Beate

= Beate =

** Interview podcast **
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**Geography/Biography**

Mrs. Beate Weneck is from Germany. She moved to the US at age 18 alone. She had a husband but he was in the USA Military and could not move back to the US with her. When she first came she moved in with her husband family but she missed her family very much and after a while (i don't acutely know how long) she moved back to germany and then 2 years latter she moved bak to the US with her husband that time she got a job at Taco Bell and had a son. she had trouble with learning American slang and talking with people she had learned American before in school but not how to talk just a little and she also had problems with using money but after 20 or so years she has become a secretary in a good business has had a son and has gone back to Germany 3 different times but she still misses but she said that she was not planing to move back until retirement if then. She has never lived in any state but ohio that is were she first came and she has not lived anywhere els.

= **Creative Writing Piece** =

** Beate **** WENECK ** Mrs. Weneck came to the USA when she was 18 years old she was married to a US Military man but he was not able to go home with her so she had to stay with her husband family. Now she has had a son and she is a secretary in a small biasness and lives with her husband. She has gone back to see her family many times but she still misses then very much. ** Alone ** ** By Jamylyn Rogers ** I’m alone.

I have nothing I am nothing.

No one knows me.

No one wants to learn about me.

I am no one.

I am a visitor with no home.

I am alone.

Dear diary well that is it I am flying away leaving my life behind me every thing I am, everything I know and a lot of what I have I am leaving it. I am move to a place were I know no one and no one knows me. No one will be there to talk to me and to support me I will be alone.

Dear diary I have met my husbands family, they are very kind and they try to make me happy but they can not they are not mine they are my husbands The country that I live in alone with no one, it is not mine but my husbands. The husband who left me to come to the US alone. The husband who I love and miss. The man I married the man who is far away with an ocean between us.

Dear diary today I went shopping with my mother-in-law and when I saw a book of cross stitch I looked at the price and it was so expensive that even thou it was something I very much wanted I was not going to buy it but then my mother-in-law came up and asked if I was going to buy it and I told her it was to expensive, but she said that it was not then I told her it was 31 Euros but she said that it was only one dollar and that it was not expensive but I would not buy it because I did not believe her and later she gave it to me. I asked her why she did it and she told me that she knew that I wanted it and that it was not expensive. Then she showed me how figure out if thing are expensive or not. I still think thing are too expensive.

Transcript **Oral History Interview with BEATE WENECK** ** 1-4-11, Ohio, ** ** by Jamylyn Rogers ** ** for the Dayton Regional STEM School **

This is an interview with Mrs. Beate Weneck. The interview was conducted on 12-28-10.The interviewer is representing the Dayton Regional STEM School.

 Jamylyn: Ok hello, this is Jamylyn Rogers and I’m here with Beate Weneck for an interview for a school project A, can you tell me what country your from.

Mrs. Weneck I’m from Germany.

Jamylyn Rogers why did you come to America?

Mrs. Wencek Um you might say for the oldest thing in the world: love.

Jamylyn Um what was the toughest thing about moving?

Mrs. Weneck leavening my family behind and my friends.

Jamylyn um did any move to the US with you?

Mrs. Weneck um actually no I moved all by myself.

Jamylyn Ok um did were you lonely like?

Mrs. Weneck um at first I missed my family because I didn’t know anyone here and um I still miss them even 20 years latter but as I mad new friends things a little easier.

Jamylyn Have you ever seen them?

Mrs. Weneck um yes we went back 3 times in the last 20 some years.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 140%;">Jamylyn Did you feel any pressure?

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 140%;">Mrs. Weneck From my family not pressure as much as concern they were worried about me begging 18 and I was all alone.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 140%;">Jamylyn um what was your first job?

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 140%;">Mrs. Weneck Um my first job was Taco Bell I was a crew member but not the first time I was here for a year and then moved back for 3 years <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 140%;">then we came back in 1991 1992 then I worked at Taco Bell.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 140%;">Jamylyn Um was what you herd accurate?

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 140%;">Mrs. Weneck Um I knew what I seen on TV and I did not really have any expectations I think one of the funny things is that back then all the women wore all the really heavy makeup you know with big blue eye shadows and when I came here that was not the case except 1 of my husband’s aunts who really fit the pictures.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 140%;">Jamylyn did you like have any struggles when you got here?

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 140%;">Mrs. Weneck Um probably aside from the langue which I knew some um dealing with slang which I didn’t know any and the currency learning to not translate or do the math in my head because when I did the math in my head you know so u had to learn a dollar is a dollar and figure out that this is expensive or this is about the right price.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 140%;">Jamylyn Were you ever discriminated against?

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 140%;">Mrs. Weneck Um I wouldn’t say discriminated against but people have made comments such as Kraut but I don’t find offensive I think it’s kind of funny I have been referred to as a Nazi but that happened a long time ago long be for my time and for some reason even still when people hear German they think of Hitler and the Nazis.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 140%;">Jamylyn what year did you move in?

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 140%;">Mrs. Weneck I came in 87.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 140%;">Jamylyn Do you miss anything from home?

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 140%;">Mrs. Weneck mostly besides my family I miss the food and my family and friends.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 140%;">Jamylyn did you bring anything special when you came over?

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 140%;">Mrs. Weneck you know I was trying to think about that and I really can’t remember I had a collection of stuffed animals and my best friend gave <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 140%;">me a piggy bank so that I could come visit.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 140%;">Jamylyn did you have to leave anything really special?

