>>> IMAGINE WHAT IT WOULD BE LIKE TO GROW UP IN A WORLD CLOSED OFF FROM SOCIETY WITHOUT MODERN CONVENIENCES LIKE ELECTRICITY, RUNNING WATER OR INDOOR PLUMBING. FOR EMMA GINGRICH, THAFLS THE ONLY LIFE SHE HAD KNOWN. SHE GREW UP IN A STRICT AMISH COMMUNITY, ONE OF 13 SIBLINGS, UM ONE DAY SHE REALIZED, I AM NOT CUT OUT FOR THIS. SHE'S HERE IN A MOMENT, BUT FIRST WATCH THIS. >> THIS IS A YOUNG EMMA GINGRICH WALKING WITH FIVE OF HER 13 SIBLINGS GROWING UP IN OHIO. >> THE AMISH GROUP I CAME FROM IS ONE OF THE LEAST MODERN COMMUNITIES. >> EMMA SAYS UNTIL SHE WAS 18 YEARS OLD EVERY DAY CONSISTED OF WAKING UP, COOKING BREAKFAST FOR HER FAMILY AND MILKING COWS. >> JUST GO THROUGH THE MOTIONS, DO THE CHORES. >> SHE ADHERED TO STRICT CLOTHING REQUIREMENTS, THE COMMUNITY'S ELDERS KEEPING A CLOSE EYE. >> THE PLEATS IN THE BACK ARE CORRECT AND CORRECT LENGTH. IT HAS TO COME DOWN TO THE ANKLE. NOT TOO LONG AND NOT TOO SHORT. >> WHILE BEING SURE HER HAIR WASN'T VISIBLE BENEATH THE CAP SHE WORE. ONE OF THE HAPPIEST MEMORIES DURING THAT TIME OF HER LIFE WAS GOING TO SCHOOL. BUT SHE SAYS EVEN THAT WAS BASIC AND ENDED BY THE TIME SHE WAS 14. >> WE LEARN HOW TO READ AND WRITE. MOST OF IT IS IN GERMAN. WE HAVE THE MATH AND SPELLING, BUT WE DON'T HAVE SCIENCE, HISTORY, GEOGRAPHY AND THINGS LIKE THAT. MY UNDERSTANDING IS THAT THE WORLD IS FLAT AND YOU FALL OFF THE EDGE IF YOU DO TOO FAR. >> BY THE TIME SHE REACHED HER TEENAGER YEARS, EMMA REALIZED THE AMISH LIFESTYLE WAS NOT FOR HER. >> I REALIZED I AM JUST NOT CUT OUT TO BE AMISH. THERE THERE WAS A LOT OF FEAR IN MY LIFE. FEAR I WASN'T GOOD ENOUGH, I WASN'T PERFECT, I WAS DOING SOMETHING WRONG. YOU COULDN'T EVEN SMILE IN CHURCH. I WAS LIKE, OKAY, I'M GOING TO LEAVE. SOME WAY OR SOMEHOW I'M GOING TO GET OUT OF HERE. >> AND SHE DID. JOINING ME NOW EMMA GINGRICH WHO WROTE A BOOK ABOUT HER EXPERIENCE "RUNAWAY AMISH GIRL:THE GREAT ESCAPE." EMMA, WELCOME. CAN WE PICK IT UP WHERE THAT PIECE TOUCHED ON THE EDUCATION. YOU FINISHED AT AGE 14. WAS THERE ANY EDUCATION ABOUT LIKE THE NUMBER OF STATES, OUR POLITICAL SYSTEM, ANYTHING? >> NO EDUCATION ABOUT THAT. >> DID YOU KNOW WE HAD 50 STATES? >> NO. >> DID YOU KNOW WHO THE PRESIDENT WAS? >> NO, I DID NOT KNOW ANYTHING. >> WHAT YEAR DID YOU LEAVE? >> IN 2006. >> SO YOU DID NOT KNOW THAT THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES WAS GEORGE BUSH. >> NO, NEVER HEARD OF HIM. NEVER HEARD OF A PRESIDENT. >> OF ANY PRESIDENT. >> YES. >> DID YOU KNOW WHO GEORGE WASHINGTON WAS? >> NO. I THOUGHT HE WAS SOMEBODY'S GRANDFATHER. I SAW A PICTURE AFTER I LEFT, I SAW A PICTURE ON THE WALL AND