Cindy Vong
5/10/04
P4

Tatjana Wassiljewa
	
	Tatjana Wassiljewa, born on March 3, 1942 was 10 years old when she first got a taste of the war. She lived in Leningrad (St. Petersburg) and Wyritza located in Russia with her mother, father and smaller sister Ojla. She learned some German from a kindly old lady who lived across the street, learning this saved her life. 
	Tanja looked forward to school, and was extremely excited to complete her 5th year at school with an ’excellent’. Tanja even bought a diary as a present for herself. Her dreams were shattered when Germany broke the Non-Aggression pact and declared a war on Russia. After that, Tanja was deprived of her childhood and education. Germany swept into her town, Russian families were ushered into a train and taken to a Russian camp. At times of crisis, she left her home to provide her family with more food. She walked nearly 120 kilometers, going house to house and swapping items, such as leather soles, for bread. She was gone for five days, five days of walking in search of food for the sake of her family. She eventually returned home.
	From the Russian Camp, Germany took away children to become ‘captive laborers’. During the labor camps, she was wise enough to choose to work in the fields pulling weeds because there would be plenty of food. Unfortunately, due to a high fever, she was weakened considerably and sent away to a work in the Bensch Printers. In the factory she had to walk up and down the tables to distribute pages for a children’s book. Tanja received about three marks a day. She often got dizzy spells from hunger, Tanja was only served a soup (consisting of water and a few small chunks of turnips or a potato), and bread (that tasted of sawdust) with margarine (that smelled of candle wax). She was outraged at the quality of food, marched her way all the way to the Foreman, plunked to soup bowl in front of him, and dared him to eat such food. Luckily, he was kind enough to offer her to come to his house where she will get some real food. Soon, she was moved to another factory where she worked a machine that sprayed machine oil on her every single day. During her stay at the barracks, she met a young French fellow, Honore and they both became very close. But soon, Honore had to depart West to dig graves, and they forced to say farewell. When Tanja worked in the munitions factory, alarms go off every single night because of air raids. One time, when Tanja was in the cellar, all 6 floors collapsed in a way. Luckily form them, the small cellar window wasn’t blocked. After she were rescued there was another air-raid warning, Tanja and her friend Tamara escaped and watch the bombs drop from the sky like a shower of rain. 
	At last, Tanja becomes a housemaid for a family but was finally freed from being a laborer on April 1945. Tanja and Tamara met up with Michel from Belgium and Jean from Marseille, France. Tatjana stays with Michel’s family, but yearns to be back in Russia. Two weeks later, she is on a train heading for her hometown. On Autumn of 1946, she is at her Aunt Anja’s home. After several years of hardships and German brutality, she finally is united with her family, her mother and sister Olja, both in unpleasant condition. Now that Tanja is back home, she wishes to finish her schooling, but is unable to get a certificate because she is without a passport. Tanja was so upset by this, she sent an application to the military commander in Leningrad, General Solojow. Until December 31, the day of her interview, she couldn’t go to work or study. Her interview went exceptionally well, she could finally study to become a teacher. She entered grade eight and struggled because she hadn‘t went to school in years. Tanja was successful and finished grade eight, and if she worked hard during the summer, she might be able to pass her grade nine exams to go straight to grade ten. Her hard work paid off, she passed her exams, and on September of 1949, she will attend the ‘Teacher Training College, Leningrad’. And as of today she is a teacher in her sixties, living in St. Petersburg.
	I learned that one must strive to survive even under the worst conditions, and to become independent. During the war, just about anything could happen. One day, you could wake up without your father. Or sleeping soundly in bed then suddenly hearing air-raid alarms in the middle of the night.  I choose Tanja because I can totally relate to her! I’m the oldest in her family, and at a very young age, I was held responsible for my little brother and sister. When they were hungry, I cooked them food. I dragged them out of their bed to prepare them for school. I know I would do what Tatjana did in order to help her family. Tanja never had a decent childhood because the war had taken it away.

Bibliography

Wassiljewa, Tatjana.  Hostage To War. USA; Scholastics, © 1996
 
Word Count: 891