I am full of questions this evening
Did anyone live in Church 'community' ? Could you describe your experience there?
My parents were on staff when I was very little, we lived in a "staff house" for about 1 1/2 years. During this time my dad was on staff at foundation org, my mom was for a bit, they seperated then my mom was gone for about 1 year... Grundy (who is my brother) won't remember this, this was right after he was born.
As children we were expected to take care of ourselves, now I am talking I was 5 and my older brother was 3 my baby brother (Grundy) newborn to a year. My baby brother was not expected to take care of himself (I think my dad had someone else watch him). But the staff that took care of us while my dad worked (then went on staff on evenings and weekends) pretty much didn't take care of us... When we were hungry I would raid the kitchen for whatever I would find (by the way raw potatos and catfood suck). When it was bedtime we were locked into the room with the light off, I was afraid of the dark til I was 35. Anyway enough ranting.
When I finally said something to my dad... He changed who watched us, not in the house, to his credit he didn't think his kids should be treated that way. When my mom came back, we moved.
I joined the Sea Org in my late teens, I lived in a small room with 5 other girls (I was lucky, alot of rooms the same size had 9), ate in a large room with other staff, did not have anything really to do with my family (but I did call my dad every 3 or 4 weeks, my grandma every month or so, etc. This was probably not ok, but this was my family).
We worked seven days a week, 9am to 10:45pm mon - fri, 9am to 10 pm saturday, 9amto 6 pm within this time, breaks (sometimes) for lunch and dinner, worked later on Weds nite, and suppossed to get 12 1/2 hours study or auditing - that rarely happened.
Suprising thing, though the staff spent so much time together, no good friends... Talking for the sake of making connections while on staff would be discouraged, plus you stand to be disciplined for anything that was considered "out ethics" told to another staff. You sort of get a pananoid air with this going on.
fraternizing with public is considered not ok.
But it wasn't all bad.... But it wasn't all good either.