Interviews
There were no bilingual or dual language programs in the schools when I started school here in the United States. I learned by total immersion. It became a way of life for me in big city and small town Texas and in Germany when my dad was stationed there fin the military. It took years before reading English to comprehend sunk in. Reading exercises led me to comprehend enough to take tests; but, it was reading, and re-reading that taught me to retain, to learn. When all of that came together for me, then my progression took me beyond text books. Reading books allowed me to experience the world through stories in my own room. The meaning of a pretend world (fiction) and the true, factual or real world (non-fiction) in my readings only then became apparent.
Later, as adult, I read non-fiction such as history, biographies, and some self-help books to help me try to solve life issues. I discovered Phyllis A. Whitney and read most of her books. More recently, I have also enjoyed reading Elizabeth Berg’s novels, especially since she was the a high school classmate I knew as Beth Hoff, a classmate at Ludwigsburg High School near the military base my dad was assigned to in Germany. She was one of the few people who I talked to in school during my bashful era. I admired her writing even then.
Today, any romantic murder mystery is a favorite. I also enjoy a historical, biographical, comedy or Disney movie when showing at our local theatre. I love attending my grandkids’ birthday parties, school and sports activities when I am in town. It is always a pleasure taking all my grandchildren to dinner and a movie; soon I will need a bus to cart them all. It is delightful when I can read a story that I am developing to my grandchildren; they are a good gauge, just like my daughter and sons have been about some of my story topics.
Sharing my stories allows others to know that they are not the first to walk some of life’s difficult trails. I understand what it is like living with people foreign to my customary ways of life and language. Some immigrants do not understand what it was like to be forbidden to speak your native tongue in school or to meet the challenges of a school day when there were no tools nor anyone to help make your way among strangers whose every word, every thought was foreign. I am glad, at least, that—while today’s school challenges are sometimes difficult—our children today have educators, counselors, and communities in the schools to ease their transition.
