Speech! Speech!

For school I have to write and introductory speech. Yuck. I am supposed to introduce myself and my 'culture' to the rest of the class. I thought it would be 'fun' to post it here and see if anyone had any thoughts on it.

Here goes:

Introduction Speech

Hello my name is Valerie Ewing. I go by Val Ewing and if any of you remember the TV show called “Dallas” you will get the same amusement I do from sharing a celebrity name. I’m a person of many skills and experiences that make up who I am today. I cannot be grouped into any specific type of description. I’ve been told that I am a chameleon of sorts.

My upbringing was incredibly unique. During the school year I lived like any normal suburban child. The day school let out, we migrated to the backwoods of Wisconsin for the summer. As I child I worked on farms, foraged for food in the woods, hunted, fished, and lived without most modern day amenities. I grew up caught between a wealthy suburban culture and a poor backwoods culture.

Ten years ago I could be found speaking ‘farm talk’ while milking cows in the predawn light. I would review farm breeding charts and discuss how many pounds of milk had been produced in the past 24 hours. After a shower and an hour long drive I’d transformed myself into an Insurance Underwriter and was preparing to have lunch with the board members of the Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Chicago.

I can definitely say that discussing farming was more to my liking than reviewing insurance costs with ‘stuffy shirts’ in a board room. I was nervous, but that was my bread and butter.

As children we were allowed to explore the woods that surrounded my grandparent’s property. We were forewarned about the ugly tempered bull that my uncle kept pastured in the very same woods. But I recall that we would walk miles in the woods and we could ride our bicycles down country roads to go to the lake. Back in suburbia, we were driven to school, as if we couldn’t survive the one mile walk to grade school.

I now live in a fairly remote area, yes we have indoor plumbing! I raise mules and donkeys as a hobby. I work in a small town for a chiropractor and have integrated into the community as a ‘native’. Through out my life so far I’ve worn many hats that have given me a diversified background. At heart though I truly am that country girl who likes to play in the woods and still watch out for that bad tempered bull that wanders my neighbor’s property.