DeGrooth 1

Julia DeGrooth
Mrs. Oliveira
College Writing
23 January 2016
A Familys Tune
Two thousand three hundred and ninety miles separate me from my extended family. This
substantial distance impacts the way I celebrate holidays, birthdays, and vacations. A six hour
plane ride separates our laughter, adventure, and memories. Like many, my family lives what
feels like an eternity away.
Another part of my family also lives in Utah, except for my mom, my sister, and me. My
mother has always been close with her six siblings. A similar bond is shared throughout the
entire Olavson family. Although my mother grew up in Utah, her personal life brought her to the
east coast. Here, she began raising a family. Living so far away from her loved ones, she
ritualized a yearly visit to Utah. They began when I turned two. At this age, the days were
divided in order to visit all the family I had gone so long without seeing: four were spent with
my uncle, two with my grandparents, and the other four days with my aunt. Each day, no matter
whom I spent the day with, was filled with amusement. Some days we hiked, while others we
baked and cooked, however, the most memorable days were spent with my family at the pool.
It all started with a large pool and an uncle who would sing a tale. My uncles famous
song rang for countless minutes bringing laughter and humiliation in every verse. A day or two
after arriving in Utah, my family typically visited the town pools. These resembled water parks
with numerous platforms, water slides, and diving boards. In these venturous pools, my fifteen
family members baked in the hot sun and anxiously awaited for my uncle to sing the Gilligan's

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island song. It was a theme song of a famous sitcom in the sixties. My two cousins, sister, and I
sat on my uncle's shoulders as he belted out the lyrics, Just sit right back. And you'll hear a tale.
A tale of a fateful trip, that started from this tropic port, aboard this tiny ship(Schwartz and
Wyle). Moments later he began reciting the next verse, The weather started getting rough, but
the tiny ship was tossed, flailing his arms while my two cousins, sister, and I were jolted
around. Immediately after the voyage, my cousins and I played in the pool for hours on end,
while the tune of Gilligan's island lingered on repeat in our heads.
The song was simple. It told a story of the sailor, Gilligan, and the voyage he
encountered with his crew. In our imagination, the pool acted as our ocean, my uncle our boat,
and each of us, a member of the crew. A lucky one of us would be Gilligan while the other three
played the role of the crew members. These characters included, The Skipper. A millionaire and
his wife, or A movie star. we all were casted and we all had fun (Schwartz and While). For
me, the youngest of my cousins, I begged and begged for the song to be sung, on repeat. During
the four minutes of song, I always felt an immediate thrill. At a young age, this was the most
amusing form of entertainment. While some days, my wish was granted, other days I had to
eagerly await until the next visit to the pool.
Going to Utah came to a startling halt for a few years. The death of my grandfather
represented caused us to stop going. I felt that visiting Utah would make my grandfather's death
all too real, so we just stopped visiting for three years. My mom's guilt of living so far away from
her father also haunted her. She feared she had missed pivotal moments in his life. Life simply
became too chaotic and the idea of visiting the family slipped from our minds. Even though
communication continued, the face-to-face contact ceased.

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Three years later, though it felt like it had been substantially longer, the three of us
packed our bags and flew to Utah. Although it was a daunting three years, the moment our toes
dipped in the iridescent pool, we felt at home. Immediately, we sang the tune of Gilligan's
Island and an elated sensation overwhelmed me. In those moments when the tunes of
Gilligan's Island played, the sorrow from my grandfather's death disappeared, being replaced
with our laughter.
No matter where we are located, my family remains united. For example, a few years ago
the Olavson family traveled to Rhode Island. The Gilligan's Island song was still our song that
year, but this time the 10,000 gallon chlorine pool was replaced with the grand Atlantic Ocean.
The song brings much laughter and conversation in my family, no matter when or where the song
sung, my family plays it and feels relieved of any stress that saddens us.
Gilligan's Island is not the sole reason why my family remains so strong. Rather, the
people who sang it and the resulting laughter keeps us so close. I never fully grasped why the
Gilligans Island song was sung to my two cousins and I, but no matter the reason, the song
floods my family with everlasting memories. My uncle may not be able to carry all four of us
now as we have grown, but we will forever listen to the song and reminisce on our past
experiences. Even now that the nieces and nephews are betweens the ages of 17 to 23, my uncle
still sings the childish tune. With it are to remember our shared memories. We laugh about it
now, but the song means more today than it did when I was young. It resembles a time when the
family endured a devastating loss and heartbreak, and the song helped reassemble a damaged
family as well as bring much needed amusement. Even though my relatives live thousands of
miles away, they remain close in my heart through the song,

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Just sit right back. And you'll hear a tale. A tale of a fateful trip, That started from this
tropic port, Aboard this tiny ship.The mate was a mighty sailin' man, The Skipper brave and
sure. Five passengers set sail that day, For a three hour tour, A three hour tour.The weather
started getting rough, But the tiny ship was tossed. If not for the courage of the fearless crew.
The Minnow would be lost. The Minnow would be lost.The ship set aground on the shore Of this
uncharted desert isle With Gilligan, The Skipper too. A millionaire and his wife, A movie star,
The professor and Mary Ann, Here on Gilligan's Isle. So this is the tale of our castaways, They're
here for a long, long time. They'll have to make the best of things, It's an uphill climb. The first
mate and his Skipper, too, Will do their very best, To make the others comfortable. In the tropic
island nest. No phone, no lights, no motor car, Not a single luxury. Like Robinson Crusoe. It's
primitive as can be. So join us here each week my friends, You're sure to get a smile, From seven
stranded castaways. Here on Gilligan's Isle!

Work Cited
Schwartz, Sherwood, and George Wyle. Gilligan's Island.1964.