First glance at the Amish - 2
First glance at Amish - 2After being explicitly explained to what the outhouse was all about, a red light in my head started to blink a little. I decided to hold it until I reached a nearby town where there was a normal restroom.The older Amish gentleman spoke with a slightly accent which I couldn’t place it at first. English is not the native tongue of Amish and neither is mine. Apparently, he and I had something in common when came to English. German is Amish first language; they learn it at home and use it to communicate among themselves. At school, first graders often face the challenge of learning a new language - English - along with their first lessons in reading, writing, and arithmetic. The teacher used the German dialect only as a last resort if a pupil cannot understand English. It takes special effort to teach English word meanings, comprehension, and pronunciation skills.We were told that he had built the house from his own wood, sending them to and from a sawmill. The final products were perfect size for his house. What amazed me the most was that the whole house didn’t have a single nail but wood pegs to hold every piece of wood together. This type of house is as strong and sturdy as the one that used the nails.When we called to inquire some information about this property, we were told this Amish family wanted to sell all 166 acres before moving close to his son. Obviously, it was some place else. I couldn’t see myself living far away from civilization in the wood where the nearest neighbor was around 2 miles away. My husband probably agreed that the property was too big for two of us to handle. It was a nice trip, though. At least I could see another side of America.Still I’m fascinated with a simple life style of the Amish. To me the Amish is a living history not in the sense of backward living. It’s amazing to learn that some people in America can still live without electricity, running water, telephone, car, or internet. The world around them keeps moving and changing while they stay still and seem to be happy with the way they live. Even though some of them jump the fence - leaving the Amish life style behind- , plenty of Amish communities can be seen and observed.