memories of my grandfather, George Rodger, a

re faint; he had fallen very ill at this period. My father’s

brother, uncle Jonny, had a son one year younger than me, who was named George, after my grandfather. I always played

games with cousin George in grandma Jinx’s garden.

The two of us got along well.

On New Year’s Eve our neighbors once set up a bonfire party in the field next to our house. I was

fascinated by how big the fire was. I had never seen anything like it, and it astounded my little mind. This was also the first time I saw fireworks. My father gave me one of those sparklers to play with, which I was enraptured by. There was one very special place that my father would often take me to. It was at the top of a range of

beautiful rolling hills that I termed the “London Hills”, beca

use I thought that London was on the other side of them. We would go there to fly kites. I can remember these experiences vividly. The hills were full of tall straw-like grass, and the weather was always windy

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perfect for kite flying. It was a time of utmost happiness and joy for me. My father taught me to fly a kite by myself. The wind was so strong that I feared it would lift up my frail little body and carry me into the clouds. Once I got the hang of it, it was exhilarating. We would fly our kites together and run with the wind. I will never forget that place. My favorite childhood film was The Land Before Time. I used to watch that movie all the time with Ah Mah. It was about a baby dinosaur named Littlef oot who had just lost his mother and was journeying

through a dangerous world to find the “Great Valley”, a land of prosperity an

d peace. I remember the feeling of utter sadness I felt during the scene when his mother died, and the triumphant and happy emotions that swept over me when he finally discovered the Great Valley, after going through all the hardship to get there. I watched this movie so many times that just thinking about it brings the emotions back. It was a big part of my childhood. Already a world traveler, I went on a tri

p to Spain with my parents and my parent’s friend

s Patrick and Lupe. It was the fourth

country I’ve been to at suc

h a young age. We stayed in an exquisite castle- like house that I believe was owned by a friend of ours. The house had a tower that I was extremely curious about. At one point, my parents and their friends ventured up to the top of it, but they made me stay below because I was too young. I was sorely disappointed. As they were climbing the tower I went outside to look at the cacti surrounding the house. These cacti also sparked my curiosity, and I foolishly decided to touch a cactus. I ended up getting cactus needles all over my hand, and it took a long time for my mother to remove them. Shortly after my trip to Spain, we went on another trip to Greece. We stayed at a hotel near the beach. It was very hot there. The weather was new to me, as I was used to the cold British climate. The trip to Greece was significant because during this time, my father received the news of the death of my grandfather George Rodger. He died of natural causes on my 4th birthday, at the age of 87. It was the first experience I had of the death of a close relative, and the first time I saw my father cry. My 4 year old self could not imagine my father ever crying, and so when I saw him cry that day, I knew how shaken he was. It was a very sad day for all o f us. We immediately flew home. I believe that it was during the time after my 4

th

birthday that my father came to the decision to eventually move to the United States. As he was just becoming a director, he believed Los Angeles would offer more opportunit ies. We took a short trip to California to gain an initial look at it.

I don’t