3. July 2, 1967 New York

July 2

Dear Mom and Dad, 

    It is not as scary or as hard to get used to as I thought it might be. We threw away too many old clothes...we would have looked and felt right at home in them.

    Food prices seem to be about the same as home...people looked a little askance at our "quantity" buying. It's about six blocks to a good sized grocery store.

    The night in the hotel was fun...too foggy to see much coming in.

    Best stop and get some lunch.

            Love to you both,     

                        Barb.

July 8

Dear Mom and Grandmother,

    I got the letter Mom had mailed the Fourth of July (telling that she is coming to visit you). Your bridge party sounds like it was a nice affair...and I'll bet everyone enjoyed it. I hope Mom is still there...I've probably missed her. At any rate I was thinking about you even though the message is a little slow in getting through.  

    I hardly know where to begin...seems like so much has happened that I feel a little nnumbe. (just like the word looks!)

    We spent all day, Thursday the 29th, doing last minute things which of course amounted to a mountain of things along with getting the place cleaned up good. This had to be done for it had been sliding for weeks. Thank goodness for Diane and Vicki! They did most of that. And Frank and I packed up the last two boxes and put them on the train...one to go by sea and one by air (the survival box). Then he went to town to sell the car and I to take Vicki to have the last fillings placed. (We had all been to the dentist to have work done). By late afternoon (supper time) the grandparents (Cochranes) had picked up the kids and transported them to Jim and Joan's house. Frank and I tied up the final loose ends, cleaned up, said goodbye to the place, and drove to Uncle Jim's with all the baggage. I was so glad that Jim and Joan had asked us to stay the night with them.

    The next morning they took us to the airport, and with relatively few tears we were off! It was a nice trip. We changed planes in Salt Lake City and Denver...got to eat two meals and two snacks on the plane and by 8 pm New York time had landed.

    We spent the first night in a hotel in the same block with the Empire State Building...could look out our window and see the top of it. I should say almost the top as it was too foggy to see anything as the plane came in, and too foggy to see much from the ground either. The next morning we loaded into a taxi and rode here to the apartment...took about 15 minutes and such traffic as you never saw! I must say I dread to think of having to drive in it. I am really glad we will be afoot while here.

    Now we've been to school for nearly a week, and right now I don't think I'll ever be able to remember enough Swahili to even say hello. Each of us, Frank and I, are in a different class...then Diane and Vicki are together and the three little ones are together. They teach by just saying the words over and over and you repeat them back and by sign language he lets you know what they mean. It takes a powerful lot of concentration and I feel positively wilted by the time the hour is over.

    I know Mother is probably gone by now...I read her letter over again. I know you two must have had a wonderful time...she never tired of telling us how nice it has been. I wonder how your flowers are doing. You were just getting them started last I heard. I had a beautiful begonia this year, the prettiest one I've ever had. I left it for the renter. I suppose it will be gone by the time I get back, but I imagine there will be flowers in Africa too.

    We have found out that we will be going to Kenya to a place called Embu, right at the foot of Mt. Kenya. This means a medium high altitude and so no jungle. We will have a paved road out from Nairobi which is  a very large city about 85 miles away. We'll have electricity too, other than that I don't know much about it. There are some people here who have been there that we will have a chance to talk with.

    We leave here on a chartered plane August 17 and arrive there the 18. Seems impossible that it takes such a short time to go so far. 

    I must stop now...we have two other classes a day besides the Swahili...the children think there isn't too much to do but guess they will survive...

                    lots of love,

                            Barb

Post card sent to Mom and Dad. (Below is the part that was not a repeat of the letter to Grandmother)

    Our Swahili is progressing slowly...find it almost as hard as shopping for groceries here...everyone is in a hurry like we've heard! Our range to travel is gradually widening. We went on a subway to the Museum of Natural History but will have to go back as we didn't get to see it all. Problem now is finding enough for the kids to do...traffic is so fast and heavy it isn't too safe to let them out alone. Getting used to walking everywhere, and to the traffic noise.

                Love...Barb

July 10

Dear Mom and Dad,

    We are having a downpour this evening...the third since our arrival. I just barely got back with a huge load of groceries when it started. The clouds look like they do at home when it cuts loose and blows like the dickens. I've never seen lightening so close...it was really cracking for a while...and what few people were still on the street were just dripping wet. It certainly helps the weather though...all morning it was so humid you stuck to everything..."joto" our Swahili teacher said..."joto sona"...very hot.

