September 29, 1964

September 29, 1964
Tues.

Dear Mom and Dad,

Today is a lovely sunny day and I’m going to take a walk up to school to get the children after religious instructions. They have been riding to school and back with the Bell children but as they are not Catholic they won’t stay for instructions. Mrs. Lawrence had planned to meet the children today but she attended a cocktail party and went out to dinner with a Swiss couple last night and feeling the effects. She said dinner consisted of strong melted cheese which you wrap around your fork and eat while drinking karo-syrup tasting white wine. In the middle of this melted cheese is a boiled potato. Then came a little plate of salami and dried chipped beef and plates of onions and plates of pickles which you eat with your fingers and that’s dinner! She said the cheese was terrible but she had to eat it because the Swiss man kept saying “Es gut” “ya ya.” Anyway she spent most of today in bed or vomiting. So I brought her two younger children Ann , 5 years and Ellen, 3 ½ to play with Mary Beth this afternoon.

Kenny seems to be enjoying school very much. In the evening he lays out all his clothes very neatly and is the first one dressed in the morning and that’s no mean trick to beat Barbara. We asked him what he was doing said (talking very fast the way he does) “Well, today I had to draw 10 houses, 5 balloons, 3 teapots and one drum. But I didn’t draw the teapots. They’re too hard to draw.” He say s he can read “Go up Ann.” and “Funny, funny Puff.” When he can read five more words he will get a book, he says. His teacher taught them a song about a squirrel and they sing it while she plays the flute. His room is next door to Jimmy’s, so Jimmy sings the song too and imitates the teacher’s playing.

Sending the stamps of different denominations was a good idea as Francisca has a nephew in Spain who collects them and she was glad to get them. The Spanish girls told me Francisca was always singing and she certainly acted like an Andalaza in her happy disposition. When I asked her about it she said. “Si, es el mi caracter de ser alegre. No lo peudo remediar. Tengo que estar medio muerta para no cantar.” She gets a big kick out of Patricia because P loves to try on her shoes and walk around the apt with them. The poor girl caught a terrible cold and I wouldn’t be surprised if she didn’t get it here doing her work in her stocking feet.

I hope you will write often as it is so wonderful to get a letter from home with news of all the family. I have no complaints so far as we have had good luck in every respect so far. I have found the Swiss people very nice. The other day at the meat market the lady said “you like flowers?” When I told her yes she took me in her back yard and gave me a big bouquet which is still on my dining room table.

Practically all the shop – keepers give the children caramel when you leave and they rush to open the door and say “Thank-you-very-much” all like one word. I guess it’s just good business but it is still very pleasant to be treated so nicely in a foreign country. Of course I don’t know how they would be like if you knew them. I imagine like any other country – some good, some bad. What I have seen is that they dress very nicely – the men all with suits even thought someof them look as if they were tailored with a saw, and the women with suits or sweaters and skirts. No one dresses a casual as we do back home. However Pili says “Sí son muy rectas – y télnen sus reglas. No lo creas! Son más carnudos.”

Jim brought home a radio and record player today so I guess we may have to buy another trunk the way we are accumulating things already.

Give my best to all who ask. Take care of yourselves,
Love
Jim and DIna