Week 3 Interviewing Herriett

Over time there are important changes in our lives that affect us, family, friends and community members. I had the opportunity to interview an elderly lady named Harriett who provided me with an insider's view of what it was like growing up in London. The way WWII influenced her life along with some of the technology that came out created a lot of changes not only for her, but her community as well. My experiences growing up are quite different than the ones she experienced as generations and eras have changed over time not only between the two of us, but within our own countries as well.

Some of the changes that she has experienced over her life time are due to WWII ending. Harriett was only a child when her family was going through hard times trying to get through day by day. She said "the war changed the way I grew up as a kid because my parents wouldn’t let me go out with my friends". I find this to be very interesting to hear since I personally have not experienced living in a war zone before. I could tell by the way she reflected back on the memories that it had a huge impact on her opportunities to do things such as attending more school since she had to help out at home. Her father was in the war so she didn’t get to see him much during that time. He was also the one that knew all of their family stories that were passed down from generations before, but after the war she said he didn’t have much to say anymore. I thought it was strange how strong the war affected him that their family history of stories died along with him over time.

Another change that Harriett mentioned was how technology has advanced over the years. Televisions, phones and finally computers had a big impact on the way she communicated with her family and friends. This also affected her whole community by not as many people were getting together with friends or neighbours because they were too busy with the new gadget. Instead of walking down the street to tell someone something it turned into a phone call. Then for her it went from playing outside and making up new hands on games to watching the T.V. from the comfort of her own living room. I remember being a kid and playing outside with my brother or other friends along with watching cartoons before breakfast and school as it was normal. She said that she didn't have that opportunity growing up. Listening to what she had to say about how people are drifting apart due to new inventions was very interesting because she pretty much lived through it all. I personally like the new inventions and technology, but for her she wishes it would go back to when she was younger so there would be more interaction between people.

Overall, I think that the changes I have experienced growing up in the U.S. are nothing compared to the way her childhood was during the war living in London. As far as the Technology goes, I think that the world was pretty close together on a timeline for when things started coming into the hands of the public. The most compelling thing I learned from interviewing Harriett was that she thought the world was turning into a lazy society due to all of the time spent watching the newest show or playing a video game instead of board game. I agree with that point, although she is now retired and involving herself in less strenuous activities that she said it hurts to fall into the new idea of living as she liked the older way. This interview went very well as I found out that age definitely affects the way we look at life along with the community that we grow up in.