Leah Miller (Amish: World's Squarest Teenagers) interview

Leah Miller is an Amish girl from Ohio, in the USA's Midwest. This summer, she and other young Amish appear in a unique four-part series on Channel 4, Amish: World's Squarest Teenagers.

> Read our review of the show.

> FInd out more in our preview.

The series documents their experiences as they travel from their closed communities to Great Britain, where they will live with other young people, ranging from a London street-dancing troupe to a castle-dwelling family in Scotland.

Watch a clip from the show...

What made you want to take part in this series?

"It was about studying the culture, basically. I sort of imagined it would be like a cultural exchange. I thought it would be interesting, especially as I’ve always been fascinated with England’s history, because a lot of American history links back to England, which is where a lot of the immigrants came from."

How did you feel about coming here? Were you nervous about it?

"I think the unknown is always kind of frightening. But I was also really excited about it, I was looking forward to doing it. I was really excited about seeing some historic places."

There were five of you who came over. One was your brother. Did you know the others?

"I knew one of Becky’s family. And we all got to meet each other before we left. Except for Jerry, I didn’t get to meet him. But I spent an evening with Leon and his family. So we kind of got to know each other before we left. We weren’t total strangers, being introduced to each other getting on to the plane."

How did you find going in the aeroplane?

"It was a lot like I’d imagined. I always had intentions to fly sometime, because our church allows us to fly. So I just wanted to do it, and I guess this was the first opportunity that arose. I was quite pleased with it. I was a little bit frightened about flying, because there’s always the chance of something going wrong, but it was fun, I really enjoyed the flight. It made me want to fly more."

What were your first impressions of Britain when you landed?

"One of the first families we stayed with, in Kent, live in the countryside, like we do. They were very welcoming people, they were very good at making us feel at home and showed us real hospitality. I think they were the perfect family to get us feeling comfortable here."

You stayed in London too. What did you think of the city?

"I think London’s definitely the business world, and technology, to the utmost. Everything’s so fast-paced. City life is pretty much how I imagined it would be."

It wasn’t really shocking to you?

"I’d already spent several weeks in a big city in America, with my mum’s sister while she was doing medical work, so it wasn’t a totally new experience for me. That was in Reno, Nevada."

Of all the places you went to in Britain, which was your favourite?

"That’s such a difficult question, because I really enjoyed everywhere we visited. It was interesting to see Cornwall, and to see Kent and the English countryside, and getting to experience London, one of the hugest cities in the world. But I think Scotland was my favourite. Staying in the castle really brought to life the storybook impression I had of historical Britain.

"I think we were all in our element there as well, because we did so much nature stuff, we were outside a lot. Doing barbecues, the boys went hunting, being out in the fields, it was a lot like what we’re used to. But being inside the castle was like living in a storybook, and it really made all the books that I’ve read set in Britain seem more real."

You saw the ocean for the first time as well, didn’t you?

"It was the first time any of us had seen the ocean. I was really happy to have the chance to see the ocean. I would definitely have made a point of going and seeing it at some point in my life anyway. I loved it."

How did people react to you? Both the people you met and those who just saw you in the street.

"The people we stayed with, all of them were quite accepting of us. They received us and were interested and asked a lot of questions about our culture and the way we live, and what we think about things. I find, overall, just travelling on the tube or getting on the bus, people are usually friendly and polite and helpful. But I do notice that people give me a curious stare when I pass, because obviously I dress quite differently. But I’m used to it really. There are areas in America where people aren’t used to seeing the Amish as well. It’s not like being in our local town, where people are used to seeing Amish people all the time, and don’t even take a second glance."

Is there an element of Amish tourism where you live?

"Yes. It’s not really close to my home, but there are definitely places like that in America. There are huge areas, probably bigger than London, where lots of Amish people live, along with non-Amish, and there are tourist attractions there."

Generally speaking, are people quite respectful there?

"Yeah, for the most part."

You hung out a lot with people your own age while you were here. What’s your impression of British teenagers?

"They were definitely respectful towards us. But overall, we’ve definitely been brought up differently. It seems to me like they live in the present, and don’t really think about the future. They don’t really seem to consider that God is actually real - although some of them did. Some of them said they believed in God, and believed in creation. But I think there’s a lot of difference in the way we were brought up. Having fun was a lot of their focus, compared with us. But we also enjoy life, it’s just different. We have our freedoms, but I’m also probably more of a serious, thinking person. I think about things, and not all Amish young people are that way either. It varies."

Had you spent any time with black people before?

"I’d definitely visited and talked with them before, but not lived with them. But I like black people. I was happy to have the opportunity to spend more time with them and getting to know them. In our week in London, I realised that the black people were talking about God, they weren’t hiding it. They were open with their beliefs, and open and happy to say that they believe in God."

So in that respect you had more in common with them than other people you met?

"Exactly, yeah."

And you went to a music festival. How was that?

"That was the first thing that was really hard for me. It’s not something I would choose to go to, personally. It’s not the kind of place where you’d find a godly mind, I guess. I think there are a lot of impure things that go on in a place like that. For me it was kind of shocking."

