Phoebe

Diary of Alexandrie de Blanc

June 22nd, 1663 Dear Diary, It’s me, Alexandrie. As a child I grew up being an orphan and living without any support. I was lonely and lived a miserable life. My dream was to live in New France but never did I think it would ever come true, until now. When King Louis XIV and Jean Talon heard that the population there wasn’t growing he came up with a plan and I was offered to leave France. Straight away I took the opportunity to start new and was determined to find a husband. What can I say, coming here certainly has been a long journey and life changing experience that’s defiantly worth while. When I arrived in New France along with the other eight hundred women, we piled off the ship with a line full of men awaiting by the shore to greet us. Hoping to make a good impression, we all dressed up in our finest clothing and extravagant accessories. Many of us women were momentarily married off to men in the society. My first few months being here have been pretty good. I have been keeping busy taking care of the house and kids and keeping it nice and clean. Cooking dinner also keeps me occupied towards the end of the day, yet most of the time I am out with the other housewives flaxing and we woven it into linen. Here in New France, we typically eat bread made from outdoor ovens, cucumber and melons, bacon and sometimes potatoes if there are food shortages. On Friday’s and Saturday’s and the 49 days of Lent we fast and eat only one light meal a day a snack. We are strictly told to stay away from meat and milk. I am currently living in a house primarily made of stone and wood. A majority of our furniture is made from wood along with medium sized glass windows which bring plenty of light in. Anyways, so far I am having an outstanding time with my new family and way of life and hope for the best in the future!

 Dear Diary,  Finally I can get to write. I have been so busy lately with all the housekeeping and such that I just haven’t had time to write. I am still a strong believer in my religion (Roman Catholic) and in my leisure time sing songs with my family like “Les Filles à Marier”. Some more Fille du Roi arrived today and many of us women are trying to help them settle in and adjust to their new home. I can just imagine how they are feeling right now as eight hundred of us women were in the same position six months ago. Today I went over to one of the new girls house to help here move into her new home. Arranging furniture and help clean the house certainly made me exhausted. By the time I got home it was time to make dinner for the family and then after a hard day we were all off to a good nights sleep. Anyways, I am off to the kitchen now to make the children’s breakfast before they hurry off the school.

Bibliography

- Baldwin, Douglas. New France and the Fur Trade. Calgary, Alberta, Canada: Weigl Education Publishers Ltd., 2003. Print.

- Nelson, Sheila. The Settlement of New France & Acadia. Broomall, Pennsylvania: Mason Crest Publishers Inc, 2006. Print.

- Dicks, Stewart K. Les Canadians: The French in Canada. Scarborough, Ontario: Prentice- Hall of Canada Ltd, 1980. Print.