Archive for 'Musings'

Pfingsten, White Asparagus, and Memories of Spring in Germany

Pfingsten, White Asparagus, and Memories of Spring in Germany

Two weekends ago, Germany celebrated Pfingsten, the feast of Ascension. The British name for it is Pentecost or Whitsun. It is a time the freshly blooming fields, the greening woods, hills, mountains, the flowering bushes and hedges are celebrated. The enchanting cuckoo and all other songbirds have returned. My thoughts tend to go to Germany in this verdant season. I arrived there with Mutti, my German mother on June 17, many decades ago. We left the boat that ...

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Learning to Appreciate a Rich Cultural Heritage

Learning to Appreciate a Rich Cultural Heritage

After meeting my birthfather Gil, I begin to love not only him, but also the culture and history of my ancestors.

Here’s an excerpt from Split at the Root: A Memoir of Love and Lost Identity.:

In Jamaica, so many years ago, Dr. Dezon was all set to tell me about shiploads of Caribs who were taken from the island of St. Vincent by the English and dumped on the Central American coast. At the time I was not ...

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Would You Believe That Even Pugs in Europe Have a Waistline?

Would You Believe That Even Pugs in Europe Have a Waistline?

So here I am, nursing my jet-lag and feeling a bit melancholic after my spiritually uplifting visit with my friend Anita. I’m taking time to contemplate and reflect on my visit to Munich and Bonn with her.

What made me feel as if I were on another planet, because I had never before taken note of it, was the behavior of dogs. Any size dogs. From little Asian temple doggies to the humongous Anatolian Mastiff parading along ...

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My reception as a European actress in Hollywood.

My reception as a European actress in Hollywood.

In writing my recent book, Split at the Root: A Memoir of Love and Lost Identity (Kindle) or Split at the Root: A Memoir of Love and Lost Identity, I tell the story of growing up within a culture and a race that was different to my own. Here’s an excerpt:

We arrived in Los Angeles in July 1975. Two weeks later I met with Walter Kohner a film agent who handled primarily European actors.

“I am curious to know, Catana,” ...

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Recognizing American racist attitudes in Florence, Italy

Recognizing American racist attitudes in Florence, Italy

 

In writing my recent book, Split at the Root: A Memoir of Love and Lost Identity (Kindle) or Split at the Root: A Memoir of Love and Lost Identity, I tell the story of growing up within a culture and a race that was different to my own. Here’s an excerpt:

When insulting situations happened, which was seldom, it took time before I realized what was going on; that is if I became aware it was directed at me in the first ...

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How I decided to become a fashion model and actress

How I decided to become a fashion model and actress

During my second year at the Academy, the Mexican delegation at the International Handicrafts Fair in Munich engaged me as the interpreter for English, Spanish, and German. The dark interpreter intrigued those who had come to admire Mexican handy crafts. On April 24, 1962, an image of me smiling next to an intricately crafted Mexican silver mirror appeared in the Süddeutsche Zeitung and included a few details about me. I was causing a slight sensation as the only ...

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Want to know what the British boarding school in Jamaica was like?

Want to know what the British boarding school in Jamaica was like?

In writing my recent book, Split at the Root: A Memoir of Love and Lost Identity (Kindle) or Split at the Root: A Memoir of Love and Lost Identity, I tell the story of growing up within a culture and a race that was different to my own. Here’s an excerpt:

Established in 1858 and perched on a wide hilly expanse, the school was a dominating U-shaped two-story construction. I don’t know what I was expecting, but the minute I ...

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Want to know what the first time being among Black people felt like?

Want to know what the first time being among Black people felt like?

Off to Jamaica,1955In writing my recent book, Split at the Root: A Memoir of Love and Lost Identity (Kindle) or Split at the Root: A Memoir of Love and Lost Identity, I tell the story of growing up within a culture and a race that was different to my own. Here’s an excerpt:

My German mother and I boarded a busy ...

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Want to know what eighth grade was like in the American School?

Want to know what eighth grade was like in the American School?

In writing my recent book, Split at the Root: A Memoir of Love and Lost Identity (Kindle) or Split at the Root: A Memoir of Love and Lost Identity, I tell the story of growing up within a culture and a race that was different to my own. Here’s an excerpt:

The American School was more like an exclusive club than a school. I entered the English language section, which I considered a mark of distinction. It underlined ...

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Pre-pubescent insights into aspects of femininity

Pre-pubescent insights into aspects of femininity

In writing my recent book, Split at the Root: A Memoir of Love and Lost Identity (Kindle) or Split at the Root: A Memoir of Love and Lost Identity, I tell the story of growing up within a culture and a race that was different to my own. Here’s an excerpt:

And so, I learned that no woman in the world, “not even the Queen of England,” was spared a situation that would continue for a few days ...

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