You said that was the first thing you found hard. What else did you find difficult?

"One word: nightclub. That was a very frightening experience. I think it’s very ungodly. All the music and drinking and everything, it sends everyone into an impure mindset."

On a more basic level, what did you make of the food? Do we eat the same sort of stuff as you do back home?

"Probably if I was here for a year, I’d get introduced to a lot of different foods. You have more different types of food from all over the world. We’ve got Chinese at home and some others, but you’ve got a lot more here. Overall I think your culture eats more healthily. I think the Amish are quite known for their desserts. I think America overall, and with the Amish included in that, there’s a problem with obesity. But I think people over here eat more healthily, with less salt and sugars."

A couple of times you dressed up in non-Amish clothes. How was that?

"I dressed up for going to the nightclub. That was the only time. Oh, no, I also put on a wedding dress. I liked that. I’ve always been interested in the old dresses, like ball dresses. As long as they’re modest - I don’t like shoulders uncovered. Because I sew, I make a lot of dresses for myself, the different patterns and styles were really interesting. I’ve always wanted to see them, because I think it’s part of America’s history as well. The pioneers and people that came over had tea parties where they would dress up like that. They’ve always just fascinated me, so going to put on the wedding dresses was a highlight for me. I didn’t really want to dress up for the nightclub, but I did it for the experience. I definitely wouldn’t have agreed to go with bare shoulders or anything like that, but I think as long as we’re covered, it’s okay."

Being Andrew’s older sister, did you feel a sense of responsibility for him?

"I did, but then I feel that all the time. I have quite a few siblings - there’s 13 of us in my family all together. I realise that I’m laying an example for my younger brothers and sisters. But I don’t force them to do things, I don’t control them. I might give them some advice about things, but I’m not going to force them to do something I think they should do. But yes, I definitely felt responsible for him."

Did you communicate with your parents while you were away?

"We did whenever we had a chance to - we had kind of a vigorous schedule."

And how did you contact them?

"We just called them. My dad’s got a cell phone. Our church allows cell phones and home lines as well."

Do you think they were worried about you while you were away?

"They were just really interested in what we were doing. I definitely had my parent’s approval for going - their encouragement too. If my parents hadn’t wanted me to go, I wouldn’t have done it."

What was the best thing about your visit?

"I enjoyed so much of it. I really enjoyed spending time with people here - I’m a people person. I enjoyed seeing some of the tourist attractions around London too, like the National Gallery. And I’ve been to the V&A this time, and I enjoyed that. And I enjoyed the beach, just spending time sitting by the sea. I could do that for hours. We went to different coasts and saw different beaches, and saw how the land varies from place to place. That was really enjoyable to me."

Of the five of you who came over, did some of you enjoy the experience more than others?

"I think we all enjoyed it. I think we all realised it was an extraordinary experience, and I think we all made the most of it."

What was it like to get home at the end of the trip?

"I think we were all ready to go home and see our families. It was good to get home."

What’s it like being back without the others. Does it feel strange being back here on your own?

"I hadn’t really thought about that. I can adjust pretty well to wherever I am. When I think back to when we were here, of course I think of the others as well."

Did you guys form a close friendship, the five of you, being over here together?

"Yeah. We’ve got this whole thing in common. It’s interesting to get together and talk about it. But we don’t live close together, there’s four hours of distance between us. But we’ve been calling, and my brother and I have stopped in at Jerry’s place and spent some time with him and looked at our pictures. But I’m hoping all of us will get together and watch the documentaries and discuss the whole trip. The hardest thing is going back, the five of us have this in common, and can relate to each other about it. You can talk to your friends, but they haven’t actually seen it all."

Will you watch the programme with your family?

"My family’s been looking forward to seeing it since we came home. They keep asking when it’s going to be finished."

What do you think you learned from the experience of taking part in this?

"Overall, personally, for me it’s been a good opportunity. I couldn’t control it, there was something new happening every day, and we didn’t always know what was going to happen. So for me it was a good opportunity to exercise faith. And it’s broadened my viewpoint of the whole world. There are so many people out there, and so many different cultures, it broadened my perspective, I guess."

So you’d like to do more travelling?

"Definitely. My family’s always had it in our blood. We like to travel. I’d like to do Switzerland next - a lot of the Amish came from Switzerland. And I'd like to visit New Zealand as well. Right before I met with England, I met a couple from New Zealand in a bed and breakfast that I clean. And I was asking them lots of questions about it, and it sounds like a really beautiful country as well."

Do you think you taught something to the people who you encountered here?

"I hope that a lot of the young people learned more about the Bible, because we definitely discussed it a lot. But there were also smaller things like sewing and gardening and carpentry work. I hope some of them will have benefited from all the things we did together."

Did anything on this trip make you question any aspect of Amish life?

"I think it made me appreciate some of the values we were taught. I realise how far away you can get from living biblically if you don’t really value what you’re working on. Going into a culture that doesn’t practice biblical convictions makes me value what we were taught and how we live. I think our values, that we’ve kept for so long, are definitely good for young people."


Amish: World's Squarest Teenagers airs on Sundays at 8pm from 25th July 2010 on on Channel 4.