Why I do this thing I do
Over on 18CWoman, a person who works at an historical site as an interpreter wrote this during a discussion on costumed interpreters, 1st vs. 3rd person impressions and much else. It really touched me and hit on the reason I get so much fulfillment from the hobby. This has happened a few tines with me, and I know exactly how she felt:
"One of my favorite memories of my job was on a beautiful summer day this past year. I was weeding the tobacco field when a mother and her 2 small children came to just "see the animals" and pass some time. The older child (no more than 7) approached me and asked what I was doing and what my name was. I explained my task & allowed her to help me while telling her my characters name, "Mariah" and that I am 26 years old. The child responded by telling me her name and then spelled it out for me. My character is illiterate, so I of course feigned how impressed I was that she was able to spell and asked if she attended school. She said yes, and asked if I had. When I responded No, and that the closest school was way to far to walk to as well as far to expensive for my family to afford she looked incredulously at me and then plopped herself down in the dirt and told me she was going to teach me to spell my name. After about 5 minutes of teaching me the basics, she looked at her mom and said, "Wow, I'm very lucky to be able to go to school aren't I? This poor lady will most likely be weeding on this farm or a farm like it for her whole life if she doesn't know how to read huh?" and then wandered off to chase the geese. The mother looked and spoke to me astounded that such a small child could understand such a concept with so few tools."
"One of my favorite memories of my job was on a beautiful summer day this past year. I was weeding the tobacco field when a mother and her 2 small children came to just "see the animals" and pass some time. The older child (no more than 7) approached me and asked what I was doing and what my name was. I explained my task & allowed her to help me while telling her my characters name, "Mariah" and that I am 26 years old. The child responded by telling me her name and then spelled it out for me. My character is illiterate, so I of course feigned how impressed I was that she was able to spell and asked if she attended school. She said yes, and asked if I had. When I responded No, and that the closest school was way to far to walk to as well as far to expensive for my family to afford she looked incredulously at me and then plopped herself down in the dirt and told me she was going to teach me to spell my name. After about 5 minutes of teaching me the basics, she looked at her mom and said, "Wow, I'm very lucky to be able to go to school aren't I? This poor lady will most likely be weeding on this farm or a farm like it for her whole life if she doesn't know how to read huh?" and then wandered off to chase the geese. The mother looked and spoke to me astounded that such a small child could understand such a concept with so few tools."