Back to Culture Clash - Chapter 02
Chapter 3: At The Dinner Table and Afterward
Entering the dining room, Marcia immediately noticed that each chair had
a small folded towel. "To sit on," whispered Ivanka. The family placed
themselves about the table in their seating arrangement, thus showing
Marcia where her place at the table would be for the year.
She was to be to Poppa's left as he sat at the head of the table. Momma
sat at the foot, with one of the twins on either side of her. To Poppa's
right sat Ivanka sat Kivar. There was an empty chair between Marcia and
the twin; Marcia supposed this was to keep the symmetry.
Kaleen questioned the American guest as the family finished the
traditional prayer of thanks for the food on the table. "You said, Amen,
when we prayed, that means, we do not say that," rattled off. Her
father, Ivan, corrected the child with, "Our guest is hungry, let her
eat in peace," and gave the girl a significant look.
"With your permission, Papa Siminov, I feel I can both eat this
delicious meal and answer questions. I know what it is like to have
curious younger siblings. I would like all of you to know I wish to have
no secrets between us as to myself."
Marcia finished with a twirl of her noodles on a fork and popped the
mouthful to chew. Done, she looked at her hostess and said, "I trust you
will give me this recipe to take home with me. I would like to spend
time at your side learning to prepare it while I am here."
Ursula Siminova beamed at that. It was the type of response a girl would
give to a boyfriend's parents when the relationship was becoming enough
to consider an engagement sign the American truly wished to become a
family member. Marcia had chosen her words well. "Now, Kaleen," Marcia
began, after polishing off another mouthful of food from her plate, "I
am not of your faith, and if I ask forgiveness. ‘Amen' is an old Hebrew
word, ‘so let it be. It is what my people say when they agree that a
person is leading a prayer."
"Oh." Kaleen accepted the answer and realized she would be treated as an
equal by this new entry into the family circle. Martina shot, "Are those
white patches on your skin also a religious thing?"
Momma looked at the girl with the look only a mother can give an errant
child and responded, "In my country, we lack the comfort of the Danubian
way; and not all of the people are as happy with the way their bodies
are.
"So, Martina, when I went to enjoy the sun and the lakeside, I was not
as fortunate as you and had to cover those areas up. The sun could not
get through the cloth left with these lines on my skin." Suddenly smiled
and thought to herself, Momma and Poppa would have to give Kaleen and me
time to lie about in the sun. Maybe having this American stranger in our
house could work out after all.
Kivar whispered something to his sisters as Marcia took a piece of the
dense black bread from a plate in the middle of the table to sop up the
vegetable juices left on her plate.
His mother was about to cite him for rudeness, but Ivanka wagged a
finger indicating she had the one under control. "Kivar is also curious
about things, but, being a boy, he is afraid to ask you directly," Ivanka
offered, "this is the reason for his whispering in my ear."
Marcia smiled, "If the question needs asking, Kivar, ask it. I have
nothing to hide from you or your family, so ask away. Nothing you could
say or do would embarrass me. I have brothers and am well over being
embarrassed by them." Kivar looked at his mother for permission, then
began," You have no hair." with that, he faltered and turned bright red.
"So, it is not I who is embarrassed by your question, if that is what
that was, is it?"
Marcia laughed lightly. "No, I do not have hair on my body. As in many
others, those who compete in sports shave off since injuries and wounds
are easier to treat without it. Also, in my case, the drag of the water
on the body is lessened when swimming. Realizing I was good enough to
compete at national and international levels in my sport, my parents
took me to a doctor who used a special laser to remove all the hair
below the neck.
American women use various haircuts and styles, they even change the
color of their hair, but here women do not. So again, with your sisters
and mother helping me, letting my hair grow out,"
Seeing Ivanka rolling her eyes toward Kivar and then looking back to
Marcia, Marcia got the hint offered softly. "Kivar brought home
girlfriends who would spend the night or the weekend, would get a little
excited and embarrassed at seeing a new girl in the house.
An hour of conversation allowed Marcia to learn the crime Ivanka had
committed was considered an offense which in the states may have only
resulted in a university fine or a suspended grade of incomplete.
Ivanka knew of the strict interpretation of Danubian plagiarism rules
when she turned in her final paper to the professor. Her professor
before the classroom, "Ivanka Siminov, do you attest that all the work
herein is your work unless proper attribution?"
She had answered yes and left the classroom. Upon opening the main
compartment of her backpack, she realized that she had turned in without
annotated footnotes and a bibliography of citations. Rushing back to the
professor to give her the correct paper, she was too late. Left Ivanka
open to criminal-level charges of lying to a public official, as the
Danubians called it, and plagiarism.
Her Spokesman, during her trial, argued that the matter was a simple
mistake, exhibited the correct paper, and expressed that when Ivanka
swore the work was her own, she believed the content of the package was
the final and not the draft.
The judge could have sentenced Ivanka to ten years in the collar on the
charges and allowed for the mitigation of an error on Ivanka's part. He
disallowed the plagiarism charges but allowed the false swearing to
stand.
The sentence imposed was the one-year suspension of university
attendance, loss of her exchange student status to the university in
Chicago, and corporal punishment equivalent to that within the
university rules.
Total of one hundred twenty-five lashes with the switch, twenty-five to
be administered at the end of this court session. Next year, Ivanka
would receive punishment on the first and last day of each school
semester.
She could return to school on the first day of the following semester.
The year she would have spent overseas in America would be spent instead
working as a waitress in an outdoor coffee shop in the center of Danubia
City.
Marcia could not comprehend the punishment fitting the crime. The
Simonov family had not only accepted it but was using it as a teaching
tool for the younger children. Every action within Danubian society
carried with it consequences farther reaching than just the individual.
In this case, the family taking on public penance showed that the entire
family accepted responsibility for Ivanka's act of carelessness.
Expected to learn to take care in our work and to assure they attested
to was indeed the truth. Ivanka's parents drew the knowledge that one
can presume one's child, adult and ready to take on those
responsibilities, yet, that child will still need the attention of a
parent to a child when it comes to fundamental aspects of living.
The family was very impressed with the American girl who came to the
country of Danubia, with the Danubian sense of honor and honesty already
in place. Answered every question and every action from her arrival in
the home had been more Danubian than their children ask. To have this
girl in their home could only add honor to the Siminov family name.
In the room, a quiet gabfest was ongoing as well. "The twins will be
your shadows for at least the rest of the summer until their school
reopens," Ivanka whispered, "they are in awe of you. You are what they
would like to be as women, strong, intelligent, athletic, and
independent, yet, respectful of tradition."
Marcia quietly laughed and noted, "Yeah, they both seemed to light up
when I mentioned needing their help and wanting to even out my tan. I
guess Momma keeps them busy most days."
"She feels happy keeping them occupied about the house and indoors. I
suppose she feels they will become too happy and comfortable in their
nudity and do something stupid before school starts to remain that way," Ivanka answered.
"And your brother?" We shall have to see about him, although I feel he
will become to you as he is to me. Pain in the rear end when you're
around him, yet, a fiercely loyal protector when non-family is
concerned. You have not seen his altogether moody brat attitude yet. It
will show up at some point. That will be the test of your family's
acceptance." Ivanka whispered. She never realized she had fallen asleep;
she was so exhausted from the long events of the day.
