EDR helping at home

Helper at Home

The years went by and I offered to do everything in our household so that we did not need to hire a Russian maid. Thus my work was cut out for me and my time fully occupied. My sister Liese got married, my brothers Heinrich and David were going to college, the younger ones were in school.

My day began at 5 am. I had to milk two cows, take care of the milk, feed and water the livestock, which included getting the water out of a deep well. Then I cleaned out the barn, brushed the cows and led them out to join the village herd as it passed by. After that I had to fetch fuel, cook breakfast and wake everybody up. The children were off to school! I swept the rooms, cooked dinner, and washed dishes. It was two o’clock already! I sat down and sewed until three.

Guests were coming! Quickly I went into the kitchen and made coffee, set the table and welcomed the guests, answering them pleasantly and cheerfully.

Then everyone was home from school! The children had holes in their stockings and pants were torn. That was mending for the evening. For supper I heated the oven and put in potatoes on a cookie sheet. Baked potatoes with sour milk and butter are a tasty meal! Hans didn’t bother to peel the baked potatoes. He simply ate them as they were. With the most innocent expression on his face, Herman stuck his spoon deep into the sour milk and got a lot of cream that way. Mother, however, saw to it that everything was done properly.

Everyone sat on the front steps while I cleared the table and then the school children did their homework. I went to milk the cows again. Then I was finished.

From the arbor in front of our door I could hear the voices of my girl friends waiting for me. They were doing similar work at home. Our day’s work was over and we could relax and enjoy the evening.

Thus I spent my time until I was 23 when I took a course in midwifery in Basel, Switzerland and became independent. Then my younger sisters did the work, especially my dear sister Maria.

A trip

When I was 17-years-old, I wanted to go on a trip. Every fall on September 5th there was a large Schroeder family reunion, at which my father was always asked to speak. My mother sewed a brown dress for me and I was allowed to go along. I was thrilled. We traveled on the train to a large city and then on to a beautiful estate where my uncle Johannes Schroeder lived.

I was a simple village girl and inexperienced in life’s problems. I did not look unattractive. I had a good figure and my father said something in Batak to my mother, which I understood well, “We have a pretty daughter!” I did not see this when I looked in the mirror, but I was glad that my parents were pleased with me.

The trip went well, except for some humiliation caused by my rich cousins. They traveled Second Class, while we went Third Class and so had to sit with the Russian peasants. “They are all our brothers,” said Father.  In the morning we arrived at the huge train station in Yekaterinoslav (now Dnepropetrovsk) and stayed with friends. Because it was Saturday and Father was to preach in the Mennonite  church on Sunday. On Monday, we planned to continue our train journey to the estate called Semonovka.

Besides old Mother T., there was a young gentleman, who received us in a most courteous manner and seemed delighted to make the stay for a simple girl from the country as pleasant as possible. And he certainly did. Never before had such a handsome young man paid attention to me. He took an interest in everything and even went with me to the nearby city park in the evening and strolled with me until the music and fireworks were over. When we returned to the house, a little table was set for two and he treated me so courteously. With laughter and shining eyes we conversed together until Father joined us. Never before had I enjoyed such a wonderful evening. However, on Sunday there were more guests and I accompanied my aunt to church.

Mother’s brothers and sisters were gathered on the estate Semonovka. I was there to represent my mother. I felt grown-up and made every effort to act accordingly. When Father’s address in honor of the occasion was over, they sang lovely songs. When they sang the song, “All of us gathered here, join hands,” all clasped hands and formed a long chain that wound back and forth down to the lake. Everyone was so well-dressed. All appeared to be rich and indeed they were. Everything that I saw in the house and especially the large park was beautiful. There was even a little maze into which I did not want to venture. I sat down on a bench and thought about my delightful experience. How wonderful it would have been, if he had been there! Did I not stumble into a maze and did I not get a glimpse of a magic world? Tears came to my eyes in my loneliness. Now I had a secret that no one should know about.

When I returned home, I was in love and yet without hope, but, yes, after that, twice a greeting was passed along to me. Then one day the announcement of his engagement arrived in the mail. He had chosen my rich cousin. A door was slammed in my face so violently and it hit my heart directly. So this was life, protect yourself, my heart! I did not go to the wedding. However, I pinned a beautiful rose on my bosom. May God bless them anyway.

This experience was similar to the one in my childhood, when I happened to see the slaughter of a sheep and saw the blood squirting out. I became ill, and as a result could not eat meat for several years. In the same way, this blow numbed my heart, and I overlooked every advance on the part of young men, no matter how friendly. I unconsciously conveyed the message: “Do not touch me.”

I would have liked to have a profession, but at that time girls had no opportunity to learn one as they have today. There were no nurses’ training institutions. However, I came to a decision. A married cousin of my father, who was a qualified midwife, earned a good living and felt content in this profession. One could take a course given by a doctor and I wanted to do this as soon as I was old enough. Not even my girl friend knew about this for I kept it a secret. A sad incident in our village confirmed my decision. A young mother bled to death after the birth of twins because there was no one to help at the right time.

My older sister was not at home anymore, so I was the oldest. When my younger sisters had finished school, life became much easier for Mother and me because they helped us.

On Thursday afternoon, I went with Mother to the women’s missionary circle. I was the only young girl among the women. My father led the group and read aloud. All enjoyed having him there. In the evening, there was choir practice and my sisters and I learned many songs. The choir was led by a very able conductor, a teacher named Neufeld. There one also met the youth of Gnadenfeld and the lively singing of our group remains a beautiful memory. At that time, there was still peace in Russia.

I did not belong to the circle of happy care-free girls anymore. Because I was past 20, I was considered an old maid and I felt lonely.