Tricia
I was born in Nairobi, Kenya. I lived there till I was ten. It was a beautiful, wild place. My dad travelled a lot as he built clinics, schools, and churches for Irish missionaries. We travelled over dirt roads, crossed lakes full of flamingos, passing giraffe, zebra, lion. I spoke Swahili. One-third of the population of Nairobi was African – Kikuyu, Luo, Marigoli, and more; one-third was European; and one-third was South Asian – Indian, Pakistani, Goan, and Sri Lankan. The people were adventurous.
We moved to Yorkshire, England, and it was a massive shock. Rows of red brick houses and an orderly English population. School was awesome. But we only stayed two years. Then our family moved to Belfast, Northern Ireland. I spent two years in a convent boarding school. Dealing with huge contrasts in cultures was a big part of my growth. Our family loved life in Ireland.
I married an American and moved to the States when I was 20. The war broke out in Ireland after I left. The news from there caused terrible sadness.
I had four gorgeous sons, who have grown to be really good men. I have ten beautiful grandchildren. I was an educational counselor and taught from kindergarten through college in my career. I joined the YMCA when I retired. I gradually became aware just how benign it was. The people, the exercise, the community unfolded, and I realised that this was a treasure!
I have been so lucky in my life.
We moved to Yorkshire, England, and it was a massive shock. Rows of red brick houses and an orderly English population. School was awesome. But we only stayed two years. Then our family moved to Belfast, Northern Ireland. I spent two years in a convent boarding school. Dealing with huge contrasts in cultures was a big part of my growth. Our family loved life in Ireland.
I married an American and moved to the States when I was 20. The war broke out in Ireland after I left. The news from there caused terrible sadness.
I had four gorgeous sons, who have grown to be really good men. I have ten beautiful grandchildren. I was an educational counselor and taught from kindergarten through college in my career. I joined the YMCA when I retired. I gradually became aware just how benign it was. The people, the exercise, the community unfolded, and I realised that this was a treasure!
I have been so lucky in my life.
