Small Reunion June 2001
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During my year at AHS I sent a flow of letters back to my parents. They kept them carefully and I read all of them again since I found my classmates back. I made a compilation of quotes which describes something that happened in and around school.....
December 14, 1961
There is some realy very funny guy in school: Mike Callahan. He is smaller than I am and with a most innocent face he says to girls, that they would look much better without "those dammed gurdles". It is a strange remark, but you really laugh your head off when he says it.When he sees me he steps on my toes or gives me a big punch. He does that to many girls. He always reserves a seat for Anne and me at lunch and then he controls the muscles in my arm with the remark : "Keep it up girl!". The first day in school he came up to me and said in a very serious voice: "Do you know a boy named Hannes Brinker with this silver skates?" He always teases me with our "wooden shoes". Today he wanted Anne and me to do stomach musle exercises……………….
January 7, 1962
Not long ago I became an enthusiastic supporter from our basketball team and our wrestling team. Our teams are excellent in both sports……………
Last week Anne, Mike Callaghan and myself were in the smoking area during lunch, outside school en he said he thinks that I look much too American: smoking, short skirt, knee socks and my fat stomach. We really laughed a lot with him about the funny remarks he added to that.
In my P.O.D. class I had asked that bitch Miss Hicks if she wanted to ask the kids what they knew about Dutch New Guinea (then our colony, near Indonesia). Nobody knew anything about it, except the president of the student council knew something to tell about President Sukarno (of Indonesia). That nasty bitch, hears me out in one class about everything and the next hour she tells it to her class like it comes from her own mind and knew it all herself. When you argue with her then immediately she will switch her opinion and agrees with your arguments………….
January 17, 1961
The American boys in school are nice but dumm (apologize for that now - Jeanne 2001). They always have the same jokes and act so shy to me while they have the greatest fun with the other girls. I think they have fear of my length (most are smaller than I am, or just as tall)……
In zoölogy we dissected a clam in the beginning of the week. Anne did the same with a worm. We opened it all up and tore the intestines completely out, just we could not find the heart. One of the girls exclaimed :"I have no heart".
January 20, 1961
This school is really a very good one compared to the average American standard for schools…..
February 13, 1961
Our basketball team suffered a humiliating defeat last Saturday and now they are not automatically champion. A decisive match has to be played. The wrestling team is unbeaten and may have to play for the county and later the state championships.
There is a lot of tension about John Glenn’s spaceflight tomorrow…….
February 25, 1961
Americans have a great sense of humour. There were some hundreds of people protesting against the resumption of atom bomb explosions in front of the White House. The weather was very cold and it was snowing. Guess what Kennedy did: he sent White House servants outside the gate with hot chocolade and paper cups………
Glenn did it! We heard parts of it over the school PA system. Fantastically interesting. I have permission from the principle to go to Washington tomorrow to see Glenn and Kennedy. We will see a fantastic parade and Glenn will give a speech for the Congress. Glenn is my heroe……
April 18, 1962
The kids from the band have invited me for a bandtrip; two days in Newton, New Jersey and two days in New York. We travelled by bus to our destination and I met really very good and wonderful people. There is no good Dutch word for that. There was such wonderful comradeship and friendship and they were so sweet to me, that I really became very shy under it all. The nice thing about it was, that I was not this time the Exchange student to whom they always act and talk in some formal manner, but just a girl. The concerts they gave were very good and I thoroughly enjoyed them. They worked very hard and I was always present at their rehearsals. The last two days we were in New York, Paramount Hotel near Times Square and that was an unforgettable time. We saw the Easter show in Radio City Music Hall and the most comical musical in an off Broadway theatre. The artists were not the best but it was so small and funny. They music was played by two grand piano’s.
Also we visited the UNO building by which I am still fascinated. We returned on Sunday night (we had left Thursday morning)….
After all the whole trip has been like a dream in which I never thought about the future nor the past, just the present which made it all so careless and so wonderful. The bandconductor is a very fine man and I thanked him in a written note and parts of my letter he read aloud to the bandmembers while other parts of my letter he considered too personal (I later on heard this from some people).
