Don't Think I'll Tell Her

The Doctor examined me tonite and told me Joyce was on her way. Goodness - half the time is over already. What would mother say - don’t think I’ll tell her - she would only worry anyway. Elsie made peppermint ice cream tonight. No word yet from our Daddy - I’m getting so worried. What could have happened to him? - Annette, March 1942

As I get ready for a big doctor’s appointment myself, I found this entry from Annette. Here we are in early March, and I am halfway through my pregnancy as well! As a side note, I love reading the different names she used for her baby. It started off as Joyce, and eventually became Carol - and she ended up with a Tom!

Annette was on her own, with Clary on a trip to Chunking and Wahnsien for fabric and other supplies. With her amped-up hormones, you can tell how worried she was about his trip. As if that uncertainty wasn’t bad enough, she was also hesitant to tell her family back home that she was pregnant again. Sometimes, she felt embarrassed that she was pregnant again so soon after her first child. Sometimes, she didn’t want to worry anyone. I can relate to her concerns, but for a different reason.

I waited a long time before telling people I was pregnant - not so much because they might worry, but because I was worried about losing work. In the freelance world, I don’t have any guaranteed contracts or agreements from year to year, so I have to rebuild everything each season. That kind of uncertainty is magnified by pregnancy, because I have no idea how my employers will react to the news. Will they be supportive? Flexible? Disappointed? Or will they replace me so they don’t have to deal with it?

Luckily, several employers have been very supportive during my pregnancy. Others, I’m still not sure how it will turn out, honestly. It is unfortunate that in 2019, women still have to worry about employment when they get pregnant. My personal choices should not affect other people’s perceptions of my ability to do my job. All I can do is let people know when it comes up, and hope for the best.

You Should See Me Eat

“We sailed away from the U.S.A., Friday at noon and it’s a thrill I’ll never forget. Band playing, flags waving, streamers flying - gosh it was wonderful. Had quite a crowd down to see us off. We are certainly enjoying this. Gee, Mom, you should see me eat and sleep. We eat about six times a day. They wake us up at 7 with a glass of orange juice. At 8 we eat breakfast and even breakfast has six courses. At 10 o’clock they serve boullion and crackers on deck - wherever you happen to be - and at noon we have lunch. At 3 they serve tea - and what a tea - all those pretty gooey cakes, and you know my weakness for them. At 6:30 we have dinner and then at 9:30 after our movies or bridge game we eat again - lemonade and sandwiches. I never ate so many different things in my life. Eat a shrimp omelet for breakfast after grapefruit and bran and then top it off with buckwheat cakes and coffee. And to eat soup, fish, meat, potatoes, and vegetable salad and dessert for LUNCH. Each meal has about eight courses and about four choices to each course - and you may have as many choices of each course as you wish - comes in hand for desserts - that’s what I like best - to eat about 3 desserts instead of one.” - Annette, writing to her mother in March 1940

One of my favorite parts about this project has been ‘getting to know’ family members from my past. Even more exciting is reuniting with my living family members! Through this process, I’ve been able to talk to my Aunt Jackie, who is married to Annette’s youngest brother Don. I remember Aunt Jackie and Uncle Don visiting us when we were children. It has been such a joy to reconnect with her. She has so many stories about Annette and that side of the family. Which leads me to this entry.

Aunt Jackie sent me a book of letters sent from Annette and Clary, and in all my years of reading Annette’s diaries and letters, I had never seen these! Before Annette left for China, she worked for a publisher, and he offered to publish the letters they sent home while they made their way to China. This slim book contains their letters from February 1940 - September 1940, detailing their journey from St. Louis, MO to Enshih, China. The letters start off in Chicago, their first stop, and continue on to San Francisco, where they boarded a ship to carry them across the Pacific.

Reading her stories about the journey across the globe has been amazing. It fills in some gaps, and confirms some family legends about their big adventure. I just love this entry describing her ship, the Asama Maru.

Annette and Clary set sail on the Asama Maru on March 15, 1940. It was the fastest ship of its time, making the voyage from California to Japan in 15 days. A few months before, that same ship gained notoriety by attempting to smuggle German crew members into Japan - check out the ‘Asama Maru Incident.’

