When I think back, the first five years after my coming to the US in 1962 were the ones when my life changed the most, as far as I can remember. First of all, I became independent in all aspects of my life. This might be the biggest change, as I had not been allowed to make ANY important decisions before. Also, economically I was suddenly my own support system. Fortunately I was young and naïve, and certainly knew very little that mattered. Optimistic thinking plus the situation at the time in the US made my life adjustment a very smooth one.
I bought my first car so I could drive to work. It was a 1956 Chevy 4-door sedan. The picture below was taken with the car in front of my rental house on the east side of Johnson City.
The gas was cheap, 22-25 cents a gallon, and they gave green stamps too! When you collected a certain number of green stamps, you could exchange them for various items in a green stamps catalog(see a typical page below), everything from a radio to a camera, and many other items you would like to have. It was a different time!
Oh, the green stamp idea seemed like a pretty cool concept. There are a ton of cars out there now, so something like that won't be used anymore. Still, it's an interesting thing. Your first car is a pretty nice ride, too!
ReplyDelete-Leisa Dreps
Your first car (1956 Chevy) is still appealing today because of its simplicity. No wonder it is still a crowd favorite in different vintage car shows. It can even compete with convertibles in terms of style and beauty. Anyway, I also remember those green stamps back in high school. I usually got some of those in supermarkets. These practically started the loyalty rewards promo in different shops.
ReplyDeletePenny Geist