The strange thing about this is, that around Christmas I was sometimes a little desperate, would I ever be able to make good friends over here and now I have so many. It is very difficult for me to describe, what I really have to say in this letter. Since the trip I do have so many more friends in school and it is so nice to talk to them now, or just that they greet me. One of the boys told me that he thought that Exchange students were stuck up and conceited, who never could have any feelings of could have fun; I mean he thought that they were not really human. Sometimes you do have such an idea about people you do not know, but he said he now had a different opinion…………
Last Monday I held a speech in an assemblee meeting for 1100 kids and 30 to 50 teachers. I came on stage on my wooden shoes and told them different things about which you never read something but which are interesting to tell them about. Then I showed my slides, but that I really messed up with upside down etc……..Then I introduced my (real) mother and she said a few words of gratitude and after that I handed over the Dutch flag for the collection of the country flags with which AHS has had connections through the exchange program of the American Field Service. Finally I said some final words, but they started clapping and they stood up which made me very emotional that I ran behind the stage, because I could not control my emotions. Altogether one hour.
April 26, 1962
…..Some of the kids in school came up to me and proposed that I should stay in Annapolis…..
Some of the boys of the band rehearse now every morning before school is starting, for a small band and one of the boys asked me if I would come over and listen to them for three quarters for an hour. .
Today I was staring at my schoolring and I decided to never take him off again, so attached I feel to the ring……..
Even today a girl came up to me to tell me that the assemblee about Holland was the very best one. It is so nice that people here always say something. Nearly all the teachers have said something about it…….
May 5, 1962
…..Soon the Seniors have all very special days in school and coming Tuesday is Seniorday in which different Seniors will replace all teachers and they will even have a Senior principal, Vice-principal and Supervisor and all are elected. I walked up to one girl who was nominated in our class and I told her about that and then she said that she liked that, but she said : "Guess who is running against me?" I said that I did not know and then she said: "You". Some kids in some class had nominated me and now we both will enter the elections. If this does not work out, then I will give 2 hours of geography. I do like that so much about Americans to do something like this.
Coming Friday we have "Seniorslob" day in which all Seniors come to school in very ragged clothes………
May 9, 1962
The Seniorday was very funny and I had a ball running around the whole day from one class to the other in my function as Supervisor of the school. The last period we even had a firedrill and all juniors and sophomores were outraged that they had to do that too, already after all the crummy teachers they had to put up with. Next Friday there are elections for the new Student Council officers, after a car parade around the school, early in the morning. And on top of that the Seniorday has been promoted to Seniorslobday……
May 22, 1962
…..Yesterday I gave a short lecture about the Dutch education system to the teachers. That was so nice for me to do and it was so very nice that it went in such a wonderful relaxed atmosphere, that I had many more things to tell them, which came up while I was talking to them……
Coming Monday I have to handover the picture book of the Netherlands to the President of the Student Council it is the last day in school and I am very afraid that I will not control my emotions…….
June 12, 1962
The prom with Hal Wierenga was so enchanting/fairy-like. It was an elongated hall and we entered at the long end over a bridge built over a pond. At the other end a cascade was built with rocks and beautiful colours. The theme was "Wonderland at night". The heaven consisted of darkblue paper which was hung up in waves with stars everywhere hanging down. In the middle there was a huge shiny moon attached (round ball). The orchestra was situated in the middle of the long walls on a podium with some kind of canopy over it. At the other long wall ten log tables were positioned from the wall. The music was mainly twist and slowdance in a distribution of 4 : 1.
Then Friday after this Tuesday we had a seniordinner with all Seniors. That is so nice and so much goes along with the graduation, especially for the Seniors. There were quite some teachers and the band offered me and the Spanish boy a record of their last concert where I was present. Then on Sunday THE graduation day.
June 16, 1962
….Yesterday (June 15) I was for the last time in school. The Seniors had left 14 days ago but for the Juniors and the Sophomores it was their last day. It was not easy to bid farewell………