Esther Praw - May 22, 1983
Becoming Americanized
Because, you see, I think that Europe was, maybe now Europe is the same, when in my, when I was in my kids' age, no, I was, I was younger when I left, the parents could chose for you a groom. The parents told you what to do, and you have to follow them. When I came to United States, the beginning, I was a little bit stupid and I wasn't Americanized yet, and I thought I could run my daughter's life. The older one, she was going out with a fine boy, but I don't know, I didn't want her to marry him. Until today I regret that I was against it because he is the finest, the finest son-in-law that ever can be. Then, I learned the hard way, and now my daughter came to me, she said I marry John, mother, he's not Jewish, he's going to become a Jew, so then I realize that I came from a very religious family. It's me, and I was thinking, and I know, sometimes it works out, when he's a different faith. He's a Jew now, he, he was, he uh, was married in a, in a shul in Tucson but not in a temple, because he do everything they told him to do. But the beginning, I didn't cry, I didn't fight when she came to tell me because like I said, I got Americanized, and I know that the kids in those days, in the United States, maybe all over the world, I don't know, they say they have the right to do what they want to do, they have the right to choose their own husband, what they want. And when I met John, I wished them good luck right away, and I'm very happy that she's married to John, because they have a very good life, you know. But uh, but being in this country you have to follow everything, you know, what they do here. We ate different, we sat different, we set the table different, we hold the fork and the knife different. Everything different. I went to school here just for a short time, for three or four months, that's all, because I was--then I had the little girl, and it was hard for me to do.
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