September 28, 1964

September 28, 1964
Mon.

Dear Mom and Dad,

We received your letter today and it was so wonderful to hear from home as it seems that we have been gone longer than 10 days. We also received a letter from Jim’s mom and I was glad to get Don’s letter too.

I am glad that the house and furniture is sorted out and hope it wasn’t too much work for you. Do you know if it is rented yet?

I was glad to get the news about everyone else in the family even if it wasn’t all good news. I’m sorry to hear about Eddie’s operation. Was it sudden? He didn’t mention anything while he was there.

I was glad to hear all went well with Delores. Give her our best wishes.
About our Post Dispatch – see if you can send us the Sunday Post. You can use the money I forgot to bring with me. We would like to get it at least once a week but I agree it’s silly to get a daily paper so late. Here Jim brings home the N. Y. Herald Tribune but we would still like to know what is going on in St. Louis. I’m sorry Chic is still suffering with his bursitis. When you have your health you have everything I guess.

I’m glad Betty and Glen came by. That is so like them to be so thoughtful.

I’m so glad Tala’s family is enjoying the piano. I sure miss it. Jim is going out today to get a record player. We are going to wait to rent the piano until we get an apt. if we can get one.

Please give Maria Maxima and all the others who have called our best regards. I am going to start on these postcards but I’ve been waiting to do a little sight-seeing as finding the meat market, helping with homework, and buying mittens etc do not make very exciting reading. Here we have to do our sight-seeing on Sundays because of the weekly schedule. And yesterday it rained all day. Now I know why Switzerland is so green and has so many flowers. It can really rain!! Today it is beautiful again – just like a St. Louis day.

This morning Jackie Lawrence’s little girl came down to play with MB while she had a French lesson for an hour. Her husband is with the Embassy. They told them it is better to learn French. The Germans all speak French but the French won’t speak German (I don’t blame them!). Anyway you could live here and not learn either language as the people speak a dialect common only to Bern.

It’s a good thing everything here in the shops is on display and you can just pick it up. It’s a funny feeling not to be able to communicate with people. However, almost everywhere there is at least one person in the store who speaks English.
This afternoon MB went up to the Lawrence’s apt. to play and since P is sleeping I am taking advantage of this opportunity to write these letters.

Tell Mildred I thank her for helping you close up the house.

After P wakes up we will probably walk to the store and to the park. I guess it is the mountain air but we are all eating like pigs around here. Food is high and in fact I have seen nothing here cheaper than in the States. I don’t see how the people here can manage. But Mrs. Lawrence says – they are very careful and frugal with their money. If you’re invited to a coffee there are exactly 5 rolls for 5 persons. The children are all dressed very neatly but in hand knit sweaters and all with aprons over their clothes etc. Pili says they live on “Patatas cacidas y salami – Esos salamis que no los quiero yo, ei regalados – no los trago – nunca los probé.” They (the Spanish) find the people here cold and distant but they do admire them for their democratic ways. “En eso tenemas que aprender de ellas en España.” Here, rich and poor, everyone works and is not ashamed of it. The lady at the meat market who speaks English very well was out scubbing her front steps one day when I went. This would never be done in Spain says Pili – “El que tiene su tienda se priva de comer peso paga a alquien que lo haría.”

Well P is waking up so I will close for today.

Love,
Jim and Dina