of the world.
My working life was busy and full. For ten months of the school year, I taught my students. For the remaining two months, during the summer, I worked as a lab technician at the Royal City Cannery. After teaching in Burnaby for a number of years, I was offered an exciting opportunity to go on a Teacher Exchange to Nuneaton, England for the 1966 – 1967 school year. Instead of flying to England in the summer of 1966, my then 13-year-old daughter Lynda and I ventured to sail from Vancouver. I sold my car, a Chevrolet Impala, and with the money bought our tickets. We would circumnavigate the world by cruise ship, leaving from Vancouver in July 1966, travelling via the Orient and the Suez Canal to arrive in Southampton, England in August 1966. Our return from Southampton, at the end of August 1967, took us to Vancouver via the Panama Canal, just in time to resume teaching at Burnaby Suncrest School.
We spent five weeks on the ocean liner Iberia , a beautiful ship that was a far cry from the humble boat that brought my parents to Canada. This monster ship contained a crew of 672 and 1384 passengers, of which 651 were in first class. Lynda and I joined the 733 passengers in the tourist/economy class that comprised mainly families with children, making the ship’s atmosphere busy, happy, and congenial.
Immediately upon our departure in Vancouver on July 1st, we began the exploration of our vessel as it made its voyage across the calm Pacific Ocean to Hawaii. Our cabin consisted of two double-decker bunks for sleeping and not much room for anything else. We were content with the tiny space as we preoccupied ourselves with the many on-board adventures. Daily activities kept everybody busy and entertained. The children in first class soon realized what a jolly bunch we were in tourist/economy, and they joined us in games.
During this sea voyage, I was no longer ‘teacher’. I was a mother and a traveller, two parts of my identity that I loved.
After five days on the Pacific Ocean, we reached the warm shores of Hawaii. After disembarking, we took a day tour of the Island of Oahu. It was a treat to have our feet on solid ground again, if only for the day. In another five days we reached Yokohama, Japan and were greeted on shore by Miss Yokohama. We arranged a three-day overland tour from Yokohama to Kobe via Tokyo and Osaka, visiting many interesting sites. As it was the height of summer, we met numerous groups of youngsters at various exhibitions and tourist sites. Each time we met these black-haired youngsters, neatly dressed in white shirts and navy shorts, they would stand still and stare at my daughter Lynda, a tall, skinny, fair-skinned 13-year-old with a blond pixie haircut. Where did this blond fairy come from, they seemed to wonder. Our bus later stopped at a park where a group of young boys were playing ball. Lynda was soon surrounded by all of them as she tried to teach them to finger whistle. What fun they all had!
We boarded the ship after it was provisioned in Kobe, and off we sailed to Hong Kong for a three-day visit. Again, we were overwhelmed by the Orient, its people, their customs, and traditions.
One experience in Hong Kong was set in motion the previous winter and was due to an upcoming Royal event. I knew that during our exciting year in England, as a Commonwealth exchange teacher, I would be invited to a Royal Tea at Buckingham Palace. I badly needed fancy clothes and accessories to attend this prestigious social event.
Fortunately, during that earlier winter, Lynda and I had enrolled in an art class in Vancouver where Lynda had befriended a young Chinese student named Gina, whose mother, Mrs. Chiu, lived in Hong Kong. Gina felt that her mother would be only too happy to help us with our shopping while in Hong Kong. Also, her mother dealt in pearls. I made arrangements with her that we would meet.
The morning the Iberia docked in Hong Kong, I phoned Gina’s mother to confirm our plans.
My working life was busy and full. For ten months of the school year, I taught my students. For the remaining two months, during the summer, I worked as a lab technician at the Royal City Cannery. After teaching in Burnaby for a number of years, I was offered an exciting opportunity to go on a Teacher Exchange to Nuneaton, England for the 1966 – 1967 school year. Instead of flying to England in the summer of 1966, my then 13-year-old daughter Lynda and I ventured to sail from Vancouver. I sold my car, a Chevrolet Impala, and with the money bought our tickets. We would circumnavigate the world by cruise ship, leaving from Vancouver in July 1966, travelling via the Orient and the Suez Canal to arrive in Southampton, England in August 1966. Our return from Southampton, at the end of August 1967, took us to Vancouver via the Panama Canal, just in time to resume teaching at Burnaby Suncrest School.
We spent five weeks on the ocean liner Iberia , a beautiful ship that was a far cry from the humble boat that brought my parents to Canada. This monster ship contained a crew of 672 and 1384 passengers, of which 651 were in first class. Lynda and I joined the 733 passengers in the tourist/economy class that comprised mainly families with children, making the ship’s atmosphere busy, happy, and congenial.
Immediately upon our departure in Vancouver on July 1st, we began the exploration of our vessel as it made its voyage across the calm Pacific Ocean to Hawaii. Our cabin consisted of two double-decker bunks for sleeping and not much room for anything else. We were content with the tiny space as we preoccupied ourselves with the many on-board adventures. Daily activities kept everybody busy and entertained. The children in first class soon realized what a jolly bunch we were in tourist/economy, and they joined us in games.
During this sea voyage, I was no longer ‘teacher’. I was a mother and a traveller, two parts of my identity that I loved.
After five days on the Pacific Ocean, we reached the warm shores of Hawaii. After disembarking, we took a day tour of the Island of Oahu. It was a treat to have our feet on solid ground again, if only for the day. In another five days we reached Yokohama, Japan and were greeted on shore by Miss Yokohama. We arranged a three-day overland tour from Yokohama to Kobe via Tokyo and Osaka, visiting many interesting sites. As it was the height of summer, we met numerous groups of youngsters at various exhibitions and tourist sites. Each time we met these black-haired youngsters, neatly dressed in white shirts and navy shorts, they would stand still and stare at my daughter Lynda, a tall, skinny, fair-skinned 13-year-old with a blond pixie haircut. Where did this blond fairy come from, they seemed to wonder. Our bus later stopped at a park where a group of young boys were playing ball. Lynda was soon surrounded by all of them as she tried to teach them to finger whistle. What fun they all had!
We boarded the ship after it was provisioned in Kobe, and off we sailed to Hong Kong for a three-day visit. Again, we were overwhelmed by the Orient, its people, their customs, and traditions.
One experience in Hong Kong was set in motion the previous winter and was due to an upcoming Royal event. I knew that during our exciting year in England, as a Commonwealth exchange teacher, I would be invited to a Royal Tea at Buckingham Palace. I badly needed fancy clothes and accessories to attend this prestigious social event.
Fortunately, during that earlier winter, Lynda and I had enrolled in an art class in Vancouver where Lynda had befriended a young Chinese student named Gina, whose mother, Mrs. Chiu, lived in Hong Kong. Gina felt that her mother would be only too happy to help us with our shopping while in Hong Kong. Also, her mother dealt in pearls. I made arrangements with her that we would meet.
The morning the Iberia docked in Hong Kong, I phoned Gina’s mother to confirm our plans.
Similar Books
