Beatrice Gorst in Loving Memory

When I first arrived in the United States I lived with mother in law and my wife's younger sister on Shawano Avenue, in Green Bay, Wisconsin. The house we lived in had a huge bay window and one day as I sat watching GILIGAN's Island on the TV and enjoying the warmth in the living room thanks to my mother in law, I was struck with wonder as I watched huge snow flakes falling from above outside. It was sometime in september the approach of winter and the end of fall that time of the year when most of the trees have shed their leaves leaving naked branches against empty grey skies. For those who ar used to seeing this phenomenon year in year out of their lives like the people of Green bay, seeing large cotton balls drifting down from the sky is nothing to write about, but for me it was an awakening experience as I had never seen snow in my life except on the TV or in movies. I was mesmerized and the next thing I knew I was rushing out of the house in my sarong and T-shirt and barefooted I headed out the back door. The last thing I heard before I exited was my wife calling out after me from the kitchen sink. I must have looked very silly to the regulars at the Farr's Grove Tavern whirling in circles with my head turned upwards and my tounge sticking out trying to catch the snow flakes as they drift on to my face.
I was twenty six years of age and had a four month old son, married in Malaysia to my American wife from Stevens Point, Wisconsin and due to the difficulties I was facing in Malaysia being married to a foreigner I had decided to take my chances of making a better life in the US. The Malaysian Immigration department was a sore in my butt and my wife was being prejudiced against where she was teaching which was making her life miserable on top of being married and pregnant in a foreign country where she can only depend on the compassion of my own friends and relatives. She was a lecturer at the MARA Institute of Technology in Shah Alam where she taught Business Managemnet. Afte a few months there she started complaining to me that a few of the female teachers were unfriendly towards her including her roomate then. I felt helpless in the matter as I was working in Penang at the same time and was only able to visit her on holidays. My wife lost her cheerfulness after a while and often I would find her in tears, I then decided to pack it up and try my luck in her homeland where i thought at least she will be happier and I will be the one who has to put up with the hardship that we might encounter.
It was in 1973 and I was working at Hegermeyer Trading Company ablock away from whereI am having my present Solo Exhibition in Penang, my wife was most happy whenever she came to visit me. I was not making much but between our salaries we were able to buy an old beat up VW to move around. When we finally decided to make our move to the US we had to sell the VW and with the help from my Mother in law Mrs Beatrice Gorst who sent us some money we were able to buy two flight tickets back to the US.