chronicles of Ruth

Introduction

Greetings my dear townsfolk. My name is Ruth Hershberger, and I’m ecstatic to be starting this journey with all who will tune in. I can’t write for long, so I’ll do my best to help you get to know me in this short amount of time. I live in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, alongside my Amish family and friends. In our community, we all have different duties and roles. My father manages the farm, which means tending to the livestock and fostering our crops, while my mother takes care of my four other sisters and me. Mother teaches my sisters and me how to manage the household so that we may one day be helpful to the community. My favorite task is churning the butter.

While I have a great appreciation for the lifestyle that I’ve lived these past 18 years, I recently discovered what life was like outside of my village, and I was quite fascinated with what I learned. I went on a trip with cousin Abraham in a buggy to deliver our crops to the local market. On this trip, Abraham made a pit stop at a school called Penn State University. We parked our buggy on the grass and walked into the common rooms. His friends welcomed us with open arms. I didn’t question how he made these friends, because I was just happy to be meeting new people. I talked to a friendly girl named Melanie while Abraham and his other friends rekindled. Melanie and I really clicked, and I was astonished by their way of living. Her fashion was so different from ours back home, and the technology around me was unusual but intriguing. Melanie showed me her smartphone which also seems to be a multimodal device that can be used as a camera, flashlight, and calculator. She also showed me some social media apps called TikTok and Instagram which had really catchy songs and funny videos.

Ever since this meeting, Melanie and I have been pen pals. Every week, she comes to my village, and we meet in the horse stables away from the rest so that we can catch up with each other. I also get a lot of updates on events going on in the outside world through Mel. And now, I wish to share my findings and opinions with you all.