Moving As A Child Part 2 Conversation, 08. moving as a child part 2
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Moving As A Child Part 2 Conversation
Michigan:
a state in
America
Kristin:
That makes me think, um, when we moved, I was, we were living in
Michigan
. At the time we always considered it “the North”. But actually it’s the north
of the
Midwestern states
. But then moving to a southern state, I definitely had a
northern
accent
. And some of the words I used were different, too, like “
pop
” for,
for…
Midwestern states:
states in the middle of
America
accent:
the way it sounds
when someone speaks
Joe:
Soda
.
pop:
a drink
soda:
a drink; same as
pop
Kristin:
…soda. So I was, I was
ridiculed
by kids for my accent, for sure.
ridiculed:
made a mean
joke about someone
Joe:
Yeah, you know another difficult thing for me was that the area that we moved
to was
affluent
. And, I mean, we certainly were not rich. So, y’know, uh, and you
could see it from the clothes we wore to the cars that my parents drove. I mean…
affluent:
rich
old clunkers:
old cars
that have a lot of
problems and look bad
Kristin:
[laugh]
neighborhood:
the area
where you live
Joe:
…y’know, we had these
old clunkers
and everyone else in the
neighborhood
has these
brand new
cars, y’know. So it was
pretty obvious
, like, we would
turn a
lot of heads
driving past people.
brand new:
completely
new
pretty obvious:
really
easy to understand
Kristin:
Oh my god, that sounds so much like, like my situation. We moved from a
very
blue collar
area - my, my parents being teachers, were very blue collar as well -
to a very affluent area, a lot of doctors and lawyers. And I can remember moving.
We [laugh]… My mom drove this yellow and black
Gremlin
[laugh]…
turn a lot of heads:
get a
lot of attention; make
people look
blue collar:
the people
have jobs that do not
make a lot of money
Joe:
[laugh] Yeah, they don’t make those anymore…
Gremlin:
the name of an
of American car that is no
longer made
Kristin:
[laugh] No. I….
Joe:
…and there’s a reason for it.
designer clothes:
expensive clothes
Kristin:
[laugh] I would get dropped off at school from… come in the Gremlin. I
would be so embarrassed. And then, y’know, we didn’t have the
designer clothes
that all the kids we went to school with wore. So, we w-, it just was very stressful
trying to
keep up with the Joneses
and buying these designer clothes. It was, uh,
very
stressful
for me and my brothers. But also we put a lot of pressure on our
parents to buy these. And they just
couldn’t afford it
.
keep up with the
Joneses:
to try to own all
the same things as people
you know in order to
seem as good as them
stressful:
makes you
worry
couldn’t afford it:
did not
have enough money
Joe:
Yeah, that sounds familiar.
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Moving As A Child Part 2 Conversation
knickers:
a type of girls
pants that do not go
below the knees
Kristin:
I c-, I gotta tell you one story I can remember. My mom actually, she can’t
sew. And she had sewn me this pair of
knickers
… Knickers at one point were
back
in style
. Do you know what those are?
back in style:
to be
fashionable again
Joe:
Yes, yeah.
horrible:
very bad
Kristin:
And they were
horrible
looking. And I wore ‘em to school and all the kids
were makin’ fun of me on the
playground
.
playground:
a place
where children play
Joe:
Oh, my gosh.
standing in the corner:
standing away from the
other children
Kristin:
I was just
standing in the corner
by myself about to cry. And then I went
home and I was like “Mom, I want real knickers. I want you to buy ‘em in the store for
me.”
cruel:
mean
Joe:
Yeah, kids can be
cruel
.
Kristin:
[laugh]
I’ll tell you what:
this is
what I think
Joe:
I know kids can be cruel because,
I’ll tell you what
, I had to, uh… I had a
really bad experience right before I started school the summer that I moved to
Pennsylvania
. I’m playin’ football with the kids in the neighborhood…
Pennsylvania:
a state in
America
Kristin:
Uh-huh.
tackled:
thrown to the
ground
Joe:
…and, of course, what happens is, I get
tackled
and someone falls on my leg
and it breaks my ankle.
Kristin:
[laugh] Oh no.
cryin’ wolf:
to try to get
attention by saying
something that is not true
Joe:
I couldn’t believe it. So I’m sittin’ there, tryin’ to, y’know, act as, uh, if, like, it
doesn’t hurt that much. But, I mean, it hurt a lot. And then, y’know, the kids thought I
was
cryin’ wolf
. They didn’t really think I was hurt at all.
Kristin:
[laugh]
screamin’ at the top of
my lungs:
yelling very
loud
Joe:
So I have to walk away and, uh, walk home on a broken ankle. And, I mean, I
just felt like
screamin’ at the top of my lungs
. I was in so much pain. But I
couldn’t. I couldn’t do it because I didn’t want the kids to think I was, like, some
wimp
.
wimp:
someone who is
weak
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Moving As A Child Part 2 Conversation
Kristin:
[laugh] Oh, oh…
cast:
something that is
put on you’re arm or leg
when it is broken
Joe:
So, it gets worse [laugh]. I have to go to school with a
cast
on my leg to start
the school year.
Kristin:
[laugh]
look out of place:
to look
like you do not belong or
fit in
Joe:
So I’m the new kid with the thick accent, the clothes that
look out of place
,
y’know. Nobody knows me and I have a cast on my foot. And my, y’know, I can’t
take a shower, y’know. I can’t shower the leg so my toes are a little dirty…
Kristin:
[laugh]
Joe:
…I mean I wanted nothin’ more than to move back to New York that very
moment, the first day of school.
stuck out like a sore
thumb:
look out of place:
to look like you do not
belong or fit in; same as
look out of place
Kristin:
God, I bet you
stuck out like a sore thumb
.
Joe:
Oh ma-, you can’t imagine. It was the worst. I, I mean I think for the first two
years I lived in Pennsylvania I just wanted to
hop on a bus
and get back to New
York as fast as I could.
hop on a bus:
get on a
bus
Kristin:
Yep, that was me… wanting to move back to Michigan, too.
getting familiar with:
getting to know
Joe:
Wh- [laugh]…
combined:
to put
together
Kristin:
[laugh]
elementary schools:
primary school; school for
children between ages 5
and 10
Joe:
But, uh, y’know, I, at least you moved at an earlier age. It’s a lot easier
because, y’know, when you’re younger it’s just, uh… Y’know, all the kids are
getting
familiar with
each other. But when you move, and you’re a little older, the kids
already know each other. Y’know, they’ve already
combined
the
elementary
schools
into the
middle school
, uh, for when I had moved there.
middle school:
school
after primary school; for
children between ages 11
and 13
ironically:
something you
would not think is true but
it is
Kristin:
Yeah, but you know,
ironically
enough, um, my older brother, I think, had
an easier time
adapting
. And he was starting seventh grade. I was starting third
grade. My younger brother was starting second grade. And my younger brother and
I had a really
rough
time.
adapting:
getting used to
rough:
difficult
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Moving As A Child Part 2 Conversation
looking back:
to think of
a time in the past
Joe:
Yeah, well, y’know, as much as I hated it when I first, uh, had moved to
Pennsylvania, now in
looking back
, I think it was really
a blessing in disguise
. I
mean there were so many other opportunities that came available to us from living in
Pennsylvania and going to a school district that, y’know, was, uh, had a lot more
money. And the education that we got was better. And it just provided me, uh, with a
much better starting point for, uh, college.
a blessing in disguise:
something that is good
that you do not think is
good at first
Kristin:
Right.
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