It's Like Stepping Into a Deep Pool!
Oh, wow, sometimes going to a new writer's site feels like stepping into the deep end of a big pool. You imagine there's a deathly silence, as your writing is scrutinized.
I guess the quickest way towards feeling more comfortable is to simply tell you a bit about me, and then of course I'll get round to finding out about you too!
I've traveled around the world and lived for fairly long stretches in different countries, which is always an interesting experience. It seems to be something about other cultures in different countries that draws me. I guess I put that down to my somewhat unorthodox childhood.
I grew up in a small African village. Of course there were few facilities there, but I think it was a happy childhood, and our parents always believed in our abilities to be resilient, so there wasn't an awful lot of coddling. We never even thought about cellphones, microwaves or kitchen gadgets, because they hadn't been invented!
I never knew that American kids casually drove to school every day, because there was no TV in South Africa until many years later. Movies were restricted, first by the government, who didn't hesitate to ban them, then by my parents, who always wanted to be sure we kept our childhoods by not watching anything they considered to be inappropriate.
We made our own amusement. It wasn't the same as the fun expected these days, here in North America. We would have been aghast at the idea of a teen owning a car. Bicycles, walking, the occasional buzz bike were our main forms of transport, right through elementary and high school. We actually walked a considerable distance to the high school every day. But we were used to it.
Life was much slower, and much hotter than where I live now. Students would walk home at lunchtime for food, and it always seemed to be plenty long enough. We would have a hot lunch, then walk back the couple of miles to school. The only times I really didn't like walking were those when heavy rains would soak us to the skin!
Image Credit » Vickiw
Comments
VinceSummers wrote on January 7, 2015, 9:51 PM
We used to walk to our nearby school when I was as little as 5.
Vickiw wrote on January 7, 2015, 10:25 PM
Great to see you again Vince. Thanks
VinceSummers wrote on January 7, 2015, 11:10 PM
Your name is familiar, but I am missing the image (I am a person of sight).
Vickiw wrote on January 8, 2015, 7:25 AM
Thanks for the reminder, Vince! I thought something was missing.
VinceSummers wrote on January 8, 2015, 9:10 AM
THAT'S better. Now of course I recognize you.
AsADrivenLeaf wrote on January 8, 2015, 9:13 AM
Oh, we've always swam above the surface while the deep waters carry us afloat. Thank you for that bit of your childhood and family life sharing. Mine, in that farthest stretch of my years, had been memorable, too. So good to see you here!
arthurchappell wrote on January 11, 2015, 6:42 AM
sounds like you have a rich range of experiences to share - the thought of teenage drivers worries me too
Vickiw wrote on January 11, 2015, 7:41 AM
I think it becomes an even greater concern with the type of cars that many wealthy teens have these days. It's a challenge to have them actually survive through their teens and even twenties now, because of the need for speed, and their bravado attitudes, mostly males, although girls are really getting into the action too.
Romeo wrote on January 11, 2015, 3:34 PM
Oh, the world is so small, but sometimes people grow up and live in so different ways. I like the diversity of cultures. Getting to know how people from other places live always fascinated me.
Vickiw wrote on January 11, 2015, 4:40 PM
Me too. I just love to live with people from different cultures, and seize every opportunity!
Jessreel wrote on January 11, 2015, 10:33 PM
This site looks like a huge pool to meet wonderful people. I have seen many familiar faces here!
Vickiw wrote on January 12, 2015, 3:46 PM
It's starting to feel really homey now. So many from the other nameless site!