Posts

Showing posts from November, 2015

What have immigrants ever done for me?

Well, one immigrant gave me half my DNA. My dad came to the UK from "the continent" at the end of Second World War and met my mum – and here I am. My parents were told by the teachers that I was not quite good enough to get into Grammar School. I would not pass the Eleven-Plus which was the exam which determined, in the UK, in those times, whether you went to a "good" school (Grammar School) or not. (Why someone's fate should be decided at 11 years old I cannot tell you.) Anyway, when my parents (one native English and one a refugee immigrant), heard this, they sent me to a maths teacher to learn how to pass the IQ tests. And this maths teacher was a Polish immigrant. He taught me how to pass the 11+. This immigrant taught me how to pass an IQ test. And I did. So, one immigrant gave me half my DNA, and another got me into a good school.

You just can't shut up can you Owen?

- You just can't shut up can you Owen? - No. - Even when no-one is listening? - Even when no-one is listening.

Would you miss this?

Would you miss the blog? I've noticed that a large proportion of "viewers" are actually automated system trying to get me to click back to see where the link is coming from. So I have even fewer viewers than I imagined. This blog is a good way for me to put down ideas and experiences, but if nobody is out there I may as well just talk to myself. Talking to myself I can be more honest about some things... So, leave a comment if you would like me to carry on writing.