Surfing the Salad Bowl: England
How My Mom Met My Dad
By Elisheba Ittoop
Elisheba's Mom and Dad, soon after they met.
My mother was born in India. However, she went to boarding school
in England. The capital of England, or The United Kingdom, is London.
The United Kingdom is under a constitutional monarchy which means the queen
is just ornamental. England is headed by a prime minister. The U.K. is one
of the world's trading powers. England is a very culturally diverse
country.
My mother spent much of her early life in England. In May of 1981, she
came to America for the first time to meet her fiancee, my dad. In July,
they were married in Virginia. She went back to England where she gave
birth to me but soon after, she returned to America.
In a way it was an arranged marraige. My parents' parents were picking
from a "pool" of suitable grooms and brides. My mom and dad met each other
like it was an interview and decided to get engaged. One of the funniest
stories about a man my mom could have married was a doctor who ate off her
plate during the entire interview! She quickly got him off her list and eventually married my father.
One of her first reactions when she came to America was how all the
policemen wore guns. They didn't do that in England. Another thing was that
everyone spoke with an "American accent" just like in the British movies.
People who didn't know her would still pass by and say "Hi!". The British
tended to be a bit more reserved. People would call her by her first name.
Also, Americans put ketchup on everything. In her words, "GROSS!"
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