The New Family

On the morning of April 17, 1972 driving through London town with her father, mother brother and sister, strangers to her, the young girl’s 7 year sister offered her some snacks. She did not recognized the snacks that she was offered. When she asked what they were her mother said “It’s chocolate.” She had never before seen the type of chocolate that they offered, the chocolate she had seen was the one grounded into a paste once it left the tree and which her grandmother used to make delicious chocolate tea. The young girl shook her head, refusing the chocolate. Her brother and sister would glance at her shyly but neither of them spoke and the young girl did not know what to say to them. She knew their names because her grandmother had spoken to her about them. They drove through many crowded streets and she saw huge and tall buildings that did not make any sense to her. There were cars all around and some were in longs lines not going anywhere. This was not adventure.

The car finally stopped in an area where there were many, many houses attached to each other and the young girl noticed three tall buildings close together with a playground. Everyone exited the car and walked toward one of the tall buildings. She watched as her father pressed a button then waited. Minutes later a door opened and to her amazement the exact same “metal box” that she disliked at the airport was opening in front of her and she was ushered in. This was a longer ride than at the airport then finally the doors opened and she was in an area with four corners and doors in each corner with numbers. She noticed her mother going towards number 75 and opened the door. Everyone entered – this was her new home. She could not understand how one minute she was outside, then the next in the “metal box”, and in another instant she was in the house. It would be weeks before she understood this weird method of getting into the house and realize that her new home was on the twentieth floor of a twenty-four storey building and that the “metal box” was called a “lift” (elevator). This was one of many culture shocks that she would experience.

Her father had not said much after the introduction at the airport and once inside the home everyone and everything was strange. Her younger siblings attempted to interact with her but gave up. Her father was seated in the living room while her mother busied herself in the kitchen. Suddenly he called her; the young girl went; a little unsure of herself because she had never had a father called her name before. To her dismay, her father explained that now she is in England he will be changing her name to “Judy” because he does not like the name that she was used to. She must respond to this new name whenever she is called; the young girl nodded. The new name lasted one day, how was she to adapt to a new name after 11.5 years? A new family, new culture, new home, new name, all in one day but her young age did not permit her to discuss this with anyone and she dwelt on these changes for a long, long time.