Leo heeft me gevraagd om de achtergond die hij heeft geschreven als een "post" te laten zien. Hier komt zijn ineressant verhaal:
Neil Heesteman was kind enough to initiate a blog, where
people of Dutch origin can write about their country of origin, and how they
came about coming to Canada.
While speaking with other people of Dutch origin, I have
discovered that some of us have followed similar paths. Our arrivals here were
for perhaps the same or different reasons. I am also proud to say that the
people of Dutch origin were very successful in their new country
Canada. There
was a sense that Dutch people were honest and hard working. Dutch people too
were very giving. Many came from times when some endured hunger and having to
do without. Many remember famine and flooding.
My name is Leopold van Mourik. I was born in Rotterdam
Holland, brought into the world by a midwife on Goudseryweg, We lived in what
was referred to as the old centre part of Rotterdam,
on the South side of the Maas
River. My early memories
of Holland are very vague, and I only attended
part of grade one, I started all over again in Canada, this time completely in
English. Now why did we come here? We had relatives already living in Canada, and as the story goes, the streets in Canada
were paved with gold. Both my parents were looking for an opportunity to better
themselves.
Our journey started on the ship Waterman, from the Holland
American Line. This was all a great adventure for a young child as myself. The
journey took ten days, and our crossing was very rough. My sisters and mother
were mostly below deck all that time, in bed from sea sickness. I on the other
hand roamed around the ship, and was treated kindly by the crew. They pretty
well allowed me to go wherever, from the kitchen to the laundry room. The
sailing was not smooth and the seas were rough most of the time, with the ship
listing from side to side. At the occasional meal sitting, things were so rough
that dishes on the table were falling and crashing all over the place.
Upon our arrival in Montreal
we went through customs, with each having an individual suitcase, and our total
worth of goods at the time that we brought in was $500. Sadly though we had to leave our little pet
in Holland, and that in it self was crushingly sad for all of us.
Our life in Canada
was very difficult however, especially so for our parents. We soon learned the
truth that it was not true that the streets were paved in gold. The small
amount of money that my parents brought in, did not last very long, my father
was forced to take on any and all odd jobs.
My mother eventually joined him in the work force.
Our dad was already 44 years of age, which in itself made it
so difficult to start all over again. Through hard work however, my parents
were eventually able to buy their first home, and our parents lived there till
the end of their lives. Once however they were both gone, I moved again, this
time to Vancouver,
and that is where I am today.
I have been back to Holland
several times, and in my heart I am still very traditionally Dutch, but also
now a proud Canadian.
