My younger years

Maybe you can tell that English is not my main language, sorry, If I don't explain myself well.  At the beginning of my stay, the nuns were young so during Christmas they thought us acting and drills. Once, I had part in all the acts we had and I got sick with fever. I hated it when I got sick that means I had to stay in bed all alone in the dark, upstairs till Marinton, the old lady retires. Her bed was very high I think she had two mattresses, why, I don't know because she seemed to have trouble to get to bed. I got a little better and I acted my parts and they sent me back to bed that was upsetting for me because I felt better. I will tell you about Marinton now. Her job was to answer the door, ring the bell during certain hours for school breaks and ours, the children who lived there. She also took care of the brooms, buckets and rags that we used to dust or wash the floors. We washed the floors on our knees not mops. If she favoured you, she would give you a good rag so we considered ourselves lucky to get goo rags. She ate in our dinning room and slept with us. She also could understand Italian. I am not sure how long she was there for, but she died there, not while I was there. While I was there no one visited her. I was there from nine years till fourteen years. Now I will talk a little about me again. I don't know when I started to help the nun in the kitchen Sister Maurizia, She was an excellent cook she was slightly deaf. So every night, evening what ever you want to call it after dinner, I would go and help wash the dishes because she was stuck in washing the nuns' plates, pots and pans. She also prepared the milk for breakfast. During my washing the other girls were playing guided by another nun of course. When Easter or Christmas is approaching she would call for me at the end of school so I can go and help her make buns and figolli (it is a shaped bun and decorated Maltese tradition). The job I would have done was maybe bring her stuff from the pantry it was in the next room. As a young girl of course I had trouble sometimes to get her what she wanted, She tries to explain to me and give me directions of where they are. I didn't  know about baking stuff. I also was quite so I pretended I understood what she told me. I would take longer in that room and she will come and get it herself. I did that for few years and one day, I was with three other girls in the dining room cleaning, I think we were and the nun that was in charge at the time, told us one of you here is nominated for something. I ignored her completely but it was me as a reward I won a doll and a frame that lit up and also spoke on the radio. I wasn't excited or anything for me it wasn't a big deal but I was nervous when they said I am going to talk on the radio. Some more next time.

My childhood

Today I will tell you about my childhood. when I was nine years old my mother asked me if I wanted to go to the nuns convent. Since it was kind of fashion back then I said yes. I never regretted it, it was the best years of my life. So, one Saturday,  my younger sister Nadine,(different name)  she was seven and I went there. We were little, so when they made our beds, they put them together as they thought we would fall down. They also put plastic so we won't wet the beds. I told then nun, we don't pee in bed and she told me, here, you don't say that, you say toilet. That was the first day, I still remember it so clearly. I am very proud to say, there, at the nuns, I learnt many things, I wouldn't have learnt at home. I knew how to knit and purl at home. We were allocated jobs, from four years old to seventeen years old. The four year old, her job was to sweep the stairs. Mine was different every week, sometimes it was washing the breakfast cups and saucers and someone else will wipe and put away. Sometimes was to wash the dishes at dinner time with someone else. I used to wash the nuns' plates not so much the rest of the other chores. The nun in the kitchen used to want me there to help her making biscuits and whatever sweets she did. But as a young girl, she would send me in the pantry, which was in another room to get her stuff. Like those tiny silver balls that you add to cookies. I wouldn't know what she was talking about, so I stay there till she comes and get me. Sometimes, she would explain better, where the things are and I got her the right thing. I would feel so relieved.  The nuns were very good to us and we never were treated badly. In Christmas time, it felt like Christmas. Easter felt like Easter. We did dramas, we went picnics, we had a house near the beach and we went swimming. There was order, discipline, play time,work time,embroidery time, fun games. Today I wish to thank all those nuns in my life, I wish to see them and I love them all so much. I wish God will reward them for me. I'm living in Australia now and when I went for back holidays twenty three years ago, I went to visit the place, where I stayed for five years, till I was about fourteen. The place looked smaller now but i was so happy being there remember my childhood. There was only one nun left that I knew. The place is not for children any more. It is a home for older priests. I will stop here today.