Diplomite (eBook)

Diana Carr (Autor)

eBook Download: EPUB

2021 | 1. Auflage
338 Seiten
Bookbaby (Verlag)
978-1-0983-9548-3 (ISBN)

Infos

'The Diplomite' is a compelling account of the author's life experiences growing up so far from home. From India to Vienna, Diana Carr was always an outsider, and learned what it is like to be the 'other'. This is a story about what it is like to be a young representative of the United States and staying calm in the face of danger. This is a story about how no matter what, the author's parents kept her family safe. This is a story about the strength and importance of family.

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"e;The Diplomite"e; is a compelling account of the author's life experiences growing up so far from home. From India to Vienna, Diana Carr was always an outsider, and learned what it is like to be the "e;other"e;. This is a story about what it is like to be a young representative of the United States and staying calm in the face of danger. This is a story about how no matter what, the author's parents kept her family safe. This is a story about the strength and importance of family. Carr's father joined the Foreign Service in 1945. The world was in turmoil as it settled into the aftermath of World War II. British colonialism was ebbing, communism was rising, nuclear war had become a possibility, and the cold war had begun. People wondered how they would survive the times. Their first post was New Delhi, where they experienced the caste system - cobras and kraits in the garden, loving and leaving a monkey, and perched high on a gate post, watching the flow of mourners grieve on their way to Mahatma Gandhi's funeral. Next came Paris, war worn and weary but determined to recover. After that, they were sent to Vienna. The Viennese, defeated, trudged through the British, French, Russian, and American sectors of their city. The last stop was Cairo just after General Naguib and Colonel Nasser took over from King Farouk. Egypt was in a state of flux between monarchy and republic. This is a powerful story about being everywhere, but somehow nowhere. Diana Carr's journey is filled with adventure, lessons, and stories that will stick with you. A life like no other, this book shares the complexities of a life overseas, and the profound impact it had on Diana and her family. This book is so much more than a memoir. It is a literary reflection of strength, courage, and the significance of family. It offers commentary on history, culture, and the social implications of the post-war world. A masterpiece of non-fiction, this is a must-read account of an unforgettable life.

Textauszug

Part I.
Washington D.C.
1946

“He’s coming! I see him!” My little sister stretched her arm out pointing to the end of our small residential street in Washington D.C. A dim figure was barely visible. “I’m going to get Mother.”

She raced up the porch steps and into the house. I squinted, watching the figure grow as it approached. Patty was right! Father was on his way home from work.

Within a minute she rejoined me. We held hands jumping up and down on our lawn. Now only half a block away, the gray suit, the white shirt, and the dark tie looked crisp and business like. So did the leather briefcase. Father walked with his head slightly down like he was tired but when he looked up and saw us, he covered the rest of the distance from his bus stop in record time. We squealed and flung ourselves at him.

“Tricks or treats?” we demanded.

The screen door behind us opened with a creek, and Mother stepped out onto our front porch. She fussed with her apron ruffles and patted her hairdo, making sure all the hairpins and combs held her pompadour upsweep in place, as she always did just before greeting Father.

“Today it’s tricks!” he announced.

Patty and I immediately bent over with our backsides facing him and arms stretched behind us as far as we could reach between our legs. He grabbed Patty’s hands first and in one swift motion, he lifted her up in the air and flipped her over. Then it was my turn. Up and over I tumbled. Mother watched with one hand over her heart, eyes nearly closed while shaking her head slowly from side to side.

“More! More!” we begged. “Airplane rides. We want the airplane rides!”

“Just one airplane each. Your mother is waiting.”

“Me first! Me first!” Patty pushed past me. She held her left arm out for Father to grab and lifted her left leg for him to take in his other hand. Holding her just inches above the grass, he leaned back into a spin. Around she flew, swooping up and down as he raised and lowered his arms. After three revolutions he “landed” her gently on the grass. I stepped up for my turn.

“Bob. No!” The surprise of Mother raising her voice and the sharp urgency of her tone froze us all on the spot. “It isn’t safe.” Looking down from the porch at me, she said,” Deedee, you’re getting taller every day. One fraction of an inch … I’m afraid your father might not be able to swing you high enough, you could be hurt badly. No airplane rides. It scares me too much.”

I jabbed the lawn with my toe and said, “But Patty got to…”

“I know, Honey.” Now Mother’s voice was a soft purr. “Being four years older is hard sometimes. But just think of all the things you can do that Patty can’t because she is too little.” She turned to face Father who was busy retrieving his briefcase.

He nodded in agreement. He turned to me, ruffled my hair and said, “Your mother’s right. We’ll find something else for a big eight-year-old to do. Like maybe stay up a little later for a game of checkers?”

“Big” sounded good. Most grownups called Patty and me tiny, and kids at school teased me for being the smallest in class. I nodded. Checkers isn’t as exciting as the airplane ride, but I’ll get to stay up later than Patty.

Father climbed the porch steps and hugged our mother. She tilted her head back and looked up at him she asked, “Do you know yet, Bob?”

