Tilted Forum Project Discussion Community - View Single Post - Our Grandparents

abaya · 07-26-2006, 01:23 PM

Cool thread, and I especially love hearing that so many of you are descended from immigrants; GO IMMIGRANTS!

My attempt at a quick summary:

--Maternal grandma (Thai) wanted to go to college and study French, but at age 18 she had to marry and start popping out kids. After many years of that, as well as her husband's womanizing, she got a divorce (we're talking about Thailand in the 40s-50s here... she was revolutionary), worked so hard to support her kids (as a French teacher) that she had to be hospitalized at one point, and married someone else. In her 70's she was incredibly brave and moved to the U.S. to be closer to 3 of her 10 children, leaving her husband behind in Thailand. She died last year at 87 of pancreatic cancer. I miss her so much.

--Maternal grandfather (Thai) was a judge for the supreme court of Thailand. He also happened to be an asshole and my grandmother divorced him. I never met him, since he died long before I was born.

--Paternal grandmother (Icelandic) was the daughter of a doctor in Iceland. She had an identical twin who died of TB when they were 16 (in fact, she lost many relatives to TB at that time). She worked as a housekeeper for a Lutheran priest when she was 18, and ended up marrying him soon after (he was 11 years older than her, oooh). He was assigned to a parish in rural NW Iceland, and they moved there to raise their 10 children for the next 40 years. She's still very much alive and kicking, having survived breast cancer and is on the cusp of turning 80 next year. I am named after her.

--Paternal grandfather (Icelandic) was a Lutheran priest in Iceland. The priesthood had been in his family, and he was a scholar by nature, so it was a natural choice. He loved to study and read in several languages... it's so cool to flip through his old books and see all the marginalia and notes to himself on the pages. He and my grandmother raised 10 children (including triplets) in rural Iceland, with him schooling all of his children at home until they were teenagers. I met him a few times when I was quite young, and barely remember him, unfortunately. He died on the operating table during a semi-risky surgery when I was 11 years old. My stepdad and I went to Iceland and the 5 brothers asked him to help carry the casket, since my biological father had died before I was born; it was a hugely significant gesture.

07-26-2006, 01:23 PM	#6 (permalink)
abaya Location: Iceland	Cool thread, and I especially love hearing that so many of you are descended from immigrants; GO IMMIGRANTS! My attempt at a quick summary: --Maternal grandma (Thai) wanted to go to college and study French, but at age 18 she had to marry and start popping out kids. After many years of that, as well as her husband's womanizing, she got a divorce (we're talking about Thailand in the 40s-50s here... she was revolutionary), worked so hard to support her kids (as a French teacher) that she had to be hospitalized at one point, and married someone else. In her 70's she was incredibly brave and moved to the U.S. to be closer to 3 of her 10 children, leaving her husband behind in Thailand. She died last year at 87 of pancreatic cancer. I miss her so much. --Maternal grandfather (Thai) was a judge for the supreme court of Thailand. He also happened to be an asshole and my grandmother divorced him. I never met him, since he died long before I was born. --Paternal grandmother (Icelandic) was the daughter of a doctor in Iceland. She had an identical twin who died of TB when they were 16 (in fact, she lost many relatives to TB at that time). She worked as a housekeeper for a Lutheran priest when she was 18, and ended up marrying him soon after (he was 11 years older than her, oooh). He was assigned to a parish in rural NW Iceland, and they moved there to raise their 10 children for the next 40 years. She's still very much alive and kicking, having survived breast cancer and is on the cusp of turning 80 next year. I am named after her. --Paternal grandfather (Icelandic) was a Lutheran priest in Iceland. The priesthood had been in his family, and he was a scholar by nature, so it was a natural choice. He loved to study and read in several languages... it's so cool to flip through his old books and see all the marginalia and notes to himself on the pages. He and my grandmother raised 10 children (including triplets) in rural Iceland, with him schooling all of his children at home until they were teenagers. I met him a few times when I was quite young, and barely remember him, unfortunately. He died on the operating table during a semi-risky surgery when I was 11 years old. My stepdad and I went to Iceland and the 5 brothers asked him to help carry the casket, since my biological father had died before I was born; it was a hugely significant gesture. __________________ And think not you can direct the course of Love; for Love, if it finds you worthy, directs your course. --Khalil Gibran Last edited by abaya; 07-26-2006 at 01:26 PM..