Back to Antioch

After working several weeks at the chicken restaurant, washing dishes with his bare hands in highly chlorinated heated water, we moved on. I was actually relieved since the powers of being would not be able to hold me back to repeat second grade. Tht was their solution for teaching a language.
Off we were back to Antioch. My dad was able to obtain a job with Fiberboard, through his connections. It was different this time. We moved in to an empty apartment. Our friends helped us move in. Of course, furniture was a first. We had a bookshelf made of 2 X 4 's and some bricks. No books, yet. Two chairs made of rattan in the living room. Mattresses on the floor. And....most importantly to my dad, a television. He felt it was the best way for us to learn the language, and help my mother ease the pain of leaving the rest of her family behind.
I quickly built my routine of shows. Learned all the channels and showtimes. It was a little easier in those days.
I also had the good fortune of making new friends. They were perhaps my best lesson in English.
We played on the railroad behind our apartment buildings, daring each other to stay on the rails as long as possible.
It was hot in Antioch in the summer. We had no way to cool ourselves. It was the first lesson of modesty I learned. I told my mom the heat was unbearable. Not coming from a puritanical background and only being 8 my mother told me to just unbutton my blouse. that lasted but a few minutes as kids immediately made remarks about my exposure. Interesting how we learn about new cultures.
I learned more about being American that summer in what no classroom could have taught me.