Austra learns Russian

At school, Austra and her sisters found it very hard at the start to fit into Russian-speaking classes. They were helped by their mother, who had spoken fluent Russian since the First World War. Probably Austra’s mother had fled to the East during the war, like many Latvians and had picked up the language.

With extra homework done under their mother’s supervision, the girls quickly became the best pupils in the school.

Changing housing conditions for the deportees

After living in big huts, on top of other families, Austra, her mother and sisters finally obtained an individual place to live.