In high school, I enrolled in the gifted American History class. Our teacher took the first quarter off because she and her husband had just adopted a baby. That meant a substitute teacher. I was already nervous about taking a gifted class, and without the usual teacher? This could be a tough first quarter. AsContinueContinue reading “The Pizza Girl”
Category Archives: Janet’s Stories
A Flag, a Friendship, and an Unexpected Lesson
In 1988, I had the privilege of studying abroad at a university in Poznan, Poland. One of my courses was a sociology class where I was asked to write and discuss essays of cultural nuances I experienced. I will share about some of those experiences on this blog. One particular story started with a conversationContinueContinue reading “A Flag, a Friendship, and an Unexpected Lesson”
Coffee and Solidarity in Poland
In the spring of 1988, I arrived in Poznan, Poland for a semester abroad. I had participated in an eight-week summer program in Poznan, but I wanted to move beyond the structured program designed for foreign students. I wanted a real semester-abroad experience, to know what everyday student life felt like: attending classes at theContinueContinue reading “Coffee and Solidarity in Poland”
My Eight-Year-Old Self Knew What to Do
When I struggle with big challenges today, it helps me to remember how I survived a near physical shutdown as a child. At eight years old, I learned that sometimes your body tells you what you need, even when you don’t understand it. I had never heard of sunstroke. I didn’t know first aid. IContinueContinue reading “My Eight-Year-Old Self Knew What to Do”
Building a Japanese Rock Garden with My Dad
When I was very young, my dad, Bill Gillis, Jr., decided to create a Japanese rock garden in our side yard in Miami. He wanted it to stretch along the back fence all the way to the rose garden he had planted for my mom. It seemed an ambitious project, but my dad was upContinueContinue reading “Building a Japanese Rock Garden with My Dad”
Thursday Nights and Libbyland TV Dinners: A 1970s Memory
When I was growing up, my mom (Joy Washburn Gillis) cooked very healthy meals for our family dinners. She had to put thought and care into each recipe because my dad (William Gillis, Jr.) had a heart condition. Breakfast was often cereal and fruit. Lunch was usually a sandwich. But she insisted that we enjoyContinueContinue reading “Thursday Nights and Libbyland TV Dinners: A 1970s Memory”
My Handkerchief Shirt
In elementary school in the late 1970s, I made my own handkerchief shirt. It was for the Junior Girl Scouts sewing badge, called the Needlecraft badge. I had never tried to sew before, but I wanted to earn every badge. My mom, Joy Gillis, an expert seamstress, was determined to help me. My mom andContinueContinue reading “My Handkerchief Shirt”
Chicken Pox in Warsaw
In the summer of 1987, I studied as an American college student in Poznan, Poland. I was in a group of about 10 American students. We lived in the dorm with Polish students. One of the Polish students had a three-year-old boy who loved visiting our room. He was especially fascinated with my makeup. DoorsContinueContinue reading “Chicken Pox in Warsaw”
Meeting Dad at Dinner Key
When I was growing up in Miami, one evening every year, my mom (Joy Washburn Gillis) and I packed a picnic dinner and drove to Dinner Key Auditorium. My dad (William Gillis, Jr.), an avionics engineer for Eastern Airlines, would drive from his office at Miami International Airport and meet us. Located on Biscayne BayContinueContinue reading “Meeting Dad at Dinner Key”
Flashback to 1977: Snow in Miami
Today is a very cool anniversary—no pun intended. On this day back in 1977, it snowed in Miami, Florida. I was there. I was in my math class at Miami Shores Elementary. The side of the classroom was covered with a wall of windows, and suddenly this white fluff was floating down. Snow flurries! IContinueContinue reading “Flashback to 1977: Snow in Miami”
