Monday, August 22 - Masschusetts

I read an article in Sunday's paper which disturbed me a bit, so I am going to vent a little about it.

In summer the US welcomes a lot of foreign college students arriving to work for the season and experience a bit of our country and culture while they are here. Most are from eastern Europe, the Soviet Republic, etc. Yes they do work long hours, but are paid more than they would earn in their home countries.They know this prior to arrival.

Most want to be here, experiencing a different culture while earning money.

The article was about foreign students working on Matha's Vineyard, and contained several interviews. One student was very unhappy about his experience. He felt MV did not have any history, and was too "clean and shiny".

Really?

Perhaps our civilization does not go back as far as Europe's. It does not make it any less. The first Europeans that visited Martha's Vineyard were the Vikings, who landed about the year 1000, naming it Vineland. In some of their writings are descriptions that can be of no other place than Martha's Vineyard (the largest island for miles and miles).


From the website: "The next explorer, and the first one to leave any account of the island, was Bartholomew Gosnold, of Falmouth, England. In 1602 he sailed for Virginia. Contrary winds drove him to the Azores; thence he sailed a little north of west, and struck out boldly across the Atlantic. He was the first Englishman to sail directly to the American coast, thereby saving nearly a thousand miles in distance and at least a week in sailing time. He landed on a cape which he named Cape Cod from the abundance of codfish found there. Then doubling the cape and sailing to the southward he landed on a small island about six miles southeast of Gay Head which he called Martha's Vineyard. The next day he landed on the larger island. After exploring it and finding it so large, well wooded, and with such luxuriant grape vines, many beautiful lakes, and springs of the purest water, he transferred the name and called it Martha's Vineyard, in honor of his mother whose name was Martha."

The other island he re-named No-Man's-Land (Nantucket).

English settlement began with the purchase of Martha's Vineyard, Nantucket, and the Elizabeth Islands (in the harbor, south of the Cape and north of the Islands) by Thomas Mayhew from two English "owners". He had friendly relations with the Wampanoags on the island, in part because he was careful to honor their land rights. His son, also named Thomas Mayhew, began the first English settlement in 1642 at Great Harbor ( which later became Edgartown).

Prior to that, for many thousands of years, indiginous Native Americans roamed and wandered. Martha's Vineyard was called "Noepe" by the Wampanoag, which means "In the Midst of the Sea"

The whaling industry boomed between 1820 and 1865. Herman Melville spent time there, although his novel was based on his adventures out of Nantucket. We ALL had to read Moby Dick, did we not :) ?

Born and bred in Massachusetts, I am well aware of what MV has evolved into over the years.

I realize this is not "home" for the students, but is that not why they decided to come? To experience and learn? The interviewee in the paper said he could not wait to leave; wanted to get home and away from here.

Apprently too different for him, but he was disgusted and did not disguise it.

I do not disrespect anyone's culture. Please do not disrespect mine.

There are many states I have not visited - Wyoming, Montana, Arkansas, Hawaii to name but a few! I certainly would not dismiss them as "less" or "gross" simply because I am not from there. There is always something of value to be learned.

And you got a short history lesson as well :)