September 24, 1964

Dear Mom and Dad,

Today was a lovely sunny day. In the morning Eleanor Bell took me to show me where the milk store and meat market are. It is a short two blocks away. Then she drove me to school to pick up the children and we stopped at a bakery across the street from school to get bread and rolls. On Wed. afternoons the children from 3rd to 8th grade have sports. Kenny & Jimmy have the afternoon off. Today Kenny was very happy at school. We asked him how things went today and you know how he chomps away at his sandwich and says “fine.” I hope his teacher thinks the same way. At lunch time Jim brought me home at steam iron and Mrs. Lawrence lent me her ironing board until we get one.

The afternoon was so lovely I took the children to the park-playground about ½ block from here. I wish I had taken the movie camera. It was filled with children and all of them so cute and dressed so differently than Am. Children. I hope it is nice tomorrow so I can take some movies of them. The children and the men look very European. The women for the most part dress like Am. women - very stylishly and the clothes are quite similar. All the little girls wear a striped apron over their dress to school and the little boys have the very short pants.

Francisca noticed my picture of Kennedy today – she said all the bells in Spain tolled for the dead when they heard the news. She is a newlywed and her husband is here working as a waiter and studying French at an Academy. He also speaks some English. She said if they didn’t have children they will go back to Spain but if they have a family they will stay here. In Switz. all the children get a free grade and high school education and as she said all the people here can get good jobs because they know several languages and do not have “ser esclanaas como en España” to earn a living. “En España – le sacan un ojo educar un hijo.” The housekeeper in charge of the maids is an Italian woman and it is interesting to listen to them talk to each other one in Spanish and the other in Italian. The housekeeper cannot under her too well because of the Andaluz accent but she says she does understand very well the Gallegas and Asturianos that are here. You can tell there are Spaniards here because I can hear them singing downstairs when they wash and calling each other “Adonde vas - O?”

We have a very nice comfortable apt. It is a shame it is so expensive. Our living room looks over the parking lot & the river. We have a nice balcony with the geranium planters off it. Off the dining room is a small yard so the children can come & go in the yard as the please. It is on the corner so we can’t bother anyone as across the street is the swimming pool which is an ice skating rink in the winter. There are some lovely trees & flowers in this yard. The kitchen is small abut there is plenty of cupboard space – the smallest thing is the refrigerator which has 2 shelfs & an icecube tray for six ice cubes. It is like a doll’s kitchen. However as long as I can get milk & meat nearby we’re o.k. Over the sink is as big window & lovely tree with bright red leaves on it. It is one of the few trees here I have seen with the full colors. It is hard to believe it is fall because every- thing is so green & flowers are everywhere. If I were to take a picture of every pretty yard on this block alone I would run out of film the first 12 houses I would pass.

I hope that you will write soon. It seems that we have been gone a long time & not just a week.

Love to all,
Jim & Dina & all