It was the winter of 1936, when after 10 days on the rough Atlantic we finally arrived in America after fleeing Hitler’s Germany. A few days later, I was enrolled in the local elementary school, and since I spoke no English, I was completely unaware of what the teacher was saying. I just sat there and observed the scene.
Fellow students kept pointing at my leather boots and then broke out in laughter. Of course, I felt uncomfortable but tried to smile.
Eventually, I learned English and achieved excellent grades. Soon thereafter, I was promoted and life was good once more.