I THOUGHT IT WAS SOMEBODY'S GRANDFATHER. >> THAT IS UNBELIEVABLE. SO THEY JUST SKIPPED THAT ENTIRELY. THERE WAS NO HISTORY TAUGHT TO YOU. >> NONE. >> WHAT YEAR WERE YOU BORN? >> '87. >> '87. SO WHEN 911 HAPPENED YOU WERE LIKE 12, 13 AROUND THERE, DOING MY MATH. >> YEAH. >> WERE YOU AWARE OF THAT? DID YOU KNOW? >> I THINK YEARS LATER I HEARD ABOUT IT BEFORE I LEFT THE AMISH. BUT I THOUGHT THAT IT WAS SOMETHING THAT GOD DID. >> WOW. >> THAT'S WHAT -- >> IF YOU DON'T HAVE ENDOOR PLUMBING, YOU DON'T HAVE A TV. THERE'S NO ELECTRONICS AT ALL ALLOWED. >> NO. >> NO LIGHT SWITCHES. >> NO LIGHT, NO. >> WHAT DID YOU DO FOR LIGHT WHEN YOU WANTED TO READ, WHEN YOU WANTED TO EAT? >> LIGHT A KEROSENE LAMP. >> WOW. >> WHAT ABOUT -- SO WHAT LANGUAGE DID YOU SPEAK? >> GERMAN, MIXTURE OF DUTCH. THEY CALL IT PENNSYLVANIA DUTCH. >> ANY ENGLISH AT ALL? >> WE LEARNED A LITTLE BIT OF ENGLISH IN SCHOOL LIKE YES AND NO AND MAKE SENTENCES. LIKE THE TEACHER WOULD PROVIDE A WORD AND WE WOULD WRITE A SENTENCE, MAKE A SENTENCE OUT OF IT. >> SO YOU HAD SOME ABILITY TO COMMUNICATE WITH THE OUTSIDE WORLD. >> SOME. WE WEREN'T ALLOWED TO USE ENGLISH AT HOME OR AT SCHOOL. JUST LEARN IT BUT THEN LEAVE IT. >> EVERYTHING WAS INCREDIBLY CONTROLLED. >> VERY CONTROLLED. >> WHEN I READ YOUR STORY, ONE OF MY MAIN QUESTIONS WAS DID YOU HAVE JOY IN YOUR LIFE? EVERYTHING SEEMED SO REGIMENTED. >> NO. I DON'T REMEMBER EVER HAVING JOY GROWING UP. THERE WAS NOTHING THAT I LOOKED FORWARD TO. >> WOW. SO HOW DO YOU GET OUT OF A COMMUNITY LIKE THAT, WHERE EVERYONE YOU KNOW IS IN IT, YOUR LANGUAGE SKILLS ARE NOT SET UP FOR LIFE IN THE OUTSIDE WORLD. YOU HAVE NO MODERN DAY KNOWLEDGE? WE'RE GOING TO TALK TO EMMA NEXT ABOUT WHAT SHE >>> WE'RE BACK WITH EMMA GINGRICH WHO WAS A MEMBER OF ONE OF THE STRICTEST AMISH COMMUNITIES UNTIL SHE TURNED 18 AND LEFT TO MAKE A LIFE FOR HERSELF. ONE OF THE UNUSUAL PROTOCOLS IN YOUR COMMUNITY WAS THE DATING RITUAL. CAN YOU TELL US ABOUT THAT? >> OH, MAN, DATING WAS WEIRD. THEY DO THE BED COURTSHIP. >> BED COURTSHIP? WHAT'S THAT? >> A GROUP OF GUYS WILL PICK OUT ONE PERSON, ONE GUY, AND ASK HIM IF HE WANTS TO GO ON A DATE WITH A GIRL. THEY WILL PICK OUT THE GIRL, TOO. THEN THEY WILL TAKE HIM TO THE GIRL'S HOUSE, UPSTAIRS TO HER ROOM AND WAKE HER UP. THIS IS ON A SATURDAY NIGHT FROM 11:00 P.M. TO 4:00 A.M. >> SO THE MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT SOMEBODY SHOWS UP IN YOUR BEDROOM. >> YEAH. >> THEN WHAT HAPPENS? >> THEY ASK THE GIRL IF SHE WANTS TO HAVE A DATE WITH THE GUY. >> LIKE RIGHT NOW. >> YES. >> IF YOU SAY YES, WHAT HAPPENS NEXT? >> THEY LEAVE THE GUY