Different Worlds in the Same Country
My grandfather on my mother’s side, Royce, lives in the suburbs of St. Louis with my grandmother, Linda. When I think about their house, one of the first things that comes to mind is the peach carpet that covers the second floor. Royce, who’ll I’ll be referring to as Papa for the continuation of the post, didn’t grow up with peach carpet or a collection of nutcrackers in the living room. He grew up with a dirt floor.
Papa’s childhood was lived out in northern Alabama. And yes, in a house with a dirt floor. His father was a farmer and laborer for the small town in which they lived. Don’t be fooled by the word town. Papa lived about a quarter-mile down the road from any neighbors. He went to school in a building where kindergarteners to high school seniors were taught. No one in his family was college-educated. Papa knew he didn’t want to stay, no matter how he loved his family there (and his pet pig and raccoon.) He joined the military to pay for college, never seeing any action but narrowly avoiding the bay of pigs. He met my Nana while stationed in Oklahoma and married her 18 months later. They moved to a more suburban area of Alabama. For a few years, he was an accounting major during the day and worked at the Reynolds Wrap factory at night. Then the family, now including my 4 year-old mother and 6 month-old uncle, moved to Oklahoma to for an accounting job. This didn’t last too many years, however. My Uncle Jon was 2 when my grandparents realized he deaf. 2 of the 4 best schools in the country for the deaf were located in St. Louis, so they packed up and moved to the Midwest. He became the CFO of a small PR firm, went to China the second they opened it back up to foreigners, and saw Les Mis when it was still just playing in London. Both he and my Nana still have their southern accents. My mom only lost hers when she moved to Chicago at 28.
So what was the point of all that? My grandpa isn’t an immigrant. That aside, he still became part of a vastly different community than the one he was born into. His early life would have been more similar to mine if he was born in Canada or maybe even the UK than rural Alabama. I think it’s really interesting how different regions of our own country can feel so opposite of each other. Papa is a southerner and a northerner, part of both communities.
Papa’s childhood was lived out in northern Alabama. And yes, in a house with a dirt floor. His father was a farmer and laborer for the small town in which they lived. Don’t be fooled by the word town. Papa lived about a quarter-mile down the road from any neighbors. He went to school in a building where kindergarteners to high school seniors were taught. No one in his family was college-educated. Papa knew he didn’t want to stay, no matter how he loved his family there (and his pet pig and raccoon.) He joined the military to pay for college, never seeing any action but narrowly avoiding the bay of pigs. He met my Nana while stationed in Oklahoma and married her 18 months later. They moved to a more suburban area of Alabama. For a few years, he was an accounting major during the day and worked at the Reynolds Wrap factory at night. Then the family, now including my 4 year-old mother and 6 month-old uncle, moved to Oklahoma to for an accounting job. This didn’t last too many years, however. My Uncle Jon was 2 when my grandparents realized he deaf. 2 of the 4 best schools in the country for the deaf were located in St. Louis, so they packed up and moved to the Midwest. He became the CFO of a small PR firm, went to China the second they opened it back up to foreigners, and saw Les Mis when it was still just playing in London. Both he and my Nana still have their southern accents. My mom only lost hers when she moved to Chicago at 28.
So what was the point of all that? My grandpa isn’t an immigrant. That aside, he still became part of a vastly different community than the one he was born into. His early life would have been more similar to mine if he was born in Canada or maybe even the UK than rural Alabama. I think it’s really interesting how different regions of our own country can feel so opposite of each other. Papa is a southerner and a northerner, part of both communities.
Great post, Mimi! It's interesting how people can seemingly inhabit dual communities.
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