was hired as a part-time postal clerk and then became full-time in 1960. She was one of the first women to achieve this position. The conditions at that time in the post office were "horrifying"; no air conditioning; working for hours while standing; loss of hearing due to noise; mandatory examinations to determine wage increases. When she applied for work in the post office, she resisted placement in a clerical position and fought to become a clerk. Later, she fought to become the first woman dispatcher. Mrs. Judd was the sole support for eight children, and was pregnant when she began to work at the post office. Her case helped to establish both the principle of maternity leave for postal workers, and through this the recognition by the post office that women were a permanent part of the workforce there. TRACK 2: With other women clerks, she resisted male co-workers who harassed women clerks. She became active in the association as a steward. Some of the issues which came up consistently were: racist attitudes towards herself and other non-white workers; discrimination and patronage in hiring; the establishment of mirror surveillance systems in the bathrooms; establishing union recognition and the right to strike; shift changes and services for women with children. During the 1965 strike, management tried to bring scabs in through an old CPR tunnel; the union stopped this. Mrs. Judd had been a student at Strathcona School, and was deeply affected by the Japanese internment, as many of her closest friends were interned. She has been active in many Black organisations, including the Negro Citizens' League, and other civil rights groups.

SUPPLIED TITLE OF TAPE(S): Pearl Moreau : Fraser Cafe workers get organized RECORDED: New Westminster (B.C.), 1979-07-26 & -08-02 SUMMARY: TRACK 1: Mrs. Moreau, nee Wong, began to work in Vancouver in 1944 as a waitress-in-training. The conditions were deplorable; five dollars a week to ten dollars a month, a ten-hour day, and half an hour for lunch with no other breaks. She had a child, then returned to the Fraser Cafe in 1955, leaving her child with her mother while she worked. The Fraser was a union shop, and after seeing the union attain a raise of only two cents any hour, she determined to become active, seeing many important issues for women -- equal fringe benefits, sick benefits, and sexual harassment. Workers supported each other to resist sexual harassment by the boss, a recurring problem for waitresses. The union worked towards the principle of equal pay. She participated in negotiations, served on the VDLC, and ran for hostess. TRACK 2: She found herself at times at odds with her union and voted independently. She eventually ran against Ed Carlson for president as an opposition candidate, claiming a need for stronger democracy in the union.

SUPPLIED TITLE OF TAPE(S): Daisy Brown : on staff for the HREU, 1945-1949 RECORDED: Vancouver (B.C.), 1979-07-13 SUMMARY: TRACK 1: Daisy Brown was born in Saskatoon and came to BC in 1944. She found a part-time job with the Hotel and Restaurant Employees Union in 1945 as an office worker, and then as business agent. In 1946-47, a joint campaign led by both the hotel union and building service union organised Vancouver hotels. Many women worked in the industry because they needed an income as single parents or deserted wives. The union in the restaurant and hotel area was weak relative to industrial unions or skilled craft unions, where workers were not isolated from each other and could stand together. Problems in organising included the transient nature of the work, and the continuous shifts. TRACK 2: Issues which came up included overtime, shift changes, uniforms and seniority. The union set a precedent in establishing a forty-hour week. The Only Fish And Chips and Love's Cafe were particularly militant restaurants. The hotel drive organised all but the Alcazar and Grosvenor hotels. The campaign included leafleting the hotels. The HREU staff was organised into the OTEU but later were shifted to the HREU. Mrs. Brown was active for a time in the OTEU. In 1948, the HREU leadership was deposed and were barred from office and membership in the union because of their left leanings. Mrs. Brown has held both staff and elected positions with the union.

SUPPLIED TITLE OF TAPE(S): Anna Arthur : lower mainland BCGEA RECORDED: Coquitlam (B.C.), 1979-07-25 SUMMARY: Mrs. Arthur was born in Victoria BC; she graduated as a teacher during the Depression, but was unable to find work (early 1930s); she married and returned to the workforce in 1943. She began to work at the Boys' Industrial School as a special education teacher; the staff began to organise into the BC Government Employees Association, in order to have a say in teaching policy, wages and hours or work. They linked up with workers at nearby Essondale. Part of the demands made by women were for equal pay for equal work; this issue really involved Mrs. Arthur. The BCGEA workers faced many setbacks, including the hostility of employers and a refusal by the government to institute a check-off system. Anna Arthur was involved in organising the union, and was elected to the provincial executive in the later 1940s, representing the Essondale branch (1947-1949). Many of the issues concerned working conditions -- for example, the lack of decent housing for student nurses. Later, while working for the federal government, she became the local president of PSAC, organising for equal pensions for women and equal insurance benefits in the local.

SUPPLIED TITLE OF TAPE(S): Thelma Godkin : a woman's view of working in the woods RECORDED: Saltair (B.C.), 1979-08-08 SUMMARY: Mrs. Godkin was born Thelma Emblem in Nanaimo. At the age of 17, she began working as a waitress in Malahat. Her father got her a job in the sawmill in Chemainus, and she worked as a sorter and a band saw operator. She was an IWA steward in the mill. She left the mill and preferring to work outside, she became the first women to work in the woods, as a whistle punk. She first worked for "Gyppo" operations, but because of her proficiency was hired on by the largest operation in the Chemainus area. She describes the attitudes of male workers to her entry into the logging industry; a near escape from a forest fire; the tasks she performed at work. TRACK 2: Working early shifts; her childhood and attitudes towards traditional women's work; and the entry of more women into the logging industry.

PERIOD COVERED: ;1920;-;1979 RECORDED: Vancouver (B.C.), 1979 [summer] SUMMARY: Visited Canada and United States in 1972, and liked Canada's excellent living conditions and open spaces, so she applied for landed immigrant status. Canada is a haven for senior citizens; the government looks after their senior citizens so that they can be independent of their children; there are many organisations set up for senior citizens in Vancouver. She is learning English so that she can better express herself; "without English is like being a blind person"; educated in China in a Christian missionary school; was in Hong Kong during the Sino-Japanese war; supported her five children and; sick husband as a farm labourer during this period. After her husband's death, she found work in a factory at the end of the Sino-Japanese war. An old friend found her a job in the Hong Kong orphanage and gave her a start with a gift of $200. Since immigration to Canada, has been back to Hong Kong once.