Interviewing my grandparents

My grandparents

Was there such a big difference between now and then? I asked my grand parents.

How was your schooltime?

Grandpa: I was the youngest child from a family with 9 children, so I was spoiled a lot by my grandma and my mother. I never wanted to go to school, so when I was 4-5 years they kept me home because I didn’t wanted to go. But when I was 6 years old I had to go to my first year. But my brother  who already graduated told me that the teacher was very strict and if I did something bad he would put a punaise trough my ear and put me on the wall. So I was very very scared and I skipped school everyday. But my parents didn’t knew, thet thought I was in school everyday. But instead I was on the market watching the little pigs and all the other animals that they were selling. But everytime uncle Frank was there with his bike I had to hide behind a tree or under the tables on the market, he never cought me. But one day school sended a letter at home, so now they knew I was never at school. They decided to put me in Kortrijk at a boardingschool, they hoped that there I would study. But I was scared to study because of my brother, so it would never help. When it was Christmas I went home, the last day of the vacation I fell of the stairs and I broke my feet. So I had to stay for 6 weeks at home, and I missed school for so long. My parents decided to stop with it because I could never do it. My father’s last hope was a work contract, this means I had 2 lessons a week and the 4 other days I had to work. I was an electrician, they payed me 2 frank for 1 hour. I really liked it and continued doing that. 

So you didn’t finish school?

Grandpa: No I didn’t, I think that if my brother didn’t told me that about the teacher I would have finish school, because I’m not stupid, but I was just scared. But in that time it was normal not finishing school. 

Did you had choice in your studies?

Grandpa: yes but not that much, you had modern, or latin. I tried everything.

Grandma: there was also a school with technics and BSO. I did technics, needleworks.

Grandma, tell me about your schooltime.

I started with the ‘nonnekesschool’ in Diepenbeek, I was also in boardingschool, with my cousin. But one day when we went home my parents told us That we are moving to Antwerpen, so I finished my school there and came back after that. I wanted to work with children, but my parents didn’t allow it, so I became a needleworker.

Is there a lot of difference between now and then?

Yes, now you have a lot of choice in studies, back then we didn’t. And it was way more stricter then now.

Let’s talk about food, how was it when you were younger?

Grandpa: In my family there were only 3 different menu’s, that’s because we were with 11 at home, but my parents gave 3 of my brothers and sisters to farmers, it were clients of my father’s company and they gave food and a place to sleep for the children. They took very good care of them.

Grandma: I was a daughter of a butcher family, so we had a lot of variety in the food, and we ate a bit of everything. My grandpa had also a ice machine in the garage, that was very nice for us.

Do you think it changed on a positive way?

Yes, of course, now you can eat everything, I remember I had to share my banana because it was rare to have one, and now everybody eats and buys it.

My last question, what is your favorite food?

That’s a tough question, because we like everything and we enjoy everything. So we pick the Joker ;-)