Not everyone in America
was born here. Each immigrant brings unique traditions with them. Meet Jan
Drummond of St. George who was born in New Zealand. Here’s part of her story:
Almost all of us pakehas (Europeans) born in New Zealand in the 1940s had
either British or Scottish great grandparents who had immigrated.
This meant that our grandparents had funny accents because they were raised in
New Zealand by either British or Scottish parents. All were dirt poor, drank
hot tea at least 7 times a day, and raised vegetable gardens. We sang
"God save the Queen" a lot and loved any news of the British
Royal family. Whenever "Scotland the Brave" would play on the
radio, our father would make us get up and stand at attention.
Growing up on a dairy farm, we had an out house which we called our
dunny. New Zealand is very volcanic with hot water bubbling from the
earth and running in the streams so in the old days, we took our weekly shower
in the local creek which flowed over a cliff like a small waterfall. We
never wore shoes to school or ever owned a coat.
Christmas came in the middle of Summer so we often went to the beach for
the day and ate bacon and egg pie for lunch. At the beach, we
would gather pipis and mussels and cook them for tea (dinner) over a small
fire.
It’s fun finding out where your ancestors are from and honoring
their traditions. Joan Falzone Davis of St. George tells us about her roots in
Italy: Born in NYC, my parents, sister and I moved back to Italy. Stayed a
couple of years there, then moved back to NY where we lived in Brooklyn in a
small neighborhood where everyone spoke Italian, even the shopkeepers. My world
came crashing down when I went to first grade. A rude awakening where only
English was spoken…a strange language? I 'd assumed I was still in
Italy-thinking that we had just been on a boat ride and got off to live
somewhere else in Italy. By the time I graduated from 8th grade, I was a proficient English speaker. In my leisure time, I
studied the dictionary. Imagine that! As my world expanded, I found there were
others like me––some from other countries, who spoke other languages…a melting
pot of cultures and customs. NEXT TIME: Cultures and Customs.