"You Had Such an Unusual Childhood"

Marilyn Sutton Loos

Description

Unlike thousands of other Americans who never leave their neighborhoods until high school, by the time Marilyn Sutton Loos was four years old, she had lived in Palestine, England, and America, and twice crossed the Atlantic and Mediterranean by boat. By the time she was fourteen, she had been evacuated once, lived in the Middle East unscathed through World War II, and added to the list of countries she had lived in or visited: Trans-Jordan, Cyprus, and Lebanon, with short times in Syria. She had become acquainted with Anglicans, Quakers, Presbyterians, Congregationalists, Catholics, Greek Orthodox, Seventh Day Adventists, and Plymouth Brethren, as well as Muslims, Druze and Jews of various denominations. She had learned to speak English, French, and simple Arabic, and occasionally used words of Turkish, and Armenian. Embroidery-whether tangible or figurative-was a leitmotif of the family's life. This is her attempt to write, from memory (unembroidered), about that life as they lived, taught, learned, traveled, and vacationed during the late 1930s and World War II. At the time, all these experiences seemed perfectly normal to her, but the many adjustments to American living showed how unusual they were to Americans. From 1946 to 1953 the family's lives became more similar to other American lives, but often seemed quite unusual to her.

Sujets

• Travel
• Middle East

Informations

• Publié par: Outskirts Press
• Date de parution: 31 décembre 2019
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9781977223272
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 4 Mo

Extrait

Figure 1 Family Christmas Card, Perhaps in 1941. (l. to r., front row) David, Ponto (back row) Mummy, Patience, Daddy, Marilyn