“No,” he answered. “The State Department will have our answer soon. Don’t worry. I know it will come through.”

Mother sighed one of her longer worried sighs. She moved to the edge of the porch and looked out at my sister and me standing on the lawn. Over her shoulder she said, “They’re happy here. They’re a part of the neighborhood. They play hide and seek and roller-skate up and down the block with all the other kids. Is it fair to them, even though you and I want it so much?”

“Don’t worry, Betty. We’ll keep them happy and safe no matter where we are. Don’t listen to anyone who says otherwise.”

I didn’t know what they were talking about, but I guessed it was something big.

I was right because, four days later, Father called Patty and me into the kitchen before breakfast for an important announcement. “Girls, I have a new job. I have transferred from the State Department to the Foreign Service. This summer we are moving to New Delhi, India. Your mother and I are excited and happy about it. I’m sure you will be too, although it means a lot of changes in our lives.”

Soon evenings became crowded with my parents’ friends and acquaintances. Is this what Father meant by changes? When parties were held at our house, Patty and I hunched down at the top of our stairs to spy on the gathering below. When we accompanied our parents to friends’ homes, we wore starched white pinafores over matching dresses and remembered to be quiet and to smile. Guests clicked glasses filled with frothy bubbles. Some laughed while hugging Mother or clapping Father on the back and congratulating them. Other friends seemed teary eyed and murmured that it would be all right while patting Mother’s arm or nodding wisely at Father.

Two months after Father’s announcement about his new job, packers arrived carrying large cardboard cartons and stacks of paper that they crumbled and stuffed into the cartons along with our things. The men whisked everything into containers like they were having a contest to see who could fill the most boxes. I wondered if I would ever see my toys and books again. I crossed my fingers. Patty asked me, “Will our things stay on the truck forever?”

When the front door closed behind the packers, Mother sank into a borrowed folding chair. “Oh Bob, it’s too wonderful! But should we go through with it?”

“This is our dream come true, Betty. And we’ll be serving our country. Remember that part. Besides, it’s too late to change our minds; we’re on our way now.”

“Can you believe those packers told me we didn’t have anything worth insuring and that we were only a three-barrel family?” Mother’s indignant snort followed this question.

Father laughed. “Knowing you, my dear, I am sure that won’t be the case next time.”

Next time? Our parents had explained to us that we were going to make a big move, but I didn’t know another one was coming after that or why did I have to get so many shots? I hate shots, and so does Patty!

Patty followed me into the kitchen where Mother was reheating a casserole that friends had dropped off for our dinner. Although Patty only came up to my waist, I felt brave and strong when she was beside me. My loyal sidekick. I tapped Mother’s arm to get her attention and said, “We want to know everything. Where are they taking our things? What does Father mean by next time? Are we going to move two times? Does that mean more shots?”

Mother sighed. “Oh dear. We told you we’re moving to New Delhi, but maybe we didn’t explain how far away that is, and that there will be other posts after India.”

“Why can’t we stay here? Don’t you like our home anymore?” I asked.

“Of course we do, but your father has a very important new job.”

I reminded her, “You said the State Department was important. Just as important as being a soldier in the war.”

Patty nodded in agreement, “Important.”

Mother stopped fixing dinner and called, “Bob. Bob, we need you in here. The girls want to know about your new job.”

When Father joined us in the kitchen, he crossed his arms and leaned against the counter. “I am in the Foreign Service now, Girls. It’s just as important as the State Department. Your mother and I will be representing the United States in different places around the world. You two will be little diplomates too. It’s a way of serving our country, just like people in the Army and Navy and State Department do.”

Mother interrupted with a short laugh. “Diplomites! They’ll be wonderful little diplomites!”

Father smiled at her and said, “Yes! Exactly.”

He turned back to us. “To start with, we are going by train to California. It will take four nights and five days. We’ll have our own compartment and bunks to sleep in. We’ll have a month in California to visit family and friends, and then we’ll board a ship to India. You will be big girls with your own room on the ship, but your mother and I will be on the other side of the door that connects our rooms. We’ll be on the ship a long time. Seven weeks. There’s a pool on the ship, you’ll like that.”

Mother walked around the table to cup my chin in one hand and Patty’s in the other. She looked deep into our eyes and said slowly, “We will see and do so many new and wonderful things!” Then she kissed us each on our foreheads.

Patty and I hugged each other while we hopped in circles. Bunk beds on a train! A room of our own on a ship! A swimming pool! Maybe we would see whales! And many new and wonderful things! Boy oh boy! Moving wasn’t scary anymore.

We were running late the morning we rushed to the station to catch the train to California. Hurrying down the platform alongside the giant snake of hissing pullman cars, Mother fussed with her handbag and us. “Patty, don’t let go...

Produkt-Details

• Erscheint lt. Verlag: 5.10.2021
• Sprache: englisch
• Themenwelt: Literatur ► Biografien / Erfahrungsberichte
• ISBN-10: 1-0983-9548-4 / 1098395484
• ISBN-13: 978-1-0983-9548-3 / 9781098395483