Slice number twenty got me thinking about the year I was twenty.
When I was twenty...
the Berlin Wall came down,
Nelson Mandela was freed,
I wore a pair of chocolate brown riding-style pants with ankle boots and a J Crew rollneck sweater.
When I was twenty...
I wrote my junior thesis on Rosa Luxemburg, German socialist and suffragette,
I alienated my college roommate with inconsiderate behavior,
I joined the beginners' intramural ice hockey league and fell over a lot.
When I was twenty...
I lived and studied at an international folk high school in Denmark
I took a course in ecology, making me realize I shouldn't have been afraid of science classes all that time,
I discovered Daim bars, which are what Heath bars want to be when they grow up
When I was twenty...
I had a friend who'd been tortured in an Iranian jail before fleeing his homeland,
I was chastened when we complained about being served fruit for dessert, and our Estonian classmate said, "My three year old has never even seen a banana,"
I started my rough drafts of the letters we wrote each week for Amnesty International by cussing out the leaders who were responsible for atrocities.
When I was twenty...
I was on the losing end of having a crush on a friend
I made a friend that has been my kindred spirit ever since
I danced almost every weekend.
When I was twenty...
I discovered that Eastern Europe was not all smoke stacks and grey depression
I set my feet on a path that would lead to years of travel and teaching
I hennaed my hair and braided beads into it, like my cool English friend
When I was twenty...
I had a summer job in which my supervisor was an alcoholic,
I realized that my parents would always have my back, even when I was an adult,
I started wearing scrunchies instead of hair bands.
This sounds like an extraordinary year, a year that no doubt opened your eyes to so many other cultures. This seemed the epitome of 20 to me: I alienated my college roommate with inconsiderate behavior. I must have a Daim bar!!
ReplyDeleteThat does pretty much sum it up. There was a lot of beer too, as I recall.
DeleteWhat a fun walk down memory lane. I loved the concrete details and images in your poem, and the fun touches like the Daim bars, a grown up aspiration for Heath bars, hehe.
ReplyDelete1989? (On account of the Berlin Wall coming down?)
ReplyDelete1989? (On account of the Berlin Wall coming down?)
ReplyDeleteYes! I turned 20 in the summer of 1989, so this memory covers 1989 and 1990. Bonus points for you!
DeleteThis slice is amazing-you paint such a picture of 20-year-old you--what interesting experiences and poignant memories!
ReplyDeleteA momentous year was 1989 but, then again, aren't they all? :)
ReplyDeleteA momentous year was 1989 but, then again, aren't they all? :)
ReplyDeleteWhat an extraordinary year 1989 was--I was still pretty young then, but your perspective is exquisite. The structure breaks up the memories really nicely--giving the reader time to remember for him/her-self. THanks!
ReplyDeleteI wasn't nearly as old as I thought I was, of course. The transition to scrunchies was on par with the Berlin Wall coming down in terms of how much importance I put to it.
DeleteYou seem like a mature twenty year old, at least when I compare my own life at twenty. Traveling on your own, learning about teaching and finishing a thesis are impressive to me.
ReplyDeleteWhen I started thinking about that year, I realized it was pretty eventful in my life as well as in the world at large.
DeleteSuch wonderful memories. 1989 was a tremendous year. you have lived well!
ReplyDeleteI can't remember when I was twenty. It was nearly 38 years ago. Which is 1976, when I do the math, but I was only 18 then, so this is proof of why I should never attempt math or recalling memories with any success at accuracy.
ReplyDeleteLet's see, 1976 must be 40 years ago, and if there's an 11 year age difference you were twenty in...1978-79? You turned 21 in Medford, I know that for some strange reason.
DeleteThat's quite a list! I'm so impressed but some of them. Intrigued. Unsure. Laughing. Relating. It's diverse, honest, raw and really playful in a well-rounded way.
ReplyDeleteI don't think I'd ever looked back before in terms of what a significant year it was overall for me. I had lots of raw material to choose from!
DeleteI miss being in my 20s. I went to college too and about to graduate. I covered amnesty international for my college paper. I didn't take sides because I had to remain objective. I had ideals and loved keeping up with current events. I graduated in December 1988. I remember the Berlin Wall coming down and the guy from that car show singing. I can really relate to your post as you can tell.:)
ReplyDeleteIt's funny how it seems like yesterday until I really start thinking about it and realize not just how much time has passed, but how much more life experience I have now. Everything had such an IMPACT then, though.
DeleteAhh this is such a great post! It must have been nice to go down the memory lane and remember all these things (though some of them are really specific, haha, those candy bars must have made quite an impression on you!). :) I'm still in my late 20s (I'm turning 29 in a month) and I was thinking whether I could do a similar post just now, but I don't think it would have the same impact!
ReplyDeleteAnd I think we all went through the awful experience of crushing on our friends. I remember it was the absolute worst, but then every unrequited crush seems like the absolute worst until you find someone you *really* care about.
Thank you for sharing these!
About those candy bars--Yes. Yes, they did. I can find them at Ikea stores here in the US, but they tend to be stale, which makes me very sad.
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