After a few days of sea sickness, Annette really got into the swing of life on the boat. I love her descriptions of all the meals! Her preference for sweets is, once again, quite evident. While on board, they played deck golf, shot clay pigeons, and took relaxing salt-water baths. One of my favorite lines in the entry was this - “here on the ocean, where the sea and the sky meet, you somehow seem so close to heaven - and it was so beautiful - I’ll never forget it.”

She was on her way to a brand new world, with her brand new husband, on a big fancy boat for 15 days straight. Can you imagine?? I can’t wait to explore these letters a bit more. Thanks, Aunt Jackie, for brand new insights into our family’s past!

No Use To Run

We had 5 alarms today - one even after supper when 2 pursuit planes came tearing over the mountains + landed here - they took off again in about 1/2 hr - plenty fast.  Are getting our trunks off but now everyone says the Japs have been pushed back on 3 roads and there is no use to run.  - Annette, May 1943

A five alarm day!  For every alarm, they had to drop what they were doing, run to the cave near their house with kids in tow, and wait until the all clear signal.  That is a lot of running!  They watched the planes land and take off - truly on the front lines of a WWII battle.  How exciting - and terrifying!

Annette and Clary sent their trunks ahead to Wahnsien, and they planned to follow on foot a few days later.  Now, they received word that the roads were blocked and there was nowhere to go.  All that work and preparation - now what?  Do you trust what 'everyone' says?  What if it was just a rumor?  Maybe the roads were really clear.  Maybe their belongings were on their way.  Maybe everything was going to be ok.  Or maybe not.

What do you do when faced with an impossible choice?  Stay with the familiar, or head out into the unknown?  Neither option was safe for Annette, but she had a family to protect.  Next week, we'll find out what happened. 

Bombed Before Breakfast

Bombed before breakfast!  And a heavy one too.  Several alarms today at supper time - a wounded plane landed here.  A wire from Wanhsien today was like a slap in the face telling us to turn orphans over to govt. cable board if necessary.  We just don't know what to do.  Latest plan to send Simon on Sunday with the babies.  Elsie + I follow a few days later.  Coolies are asking $1200.00 - outrageous.  Elsie + I are going to walk.  Poor Clary - he is thinking so much I think its getting him down he looks so weary.  - Annette, May 1943

This part of Annette's diary is so exciting - mostly because I know she makes it out ok.  In May 1943, the front lines shifted and their little village was right in the center of all the action.  Let's unpack this entry a bit.

A wire from Wanhsien today was like a slap in the face telling us to turn orphans over to govt. cable board if necessary.  The Japanese were bombing them regularly.  They received a letter saying that they had to evacuate, and leave the orphans behind.  After more than two years of setting up the orphanage, church, school, and hospital, they were told to abandon the children and get out.  Can you imagine?!

We just don't know what to do.  Latest plan to send Simon on Sunday with the babies.  Elsie + I follow a few days later.  Understandably, Annette was worried and scared.  Their plans changed each day, based on whatever new information they received.  Here, they planned to send the orphan children towards Wanhsien (the city now called Wanzhou), with Miss Simon, one of the Chinese helpers at the orphanage and hospital.  Annette and her friend Elsie would head out after with their own children (my uncle and dad included!).  I'm not sure how many orphans they had at the time, but even relocating a few would be a true feat.  Again, can you imagine?!

Coolies are asking $1200.00 - outrageous.  Elsie + I are going to walk.  The 'coolies' here were laborers who were paid to transport people and their belongings between villages.  Apparently, when faced with a price-gouging situation, Annette and Elsie decided they would walk.  To Wahnsien, now called Wanzhou.  I just checked Google Maps and plugged in Enshih to Wanzhou.  It was 204 kilometers - 56hours on foot.  Two American women in their twenties, each with two American babies.  Walking 204 kilometers.  During an air strike in WWII.  Let that sink in.  CAN YOU IMAGINE?! 

Poor Clary - he is thinking so much I think its getting him down he looks so weary.  With all these plans swirling in her head, Annette is still thinking of her husband.  Clary is trying to be strong and decisive in making plans, but at the end of the day, he will have to go ahead and leave his wife and young sons to travel on their own.  I can't even imagine.

Usually, I try to rotate through each woman's diary, but we're going to stick with Annette for a bit here.  This story is just getting started....