Aurthor`s note:
We met eighty-five year-old Irana on August 12, 2013 in a forest reserve outside of Vilnius, Lithuania. She was standing in front of a full scale replica of the sod hut she had lived in for six years. Eero, our English-speaking Estonian guide, translated her story for us. Irana`s description of her experiences is the basis for the account you are reading. Irana had one more surprise for us. She explained how the women would crouch down to keep warm during breaks while working during the winter. Eero tried to demonstrate how they "hunkered down." In no uncertain terms, five-foot tall, 85 year-old Irana said "NO!" She then dropped more gracefully, more rapidly, and much closer to the ground than the 40 year-old, physically fit, Eero had.
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