    We had a very nice weekend...went on the subway downtown to China town and walked all over...had a Chinese pastry and came home. Three families of us went together...17 people in all, and if that wasn't a scramble to get on and off the subway and make sure that no one was left on or off! We chose to go at noon on Saturday which was a busy time on the subway...and were ready to come home when things were pretty full. We ended up on the wrong end of 116th street, but could turn around and retrace our way very easily so felt it wasn't too bad a mistake.

    Those subways are really something. The car stops, the door opens, you get on fast and the door closes. We timed it...the door stays open four seconds! Occasionally it stays open longer but you never know when that will be! I saw one woman get her nose hit because the door closed as she moved forward to get off! I guess that you can hold the door open if you hold it before it starts to close. Anyway the car starts to move as the door closes and it really travels fast. It stops with a jerk and  you find you have traveled several blocks in just a minutes' time. It costs 20 cents each and Kiva can go free. It really seems a good way to get around. On the trip to Chinatown we transferred once and traveled about half an hour total, all on one twenty cents. Boy were we tired when we got home! I think all three families decided that was enough "group travel" for a while!

Sunday we spent most of the day in the park...Frank and I trying to do some of the required reading and the kids playing on the swings and in the sand pile. It was a nice change.

    We are getting acquainted with all the different families and have found most of them to be very likable. We played bridge Sunday night with a couple who have just gotten back from a place near where we will be in Kenya. They were there for three years with the Mennonite Missionaries in a teaching capacity. They will be in Kenya again but not in the same place. I was pleased to have one good hand during the evening and played it well, so I think if we land in a bridge playing group I will at least have a chance.

    Wonder how the hay turned out. Ours didn't get bailed until it looked horrible so I was glad we didn't have to worry about it. The fellow who did the bailing had a lot more to worry about than our one field which is why it laid so long. He paid us the  money for the first installment and was going great guns watering grain when we left. It won't do any good to worry, so we decided not to even talk about it.

    Got a letter from Jim, Frank's brother, today and he said the house in Nampa that Frank's dad sold burned partly. Did lots of smoke damage and burned the paneling in the front room. They thought it was the wiring. I'm anxious to know more. Made me feel bad to think of that lovely room all black and smelly.

    The clothes I made all turned out just right. I wash at odd moments a load at a time, as it is easier than getting enough time to do a lot at once. Also avoids the rush. They provide irons, ironing boards, new dishes and silver, a few pots and pans. I've bought a few extra things but not many. It's been fun to see how little or how few utensils we could get by on. And all the kids help with the housework. There is so much soot, and it is too hot to keep the windows closed, so we dust everything off in the morning and of course before you sit down for the rest of the day. We finally got thongs for everyone because going barefoot makes your feet black in no time.

    They are building a building about on half block away that we can watch from our window. We were almost late to class this morning because we ere watching them pour concrete for the third floor. They have a tall crane to lift up huge buckets of concrete, about four buckets to the truck load. Milt sits by the hour watching. We came home from school right by the place to watch some more at noon. The cement trucks are about twice the size of the ones at home, and the tank lies flat on the truck instead of being tipped up at an angle.

    We are still having a little trouble getting used to the traffic noise...but we haven't heard one sonic boom since we've been here. I would suppose they don't allow such things. Seems like it would cause a lot of damage.

    Well, I guess I'd better stop and do some more reading. One teacher wants our reaction to a certain book on African Politics and I guess I'll have to dress it up...can't tell him it puts me to sleep every time I try to read it. I guess I'm not too enthused about some of these things. It is easy to listen to him lecture though, and the room is air conditioned which really helps!

    Bye for now...Milton is going to miss the mumps...Hurrah! And today he lost a tooth which makes him very proud. They all seem to get a kick out of going to the park and making friends with everyone in sight. I finally decided I wouldn't discourage it! There is a little candy store in this same block which had little stuffed animals on sale for one dollar. Diane and Vicki found them and so took the rest of us back to see them. Amy, Milton, and Kiva each bought an animal and Frank, Diane and Vicki bought candy. Today we passed the store and the kids all waved to the funny old lady that runs it, and she acted like we were the first people to be friendly for ages. She even gave the kids some free jelly beans. Seems like most people are too busy to even say hello.

    Must go...Love to you both.    Barb