Memories like rare jewels are our true happiness; also like a wonderful family, who are our "miracles" of living! I was so fortunate in my life to have so many of those God-given miracles & opportunities. A truly amazing saga my life has been! I was born in Riga, Latvia - the "Amber Land." A long time ago, as a little girl, I discovered Newfoundland in Riga. The name "Newfoundland" was in large print on a wooden barrel with herring inside. There was always a wooden "three-prong fork" hanging securely from it. These barrels were always outside in plain view for customers to see, in front of fancy delicatessen stores. As a child shopping with my grandmother, I was surprised how she picked the fattest herring ever. Bringing it home, she would clean all the bones out, and then she would soak it or steep it overnight in buttermilk. Later, we would partake in a feast of new boiled potatoes with dill, the herring morsels in sour cream & beet, radish & cucumber salads. Much later, at 13 years of age, Aug. 20, 1944, escaping with my mother on a Red Cross wounded "German Troop" ship from Riga Harbour to Danzig in Germany. Surviving World War II (by many miracles) with my father and mother, we arrived in London, England in Jan. 1948, just after Queen Elizabeth & Prince Philip were married in 1947. My father was a paper producer in Latvia, and an expert in it. So in London, he went to see Sir Eric Bowater & asked for a job in one of his many paper mills. Sir Eric asked my father: Where in the world would he like to work? My father said: "The biggest and the best." Which happened to be in Corner Brook, Newfoundland. So our journey to Newfoundland began, by boatplane to Gander. Gander Airport as it is today is 50 years old. But in 1948, it was just a US Army depot from which 20,000 aircraft refueled on the way to Europe during World War II. As we had to wait for the famous Newfoundland train, the "Newfie Bullet," we stayed for three days in the US Army Base Barracks. It was warm, spacious & cozy, and the food was abundant, delicious & it smelled mouthwatering to the three of us war survivors, after living for five years on imagination, improvisation & war rations. They called us Displaced Persons, D.P. for short. The only complaint I had was my mother's drilling of 70 English words per day. I spoke three other languages: Latvian, German and French. The US Air Force Barracks had a bowling alley and a ballroom with a "Jukebox" - it cost 10¢ to play a tune, & someone was always feeding it. It played Bing Crosby, Vera Lynn, Perry Como & the Goodwin Orchestra. Eventually, the Bullet arrived, puffing, with two locomotives pushing & one pulling it. It was a stormy day over the "Topsails." We had been waiting in a cabin with a pot-bellied stove inside & a lot of people to go "West my son!" When we climbed aboard, I noticed the plum-coloured upholstery and elegance of bygone years. The draperies were also maroon, & with coloured tassels. And the dining car was absolutely glamorous, with sparkling crisp white linen & gleaming silver everywhere. The waiters were ever so friendly, smiling & kind in white smocks & gloves. I said to my parents, full of apprehension: "This is just like in the film Anna Karenina by Tolstoy, which we saw in London, & I am afraid we are going to Siberia!" My parents calmed me down, & we ordered a fabulous meal: fresh Newfoundland salmon, a melody of "good-looking" vegetables, & the"puffy like white clouds" Newfoundland bread & buns. Oh my! Some good! They floated in air! For dessert, my father ordered "bakeapples' with cream. When it arrived in sherbet goblets with yellow-looking raspberries, he called the waiter and complained, "Where were his baked apples?" The waiter showed him the menu, explained the confusion and introduced us to something new & remarkable, "the best in the world," also known as cloudberries in Sweden. This is one of the good stories of newcomers to Newfoundland. Very amusing!!! As the scenery flew by, we marvelled at the rivers, gullies & moors, the rocky hills, the beauty of it all. We we beginning to fall in love with Newfoundland and its ruggedness. But the very best was yet to come. As we arrived in Corner Brook, we just stayed in the West Port Inn, a hotel not far from the Downtown or West Street, & quite near to the Bowater Paper Mill; where almost everyone worked. Corner Brook was only 25 years old at the time. West Port Inn was a square grayish-blue building, two storeys, with lots of bedrooms & communal bathrooms. All rooms had "guillotine windows," as I called them - not to be opened in winter for the snow, nor in summertime for the "no-seeum" flies. No French windows anywhere, period! There were a lot of permanent guests: engineers, draftsmen & salesmen - mostly young and unattached, not many families. We stayed two or three weeks before relocating to Elswick Road to an apartment with Mr. & Mrs. Janes. The first evening in Corner Brook, my parents & I were invited to the home of the Chief Engineer, Mr. & Mrs. Lang, on Marcell Ave., next door to my future husband & parents-in-law. A miracle?! Absolutely! That evening, I met my future sister-in-law, who took me to school the next morning to Grade Eleven on west streets by the Girls' Entrance, up the stairs to the principal, Mr. Mercer (he was a remarkable teacher of English & Shakespeare). I wore braids around my head & a miniskirt & I had not much English to speak of. In the classroom, we all sat where we wanted to, all integrated - boys and girls. The students were so kind, so hospitable, so welcoming, so full of empathy - a miracle! They were so kind & generous, welcome & helpful & sharing. I had arrived in God's Country! At recess time, they offered me "Kit-Kat" chocolate bars, & many times invited me home for cake & sauce. Newfoundland spirit & hospitality - it is the miracle of the people of Newfoundland!!! That summer, I met my future husband of 57 years, Alexander Reader, It was a marriage of happiness! It also was our song, "My Happiness." He was an exceptional human being. He hated herring, and I loved it so! He was my miracle. Alex and Astrida Reader   Submitted By: NULL