Canada, the place of milk and honey! It was the beginning of July 1957 when the family Schachowskoy received news that Canada was ready and willing to help them start a new life. I was beside myself. We are going to the place of milk and honey. We did find the milk and honey, except it was in the Derksen groceries store not flowing free on the streets of Essex County.

On August 10, 1957 mom, dad, four brothers and two sisters arrived via airplane in Toronto, Ontario. We came from an underdeveloped country (Paraguay), where we spent ten years on a small farm which we owned. When we left Paraguay in 1957 the colony Volendam, consisted of sixteen villages, owned one tractor and was just starting to introduce electricity to the hospital, our main store, and our high school. Our most important farm operating equipment was one wagon and four horses. We owned our milk cows, chickens and grew our own fruits and vegetables.

I

 I was lucky enough to finish high school and complete one year of Teachers College. For many different reasons I did not continue school. Instead I spent my first three years working on a farm. My place of work was a peach and apple farm. The job gave a new meaning to the word "tree hugger". Climbing and pruning big apple trees made me think about the evolution theory. Why were my forefathers selected to be humans? Who decided this and why? I don’t know, but I’m very happy it turned out this way (otherwise we would be monkeys). Besides wages, other rewards for my working 10 hours a day, I was allowed to eat all the apples and peaches I wanted.

Reflecting it has been a frustrating, challenging, rewarding, uplifting and otherwise wonderful fifty years residing in the sun parlour. There may not be milk and honey flowing down our streets, but with clean living and a healthy work habit, you will be able to buy all the milk and honey you want.

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