Although the family was happy to arrive in Sarnia, getting here was only half the battle. “Everything was new. We couldn’t even speak the language,” said Marian. The sisters said that their new neighbours made adjusting to life in Canada much easier. “I guess we’ve been really lucky we have always had good neighbors and good friends, and everyone was always trying to help.” Silvia and Marian said their next-door neighbours would even give them rides to school, so they didn’t have to make the long walk.
The sisters attended St. Peters where their peers were very eager to help them learn English. “We picked up the language quickly,” said Marian. “Dirty words really quick,” added Silvia demonstrating a habit the sisters have of finishing each other’s thoughts. They said the kids at school would teach them swear words which they would repeat at home, excited to show their parents what they were learning. “Of course, our dad picked them up too and started to use them,” said Silvia. It was Joseph’s friends who finally told him what kind of words his daughters were bringing home from school.
Marian and Silvia said that learning English was harder for their parents than it was for them but with the help of friends and co-workers, they too learned quickly. Both Joseph and Maria quickly found employment upon arriving in Sarnia. A friend of Maria’s got her a job in the laundry department at the hospital. She soon transferred to housekeeping where she became a supervisor. Joseph had had a carpentry apprenticeship in Slovenia and continued that career in Sarnia.
Both Silvia and Marian graduated from SCITS and went on to relocate multiple times in Canada and the U.S. Both retired and spent their time volunteering for their respective communities of Port Huron and Sarnia.
Leaving their home and family in Slovenia was not ideal for Maria and Joseph but they did have the chance to go back. “It took a long time before anyone would go back because everything was so unsettled out there,” said Marian. The Halers became involved with the Slovenian club in Lobo and connected with other people who had been forced to flee their homes.
Silvia and Marian said that their father would often talk proudly about how he arrived in Canada with less than a dollar in his pocket. Despite this and all of the other uncertainties that the Halers faced when the Observer article was written, Marian said, “Before we knew it,” “it just all fell into place,” finished Silvia.
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