I recently started interviewing my grandmother, Gail, for our Oral History Projects. She is currently living in Maine with my family, and with a three hour time difference it has been rather hard to find a time in the day that works for the both of us. We finally zoomed last weekend and spent over two hours talking. She had moved in with my family this summer so we have spent a lot of time together, but rather than talking it was always helping her with projects- as she was trying to put her house on the market. Therefore, having a chance to sit down and just talk was a really nice experience. It gave me deja vu of when I was a child and she shared never-heard-before stories as we drove hundreds of miles to South Carolina.
One of the things that my grandmother and I wanted to focus on in her memoir was her solo trip to France as a 22 year old. It wasn’t common for women of her age, her era, her religion, or from her area to travel to Europe alone. It was very fascinating to her about all of the places she saw, the interactions she had, and the memories she made. Everything from nude beaches, to very forward French men, to her running out of money, to wrongly destined flights. I also learned that my grandmother was engaged before she met my grandfather!
I think my favorite part of our conversation was the sparkle in her eyes and the excitement in her voice. This year has been tough for everyone, but for her especially, she recently lost her fiancé and to see her so happy was a blessing. I also loved the fact that she would be telling a story and a switch would flip and she’d be speaking in French! She’s been retired from her position as a French teacher for many years now so I think she really loved to speak again. I’m very glad I took this class for an array of reasons, but most importantly growing my relationship with my grandmother
One of the things that my grandmother and I wanted to focus on in her memoir was her solo trip to France as a 22 year old. It wasn’t common for women of her age, her era, her religion, or from her area to travel to Europe alone. It was very fascinating to her about all of the places she saw, the interactions she had, and the memories she made. Everything from nude beaches, to very forward French men, to her running out of money, to wrongly destined flights. I also learned that my grandmother was engaged before she met my grandfather!
I think my favorite part of our conversation was the sparkle in her eyes and the excitement in her voice. This year has been tough for everyone, but for her especially, she recently lost her fiancé and to see her so happy was a blessing. I also loved the fact that she would be telling a story and a switch would flip and she’d be speaking in French! She’s been retired from her position as a French teacher for many years now so I think she really loved to speak again. I’m very glad I took this class for an array of reasons, but most importantly growing my relationship with my grandmother