"You Had Such an Unusual Childhood" Essays on Growing Up in the Middle East during World War II All Rights Reserved. Copyright © 2020 Marilyn Sutton Loos v4.0
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ISBN: 978-1-9772-2327-2
Author Cover Photo © 2020 Judith A. Moody. All rights reserved - used with permission.
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PRINTED IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
To Patience Margaret Sutton Hajj, David Francis Sutton, and to Miss Kathleen M. Hatton, who each saw drafts, but did not survive to see the book.
Figure 2 Ramallah Wedding Dress with Bethlehem Gold Embroidery and Colored Silk Appliques
TABLE OF CONTENTS
TABLE OF FIGURES
PREFACE
INTRODUCTION
BEYOND THE GARDEN GATE
THE HEADMASTER’S HOUSE
HOMES AWAY FROM HOME
SCHOOLING
At Home
Boarding School
After Eviction of the Vichy French
CAMPING
DADDY
MUMMY, MAMÄ, HEADMASTER’S WIFE
MISS HATTON
SUMMER OF TRANSITION
RETURNING TO THE "HOME" I HAD NOT KNOWN
Figure 3 Palestinian Embroidery Done by Refugees Through UNRWA
TABLE OF FIGURES
Figure 1 Family Christmas Card, Perhaps in 1941. (l. to r., front row) David, Ponto (back row) Mummy, Patience, Daddy, Marilyn
Figure 2 Ramallah Wedding Dress with Bethlehem Gold Embroidery and Colored Silk Appliques
Figure 3 Palestinian Embroidery Done by Refugees Through UNRWA
Figure 4 Chinese Embroidery from the Loos Family
Figure 5 Damascus-Type Embroidered Tablecloth
Figure 6 Bargello Sampler I Have Yet to Make into a Pillow
Figure 7 Map of the Middle East That I Grew Up with in the 1930s and 1940s
Figure 8 Maternity Dress with Trim Embroidered by Mummy
Figure 9 My Damascus-Embroidered Kaftan
Figure 10 David and Marilyn at Gate of School, Neighbors’ House Behind Loose Stone Wall
Figure 11 School Classroom Building Courtyard in 1989, After Second Floor Added
Figure 12 Prudence and Margaret Walpole, Their Governess, and Their Donkey, Macko. Our Walks Must Have Coincided Sometimes
Figure 13 ’Amman from Hilltop
Figure 14 Center of ’Amman
Figure 15 Columbine Dress
Figure 16 Map of ’Amman
Figure 17 Fresh from Church, David and Marilyn Sitting on Lilo (Air Mattress/Swimcraft)
Figure 18 Road to Jerusalem
Figure 19 Serenity Prayer (Niebuhr), My Friend’s Paraphrases
Figure 20 Nouwen, Reaching Out
Figure 21 Front of Our House
Figure 22 Rough Plan of the House
Figure 23 Brass Jug for Hot Water for Shaving
Figure 24 Cook’s House
Figure 25 Visiting Cook at His Summer Home
Figure 26 David’s Birthday Party in Sandbox
Figure 27 Brass Tray Table Stand, Still in Use. Photo by Karen Hajj
Figure 28 The Qaanoon Is Mostly Decorative Now. Photo by Karen Hajj
Figure 29 Stork Lamp Drawing by Penny Williams Yaqub for Phyllis Sutton’s Thank You, Arabs
Figure 30 Modern Druze Chest, 21st Birthday Gift
Figure 31 Ramallah Head Scarf; Lacking a Spear, Hung Vertically
Figure 32 Patience and Marilyn on Swing, David Behind
Figure 33 Bib with Driver, Camel, and Donkey
Figure 34 Another Play on a Common Theme: Carved Wooden Camel Train
Figure 35 Stole and Skirt Embroidered Through UNRWA
Figure 36 Jerusalem YMCA, in Sketch Made from Photograph at About Age 16
Figure 37 My Jacobean Cushion Cover
Figure 38 My Wedding Dress, Adapted from a Garden Party Dress of "Auntie" Kathleen’s
Figure 39 Assisi-type Embroidery Done by Mummy, Emulating "Auntie" Kathleen
Figure 40 My Swiss Cap, Gift of Miss Hatton
Figure 41 The Dining Room Staff; Jeannie 3rd from L., Mrs. Hovnanian 5th, Patience 7th, Julie 8th, Marilyn 11th. The Men Look Suspiciously Like British "Tommies" Having Fun for the Camera.
Figure 42 Dress for Young Ramallah Girl
Figure 43 Kurdish Man’s Cap
Figure 44 Peacock Pillow Cover Mummy Embroidered for Us
Figure 45 Cover of Book of Bible Stories. Did I Really Do All of the Embroidery?
Figure 46 Putting on a Play in the Apricot Orchard/Vineyard in Our Back Garden
Figure 47 Off to Boarding School: Passport Picture for First Travel Without Daddy
Figure 48 American Community School of Beirut, from Rue Sidani. Photo Courtesy of Stu Bruce, Class of 1936, from Potrezebie of March 1995
Figure 49 ACS Viewed from the Playground. Photo Courtesy of Ibtissam Saadawi, ACS Staff, from Potrezebie of March 1997
Figure 50 Two 1930s Alumnae on Steps into Auditorium, in 1980, Confirming My Memory of Three Steps. Photo Courtesy of Mary-Averett Seelye, Class of 1935, from Potrezebie of September 1993
Figure 51 Across the Corniche to the Sea. Photo Courtesy of Anne Marie Dinney Helms, Class of 1964, from Potrezebie of June/July 1974
Figure 52 Swimming at AUB "Beach" l. to r.: Betsy Decherd, Liz Smith, Marilyn
