Thanks for reading, Wendy! I said "fuck" a lot in my diaries, turns out. Ha ha! Yes, that girl is so YOUNG! Thanks, too, for subscribing. Your support is much appreciated!
My sons were born into this lifestyle, a new country every 3 or 4 years. No ships involved though. They missed the friends they left behind but like you, met new friends, had many experiences.. .
I love how you named your diary. I think every girl who has read Anne Frank’s diary has tried to do that at least once; it never had any staying power with me.
"Ellen" only lasted that year, I believe (I can check), but I used "Dear Diary" for a while. For my MSW research, I asked my research subjects whether they addressed their diaries. Some did, some didn't. One, I recall, wrote to "Dear Understanding Ear." :)
Oh, this was such a relatable post! I grew up in Rome and my dad was transferred to London at the end of my eighth grade year. I was going to go to a new school anyway, so I wasn’t too upset. My mother, who was English, manipulated the situation by telling us first that we were moving to Japan, which for some reason upset my sister and me greatly (maybe it was all the World War II stories about the evil Jerrys and Japs). Two days later she came in with wonderful news: instead of Japan, we were now moving to London! We were so relieved that we actually got excited.
I love the fact that you were the junior high editor of the literary magazine, and that the magazine was called intellect! I also love the line about the wind in your face. Very poetic.
Oh, wow, what a story, Liz. Have you asked your mother why she told you you were moving to Japan? ... I searched for an image of the cover of Intellect, the lit mag, but couldn't find one. I had forgotten all about that until I reread those entries. ... And, oh, thanks for noticing that line about the wind. It had nothing to do with moving but it touched me. I feel like it represents a different side of myself that rarely appears in my diaries (ratio of angst to calm = 99 to 1!).
I love your stories. Regret gets us nowhere, but I regret not keeping some kind of diary. Not a guy thing ever. The memories come slower without, but your stories jog some thoughts, so thank you.
Thanks, Jeff. I'm glad my stories jog some thoughts. I'm grateful that my family was full of chroniclers. I just don't know what will happen to this big box of diaries in my closet?!
Thanks for reading, Polly. What choice do children have? My parents were like my friends who said, well, you'll make new friends and have so many experiences, etc. They didn't get it. But...I did make new friends and had incredible experiences, so... :)
Ha, I know! That was the subject of my master’s (s.w.) thesis, the relationship of adolescent girls to their diaries. I think I posted a set where I name my diary “Ellen,” so, like Anne Frank, it would be like writing a letter.
I loved these entries! Especially the one with the fuck! Too funny. And the pictures were so cool too. Now we have a face to those lines
Thanks for reading, Wendy! I said "fuck" a lot in my diaries, turns out. Ha ha! Yes, that girl is so YOUNG! Thanks, too, for subscribing. Your support is much appreciated!
My sons were born into this lifestyle, a new country every 3 or 4 years. No ships involved though. They missed the friends they left behind but like you, met new friends, had many experiences.. .
I'm curious, what do they say about it now, in retrospect?
They don't say a lot! But with the pluses and minuses, they seem to feel it worked out OK.
Yes, that makes sense. Accepting "what is" is a good life strategy. :)
I love how you named your diary. I think every girl who has read Anne Frank’s diary has tried to do that at least once; it never had any staying power with me.
"Ellen" only lasted that year, I believe (I can check), but I used "Dear Diary" for a while. For my MSW research, I asked my research subjects whether they addressed their diaries. Some did, some didn't. One, I recall, wrote to "Dear Understanding Ear." :)
Oh, this was such a relatable post! I grew up in Rome and my dad was transferred to London at the end of my eighth grade year. I was going to go to a new school anyway, so I wasn’t too upset. My mother, who was English, manipulated the situation by telling us first that we were moving to Japan, which for some reason upset my sister and me greatly (maybe it was all the World War II stories about the evil Jerrys and Japs). Two days later she came in with wonderful news: instead of Japan, we were now moving to London! We were so relieved that we actually got excited.
I love the fact that you were the junior high editor of the literary magazine, and that the magazine was called intellect! I also love the line about the wind in your face. Very poetic.
Tickets to Mortified have been purchased!
Oh, wow, what a story, Liz. Have you asked your mother why she told you you were moving to Japan? ... I searched for an image of the cover of Intellect, the lit mag, but couldn't find one. I had forgotten all about that until I reread those entries. ... And, oh, thanks for noticing that line about the wind. It had nothing to do with moving but it touched me. I feel like it represents a different side of myself that rarely appears in my diaries (ratio of angst to calm = 99 to 1!).
I love your stories. Regret gets us nowhere, but I regret not keeping some kind of diary. Not a guy thing ever. The memories come slower without, but your stories jog some thoughts, so thank you.
Thanks, Jeff. I'm glad my stories jog some thoughts. I'm grateful that my family was full of chroniclers. I just don't know what will happen to this big box of diaries in my closet?!
Hmmm
Wow, there is so much here! What an agony, your moving to Europe.
Thanks for reading, Polly. What choice do children have? My parents were like my friends who said, well, you'll make new friends and have so many experiences, etc. They didn't get it. But...I did make new friends and had incredible experiences, so... :)
It also intrigues me how you address your diary as "you."
Ha, I know! That was the subject of my master’s (s.w.) thesis, the relationship of adolescent girls to their diaries. I think I posted a set where I name my diary “Ellen,” so, like Anne Frank, it would be like writing a letter.