British Expats

British Expats (https://britishexpats.com/forum/)
-   The Trailer Park (https://britishexpats.com/forum/trailer-park-96/)
-   -   Would you have come to America ... (https://britishexpats.com/forum/trailer-park-96/would-you-have-come-america-861568/)

Maud Araminta Jul 10th 2015 10:06 pm

Re: Would you have come to America ...
 

Originally Posted by Giantaxe (Post 11696709)
I know a Greek woman who hardly speaks a word of English. She's lived in the US for almost 60 years!

No doubt she lives in a Greek community.

Giantaxe Jul 10th 2015 10:09 pm

Re: Would you have come to America ...
 

Originally Posted by Maud Araminta (Post 11696713)
No doubt she lives in a Greek community.

If by "Greek community" you mean she has a Greek husband, then yes. Otherwise, no, she lives in a mixed neighborhood. She never worked in the US and relies on her husband's English to get by.

Maud Araminta Jul 10th 2015 10:18 pm

Re: Would you have come to America ...
 

Originally Posted by Giantaxe (Post 11696718)
If by "Greek community" you mean she has a Greek husband, then yes. Otherwise, no, she lives in a mixed neighborhood. She never worked in the US and relies on her husband's English to get by.

Not always the best arrangement. Makes for an isolated life and an over-dependence on one's spouse.

Giantaxe Jul 10th 2015 10:19 pm

Re: Would you have come to America ...
 

Originally Posted by Maud Araminta (Post 11696722)
Not always the best arrangement. Makes for an isolated life and an over-dependence on one's spouse.

Her husband is very controlling. I wouldn't be surprised if he discouraged her from learning English way back when.

Maud Araminta Jul 10th 2015 10:27 pm

Re: Would you have come to America ...
 

Originally Posted by Giantaxe (Post 11696723)
Her husband is very controlling. I wouldn't be surprised if he discouraged her from learning English way back when.

My point exactly. I see this a lot here, especially when the wife is naive and much younger. She relies on her husband for everything and, eventually, is unable to think for herself.

Jerseygirl Jul 10th 2015 10:43 pm

Re: Would you have come to America ...
 

Originally Posted by Maud Araminta (Post 11696727)
My point exactly. I see this a lot here, especially when the wife is naive and much younger. She relies on her husband for everything and, eventually, is unable to think for herself.

Maud I have a feeling we have met before...several times in fact. Your posting style, multiple threads in quick succession and username remind me of her. She was from Conneticut if my memory serves me well.

Maud Araminta Jul 10th 2015 10:54 pm

Re: Would you have come to America ...
 

Originally Posted by Jerseygirl (Post 11696742)
Maud I have a feeling we have met before...several times in fact. Your posting style, multiple threads in quick succession and username remind me of her. She was from Conneticut if my memory serves me well.

Am I posting too much?

Jerseygirl Jul 10th 2015 10:56 pm

Re: Would you have come to America ...
 

Originally Posted by Maud Araminta (Post 11696748)
Am I posting too much?

Nope. Just saying you remind me of someone and I'm not usually wrong.

MMcD Jul 10th 2015 11:11 pm

Re: Would you have come to America ...
 

Originally Posted by Maud Araminta (Post 11696727)
I see this a lot here, especially when the wife is naive and much younger. She relies on her husband for everything and, eventually, is unable to think for herself.

Surely you don't mean "here" (in the States) in particular....as opposed to other countries?

Referring back to the Salvadoran woman I mentioned earlier - her illiteracy was entirely due to the fact that her father forbid her to even get a minimal education as a child.
"School isn't for girls!", he asserted.

Hence, her brothers were allowed to at least obtain a basic education while she was sent off to sew in a factory and "be useful".

Hideous domestic abuse....

Pulaski Jul 10th 2015 11:19 pm

Re: Would you have come to America ...
 

Originally Posted by Jerseygirl (Post 11696750)
..... I'm not usually wrong.

It must be something in the water in Sheffield. ;)

Jerseygirl Jul 10th 2015 11:20 pm

Re: Would you have come to America ...
 

Originally Posted by Pulaski (Post 11696769)
It must be something in the water in Sheffield. ;)


I think so. ;)

It's gone very quiet hasn't it...was it something I said? :unsure:

scrubbedexpat097 Jul 10th 2015 11:23 pm

Re: Would you have come to America ...
 

Originally Posted by Jerseygirl (Post 11696750)
Nope. Just saying you remind me of someone and I'm not usually wrong.

JG, you are so PRIM and proper and and Stirchley. .oops strictly speaking you are usually right;)

Maud Araminta Jul 10th 2015 11:26 pm

Re: Would you have come to America ...
 

Originally Posted by MMcD (Post 11696764)
Surely you don't mean "here" (in the States) in particular....as opposed to other countries?

Hideous domestic abuse....

I used the word "here" because America (and England) are all I know. I didn't mean to infer that this type of abuse happens only here.

Hideous domestic abuse indeed.

Jerseygirl Jul 10th 2015 11:28 pm

Re: Would you have come to America ...
 

Originally Posted by Sugarmooma (Post 11696772)
JG, you are so PRIM and proper and and Stirchley. .oops strictly speaking you are usually right;)

but she was from Conneticut...but wait...:lol:

Yorkieabroad Jul 11th 2015 12:51 am

Re: Would you have come to America ...
 
I would move somewhere without knowing the language, but I doubt it would have been America. Wife did move to the U.S. in her very early teens and went to school first day knowing not one word of English. She had done the same when moving to Japan a year earlier. Her father was the only one that spoke English, but he was a chief engineer at sea for 12 month trips, so the family had to get set up and get on with life in a strange language. Her mom now speaks very good, but heavily accented English. Her main confusions are on gender and tense, especially when she gets mad:lol: the 3 daughters all went thru US universities for first and second degrees, and speak very good English..for all of them it is their written English that betrays the fact that it is not their first language.

I still have a hankering to move back to the Far East, and if it happened, Taiwan would likely be the place, where English is pretty limited, as is my Chinese. We are in Taiwan at the moment, and the kids are sucking up the Mandarin like sponges. My 10 yo daughter has been elevated from youngest kid to de facto leader because she is doing so well and will jump in with both feet. The boys are more reticent. Wife is not with us for the last couple of weeks so I'd expected to be the "guide", but daughter has surpassed my limited abilities in double quick time, speaking, reading and writing.


All times are GMT. The time now is 2:37 pm.

Powered by vBulletin: ©2000 - 2024, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.
Copyright © 2024 MH Sub I, LLC dba Internet Brands. All rights reserved. Use of this site indicates your consent to the Terms of Use.