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 140%;">Mrs. Weneck not that I can think of right now I was 18 I did not have much of my own sop um maturely wise no I don’t think so.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 140%;">Jamylyn did you have a favorite food?

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 140%;">Mrs. weneck many favorite foods anything my mom cooked just about probably one of the more common ones are schnitzel and some of the things that I still cook are sauerbraten and Sour Kraut.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 140%;">Jamylyn can you describe them?

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 140%;">Mrs. Weneck it’s a beef roast that has marinated in spices and then sour kraut.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 140%;">Jamylyn Um did you adopt um did you get any new customs when you moved?

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 140%;">Mrs. Wencek I basically adopted the American holidays such as 4th of July thanksgiving Veterans Day although we have something like <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 140%;">thanksgiving it not the may flower and the pilgrims but we have a day we give thanks for the harvest.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 140%;">Jamylyn were you confused by any of the holidays or customs?

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 140%;">Mrs. Wencek not so much as the holidays as what really confused me most was that I came from a small town where we had a catholic church and an evangelical church and a Greek orthodox church and when I came here there was a church at every corner, so that was a little confusing for me it took me nearly 10 years to find a church home that was probably the most strange things for me.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 140%;">Jamylyn ok so before you mentioned you did not know much Armenian did you like have any problems with that?

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 140%;">Mrs. Wencek um I knew mostly vocabulary you know we learned in school how to read a book we learned grammar we didn’t learn how to have a conversation so that all had to develop with time and learn new words learn a what’s the word I’m thinking of and you see that still happens it’s out there some were.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 140%;">Jamylyn can you teach me some of your langue?

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 140%;">Mrs. Wencek sure guten morgen.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 140%;">Jamylyn gutrn morgen.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 140%;">Mrs. Wencek that means good Morning wie geht es dia.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 140%;">Jamylyn wie geht es dia

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 140%;">Mrs. Wencek that means how are you doing viealt es du

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 140%;">Jamylyn viealt es du.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 140%;">Mrs. Wencek ich lieber dich that’s a vary important one because that means I love you.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 140%;">Jamylyn ich lieber dich.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 140%;">Mrs. Wencek auf vie der zehe.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 140%;">Jamylyn auf vie der zehe.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 140%;">Mrs. Wencek that means good bye and then vie heist du.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 140%;">Jamylyn vie heist du.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 140%;">Mrs. Wencek that means what's your name, very good.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 140%;">Jamylyn so if you had a choice would you move back?

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 140%;">Mrs. Wencek well maybe to retire I was never on my own in Germany I always lived with my parents I don’t know if I would know how because <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 140%;">I have because I live so far away from the cultures all the changes that has happened in the last 20 years I might actually be lost going back to Germany.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 140%;">Jamylyn do you think you made the right choice moving to the US?

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 140%;">Mrs. Wencek yes I did I always felt like I um I was welcome here maybe because I was exposed to some American coulter when my uncle was sever in the German army he also had a bunch of American friends and I was always there when he had parties.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 140%;">Jamylyn ok so um how old were you?

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 140%;">Mrs. Wencek when I came over?

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 140%;">Jamylyn yes.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 140%;">Mrs. Wencek I was 18 I turned 18 in October and I came here in January

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 140%;">Jamylyn when you came did you get mired?

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 140%;">Mrs. Wencek we had already got mired in Germany then we came here.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 140%;">Jamylyn how hard was it for you when you got a job did you have problems with that?

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 140%;">Mrs. Wencek at Taco Bell yes actual my biggest fear was that my English was still a little bit wobbly when I had plenty of time um on the phone <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 140%;">when I was face to face it was ok but my biggest fear was have to run the drive through the vary first day I had to flip some and then they put me on drive thou but that was a good thing it taught me self confidence which I didn't have much at the time which I did not have much at the time.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 140%;">Jamylyn so did you like have any problems figuring out how to use money?

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 140%;">Mrs. Wencek um not so much as counting you know 1 is 1 5 is 5 but the value of stuff trying to figure out the value of stuff well one time my mother in law went to a little 5 and dime store and um I picked up a book with cross stitch in it and it was a little torn up and my mother-in-law went to the clerk and said that this is a little messed up how about a discount and he looked at me and said how about a buck and I didn’t know what a buck was at the time so I looked at my mother and asked her what a buck is and she said you know a buck is a dollar and I said ok sounds fair you know things like that.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 140%;">Jamylyn so did you see alot of your husband’s family?

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 140%;">Mrs. Wencek um at first we lived with his parents and then um let’s see when we moved back from Germany we got are own home and that’s were we live now.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 140%;">Jamylyn um that’s all I have.

=**Analysis**=

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 140%;">In my US history class I learned about how hard it is for immigrants to get into the US because of all the test and papers that they have to fill out and that if you did not look strong and healthy then you could not come in but in the case of my interviewee she did have trouble understanding the papers that she had to fill out but she had help from her husband we also learned that the people came mostly for a better life or because they had to and that is mostly true but in this case it was not she came because she got married to an American and they came back to the US. Also we learned that when immigrants come they have to work hard at jobs that most would not want and they get low pay but that also was not the case when she came in the beginning (the first year) she did not work at all only after the second time she lived in the US (3 years latter) did she get a job and in that job she was a crew member at Taco Bell.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 140%;">Some proof of this is the quota “I came for the oldest thing in the world … love”

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 140%;">Also “my first job was Taco Bell I was a crew member but not the first time. I was here for a year and then moved back for 3 years then we came back in 1991 or 1992 then I worked at Taco Bell”.