Figure 53 The Entire Class of 1949 l. to r.: Marilyn, Ralph Pauly, Loretta Kreider
Figure 54 Penny, Marilyn, and David Aboard the First Jeep to Reach Beirut
Figure 55 Mummy’s Embroidered Chinese Tea Cloth
Figure 56 Mummy’s Woolen Damascus-Embroidered Kaftan
Figure 57 Honeymooners Camping
Figure 58 "Jonah’s Whale" Encountered During Honeymoon
Figure 59 Ugaritic Cuneiform Alphabet, Executed in Wood and Ivory Mosaic Box
Figure 60 Cover Art from Mummy’s Book, Thank You, Arabs , with Penny Williams Yaqub’s Drawing of the Scene
Figure 61 Three Members of the Desert Patrol
Figure 62 Small Bedouin-Type Coffee Pot and Three Cups
Figure 63 My Jacket of Damascus Brocade Embroidered in Bethlehem Style
Figure 64 The Proposed Beehive Shape for our Mudbrick Home in Syria
Figure 65 Harriet K. Chase Sutton’s Silhouette of Her Children Playing in the Snow
Figure 66 Isaac Sutton, Harriet Kennedy Chase Sutton, and their Son James Edward Sutton (Perhaps Aunt Elizabeth Sutton Brown to Rght)
Figure 67 Daddy, (r.) in Cap, with Boys of Friends Boys School, Resting on a Hike
Figure 68 Beirut Flower Show Prize for Daddy’s Columbines
Figure 69 Blanket Made by Daddy for Our Son Jonathan’s Arrival
Figure 70 Three Damascus-Style Embroidery Napkins
Figure 71 Daddy: (Clockwise from Upper Left:) in His 30s (by Polyfoto), in His 40s (Photographer: Gana’an), in His 50s (Perhaps), and in His 60s
Figure 72 Daddy’s Side of the Family Tree
Figure 73 Mummy’s Side of the Family Tree
Figure 74 Mummy: (Clockwise from Upper Left) in her 40s (Knitting as Usual), in Her 50s (both by Polyfoto); in Her 60s, and in Her 70s
Figure 75 Mummy’s Cocktail Dress from the Artisanat Libanais
Figure 76 ’Areesheh, Behind Miss Hatton Reading to Marilyn and David
Figure 77 Trying Out the New Lawn Space for Size?
Figure 78 Rosemary Hedges in Side Garden Below the House
Figure 79 The Red Coats, and Parents
Figure 80 Mummy in Swift House’s Garden in Ramallah, with David, Patience, and Marilyn
Figure 81 Chase Family Coat-of-Arms, Ne Cede Malis Sed Contra
Figure 82 Tablecloth Embroidered for Gordon and Me by Mummy
Figure 83 Pocketbooks and Pouches Embroidered by Circassians, Palestinians through UNRWA, and Palestinians using Ramallah Designs
Figure 84 Kathleen M. Hatton
Figure 85 Miss Hatton as Miss Betsey Trotwood
Figure 86 David (at 16), Mummy, Daddy, and Miss Hatton
Figure 87 Vest Embroidered through UNRWA
Figure 88 Mrs. MacInnes Holding me at my Christening Party in Nottingham
Figure 89 Embroidered Slippers, Perhaps from Pakistan, Purchased in Beirut
Figure 90 "Be Patient, Slow Down" in the Levant
Figure 91 Daddy Hiking Near Ypsilon Lake Earlier that Summer
Figure 92 Penny on Porch of Presbyterian House, Chautauqua, NY
Figure 93 My Graduation from Smith College
Figure 94 Pocketbook Embroidered through UNRWA in Lebanon
Figure 95 Traditional Bethlehem Vest of Gold Embroidery on Velvet Very Dressy by Western Fashion’s Standards; and an Example of Embroidery Used by a Friend to Convert Her Late Husband’s Shirt into a Blouse for Herself for Everyday Use
Figure 4 Chinese Embroidery from the Loos Family
PREFACE
EVER SINCE I came back to the USA to live, in 1958, I have been told, "You had such an unusual childhood". Despite the fact that it seemed quite normal to me at the time, I came to realize that it was very different from that of Americans living in the USA during the same period. Perhaps it was worth writing down. There was always something else with higher priority, however. Then, a workshop for writers of autobiographic essays was launched by the Older Adults program of the Bryn Mawr Presbyterian Church. Joining the workshop meant that the deadline of the next meeting of the workshop placed the writing at the top of my priority list. I could go ahead and write with an easier conscience.
The results have been shaped by the nature of the workshop and the nature of my memory. " Essays in autobiography" largely removed me from such constraints as chronology, and encouraged essays in more thematic directions. The workshop routine was for us to read our essays out loud to our fellow workshop members, who immediately wrote down their comments, questions and suggestions. After being read to the writer, and often following some discussion, the comments were turned over to the writer for future reference. I had an additional opportunity to read my essays to a second group in another workshop, after revising them in the light of these first comments. Their comments, in turn, were turned over to me to aid furth