A Moment with Mary

Table of Contents

  1. Bio
  2. Conversation
  3. References / Some Things

Bio

Prelude

Mary Vainstein is a student at California College of the Arts in San Francisco, CA and Oakland, CA. As a child she was an avid people watcher. Over the years she transitioned from people watching to actively taking control of situations big and small. She describes herself as outgoing, kind, and adventurous.

Conversation

When did you moved to the United States?

I moved to California in June 2001. I remember the year because it was my first year in America when 9/11 happened. I remember sitting in class with Mister Downer - that was legit the teachers name - and he turned on the television. I didn't know what was happening, but a lot of the kids around me looked upset, and the other teachers did too. I later found out exactly what happened, but man, what an entrance into this country.

Have you ever witnessed racism?

When I was young, I lived in an all white neighborhood in the little town called Pendlebury in Greater Manchester. It was not uncommon to live segregated, at the time I didn't know any different. One day, a little girl moved to the town with her parents. My older sister befriended her, and invited her to her birthday party. The little girl had loads of fun, and my mum became friends with hers. The problem was our neighbors did NOT like that we had allowed people of another race into our home. They let us know by dismantling our fence and placing it on our lawn.

What was it like working for your mother?

My first real job was working as a receptionist at my mother's IT Training company. I babysat as a child, but this was big girl work. I remember sitting at my new, shiny desk with empty drawers and a stack of files beside me. I slowly entered information into the computer, constantly terrified of making mistakes because she said she would not check my work because she trusted me. I slowly learned to type faster with fewer mistakes, and even started to read faster. I loved my first job because it was concrete hours, and I got to see my mother everyday (even though we lived together I rarely saw her at the house).

References / Some Things