THERE, AND HE STAYS IN THE ROOM. >> WHOA. >> WHOA IS RIGHT. WHOA, HEY, HOW ARE YOU DOIN'? IS THERE SEXUAL ACTIVITY? >> NO. >> WHAT DO YOU DO? >> THERE'S NO -- TALK OR GO TO SLEEP. BUT FOR ME I NEVER TALKED. I JUST LAID THERE. >> SO A MAN, A YOUNG MAN WOULD GET IN YOUR BED IN THE MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT AND YOU WOULD LIE THERE NEXT TO EACH OTHER. WHAT HAPPENS IN THE MORNING? >> HE GETS UP BEFORE THE FAMILY SO HE'S NOT SEEN. >> EVEN THOUGH IT'S WITH THE FAMILY'S BLESSING? >> YES. >> THEN DO YOU EVER SPEAK? THERE IS EVER ANY LIKE, I'M A SCORPIO. >> NO. WHEN I WAS AMISH, I DIDN'T TALK. I WAITED FOR THE MAN TO SAY SOMETHING BUT MEN ARE SHY, TOO, SOMETIMES. >> WHAT AGE DO YOU GET MARRIED? >> AROUND 19, 20. >> IS THAT THE COURTSHIP? >> YES. SO EVERY TWO WEEKS THEY HAVE COURTSHIP. IT'S A RULE. THEY HAVE -- >> EVERY TWO WEEKS HE COMES BACK AND THERE'S SILENCE IN THE BED. IT'S HARD TO GET YOUR ARMS AROUND. I LOVE THE LINE, BEING AMISH IS NOT FOR ME YOU REALIZED. WAS IT THE INDOOR PLUMBING THAT DID IT? FOR MOST OF US, THAT WOULD BE THE DEAL BREAKER. I CAN'T KEEP DOING THIS. >> I COULD HAVE DONE WITHOUT INDOOR PLUMBING BUT THE DATING AND ALL THE RULES. >> THE ABSENCE OF JOY. >> NO JOY. NOTHING TO LOOK FORWARD TO. >> SO HOW -- YOU GOT YOUR SELF OUT? IS IT TRUE YOU JUST WALKED OUT ONE DAY WITH THE CLOTHES ON YOUR BACK? >> YES. I WOKE UP AND I REALIZED, THIS IS THE DAY. I WROTE A NOTE, WALKED OUT THE DOOR, RAN BEHIND THE SHOP THROUGH A FIELD AND TO A FRIEND'S. I WAS ON THE ROAD AND WALKED TO THE NEAREST TOWN. >> I KNOW YOU WENT ON TO GET YOUR GED, COLLEGE DEGREE AND MBA, NOT TO MENTION LEARNING ENGLISH. WHAT'S BEEN THE MOST DIFFICULT THING ABOUT ADJUSTING TO LIFE ON THE OUTSIDE? >> ADJUSTING TO LIFE OUTSIDE BECAUSE DIFFICULT BECAUSE EVEN THOUGH I WAS DRESSED ENGLISH THEN, I STILL FELT AMISH. I FELT LIKE WHEN I WOULD DO OUT, PEOPLE WOULD BE MAKING FUN OF ME SAYING, SHE USED TO BE AMISH, WHATEVER, BECAUSE I EXPERIENCED THAT A LOT WHEN I WAS AMISH. >> WAS THERE ONE BIG SHOCK ABOUT A MODERN CONVENIENCE WHEN YOU GOT OUT? >> WEARING -- PEOPLE WEARING CONTACT LENSES FREAKED ME OUT. >> WOW. >> BECAUSE YOU ONLY WEAR GLASSES. >> I WEAR THEM NOW, TOO. >> THEY ARE AWESOME. >> THEY ARE AWESOME, YES. >> I KNOW YOUR FAMILY HAVE NOT WELCOMED YOU. YOU DON'T HAVE AN ONGOING RELATIONSHIP RIGHT NOW. >> NO, I DON'T. >> DO YOU FEEL HOPEFUL YOU MIGHT IN THE FUTURE? >> JUST KIND OF LEFT IT. IF I DO, IT'S GREAT. IF NOT, I'VE ACCEPTED THAT THEY MAKE THEIR CHOICE, TOO. >> ALL THE BEST TO YOU.
A true inspiration if she can make it out and thrive we exmos have no excuse!