4. July 15,1967 New York City

Sun. July 15

Dear Folks,

    We are through another week. I had my medical exam last Tuesday and the doctor said I was in good shape...got three of the immunization shots and felt pretty bad the next day, but was better the day after. Frank had his exam last week...had to have the ulcer x-rayed, and has to go on a bland diet for a while until more healing appears. We figured it was much better because he hadn't had too much pain this spring. The kids get their first batch of shots tomorrow. There are at least a dozen shots to take altogether.

    During the week we had another health lecture on water, mild, etc. Must never drink any water or mild that has not been boiled...can't even trust an egg unless you've raised the chicken yourself! I can see where we need a more extensive farm than the one we had!

    This week also saw us learn to count to one million in Swahili, learn all the greetings, how to ask what one's name is and where you are from, and words for watch, book, necklace, etc. The kids are still better at it than Frank or me, but we were finally getting it down. It certainly makes me feel stupid. Anytime the teacher says "Bibi (Mrs.) Cochrane" my mind goes blank! So three of us got together and memorized the number words. Next day we could answer with some degree of proficiency, and the teacher was as pleased as we were! His name is Stephen Shululu and he's from Tansania. He said his grandfather had 300 wives and was a high chief. He has told us lots of things about the customs that are very interesting. For instance all women can be addressed "Mama" because they all wish to be mama in fact, so it is an honor to be called so.

    Yesterday we hired the kids to stay alone (Diane was the Chief of the group) and Frank and I and the people across the hall went to see a play downtown called "The Apple Tree." It is three short plays together with the same three people in each. No. 1, The Diary of Adam and Eve by Mark Twain. No. 2, The Lady or the Tiger, and No. 3, Passionella. The Diary of Adam and Eve was the best, but we enjoyed them all. We plan to go again next week. There are to be some Shakespeare plays soon and some especially for children.

    Today we all got on the subway about 10:30 and headed for Coney Island and the Aquarium, they are side by side. Saw all the fish including the octopus Diane has been wanting to see. We ate ice cream, waded in the Atlantic Ocean, and rode the merry go round. No one could get up their nerve to ride the roller coaster. Then we cam home on the subway, rested a bit, and walked three blocks from the apartment for a wonderful Chinese dinner. It had everything from fried rice, roast pork, lobster, shrimp, -each in a different sauce- to three pots of tea and ice cream for dessert. We ate with chopsticks and cleaned up every morsel! It was certainly nice and all seven of us ate for $10.80 which didn't seem too bad compared to the price of somethings around here!

    Well, better stop and get some reading done. It seems rather hard to settle down and read and stay awake.

    I hope things are going fine with you. Maybe you would please pass this around as I know I won't get everyone written this week.

                Lots of love from all of us,

                                            Barb

July 22, 1967

Dear Mom and Dad,

    Hard to believe that this is the end of the third week and that means that our stay here is half over. In a way it is a great relief because this city living can get you after a while. However there are so many interesting things to see if you can stand to be in a crush of people most of the time.

    This week was much better as far as Swahili goes. We changed teachers and now have an Arab, Mr. Salim, who's more relaxed than Mr. Shululu. We learned to ask for things in the market and a little how to bargain, and how to tell time. They count time from sun up to sundown as a.m. and sun down to sun up as p.m. Seven o'clock English time (a.m.) is saa moja or the first hour of the day. It takes a lot of concentration to look at the clock and call 8 o'clock 2 o'clock! The girls each had to give a five minute lesson in their class. Vicki fixed flash cards for different words, and tomorrow Diane plans to tell the class the story of Goldilocksi na Tembo Tatu (Goldilocks and the three Elephants) and ask questions as she tells it. She was practicing on us tonight and does a real good job. Looks like she will have to be our interpreter for a while. I'm still awfully slow and not very sure of myself. We did get a book and some mimeographed sheets that have helped a lot. The little kids seem to know quite a lot. They have learned a rain song and the national anthems of the three countries. It is so funny to watch Kiva sing any of them...makes me think of Ted's "Old Mashed Potato" song. 

    We got vaccinations and three shots on Monday. Tuesday everyone felt pretty bad but were all right by evening. My vax is the biggest. I've only found three others in the whole group that beat mine. The nurses came right to the building and vaccinated and shot everyone. Every Monday we have a bunch more.

    Thursday I went way downtown on a bus to a doctor and had five of my biggest moles removed including that big one on my neck. This was one of the things the doctor in charge of us told me I'd better do, so after all these years the deed is done. They pay for this too. I was quite enthused with the bus trip. That was our first attempt at that kind of travel. It is harder to figure out how to get there from here, and if you have to change buses, you pay a whole new fare rather than transferring. But it is pleasant riding and people are a little more courteous. I was right down on Fifth Avenue, and took a bit of time to window shop, but was too far north to see many shops.

    Then Saturday another lady and I left the kids with the husbands and went downtown to Macy's and shopped. The husbands had gone down on Friday, and Frank got the radio he's been looking for for years. It is a real nice one with short wave and FM. It is a real pleasure to have some music around. Anyway this lady and I stayed from 10 in the morning until 5:00, shopped like crazy, all in Macy's. We even had lunch right there. It is a fabulous place and then we didn't see all of it. I bought all the kids and myself raincoats and me a bathing suit. I had intended to get shoes but never got that far. I also bought some other clothes, odds and ends for everyone. Today it clouded up and the kids started singing the rain song...they wanted to try out the raincoats! And at first drop they were out on the sidewalk. They came back pretty warm because it didn't rain enough to cool things down much. This week hasn't been too bad (warm) but it's pretty sticky most of the time.

    The fabric in Macy's was really something...covered half a floor and was so much it was hard to even see it all. I found one piece of imported wool from France that looked like a voile in soft colors and the whole bolt weighed about a pound. It cost $39.50 a yard! And they had seventy nine cent a yard stuff too. I didn't by anything, it would have been impossible to make up one's mind!

    Frank wanted me to tell you that they have informed us that in case of serious illness in the immediate family they will fly us home, that is if one of you get sick, I will be able to come. The doctor here will check with your doctor and them make the arrangements. Frank thought you would like to know this. It is nice to know that I could get to you if necessary.

    I called Helen tonight (Helen Bruner, Mother's cousin) and we've made tentative arrangements to get together one way or another around the 12 of August. That is when we have some free time after these classes are over. She seemed real glad I called.

    This morning we went to the Statue of Liberty. We rode over on the ferry, spent three hours looking around and climbing up to the top and then came home. It is really a sight but oh so many people. They take around 600 each trip and it is a crowd all the way up and down, and hotter than blazes inside. Anyway we've been.

    We went downtown to a picture show Saturday night, just Frank and me, and it was really something. We paid and enormous price to see a James Bond movie and got to see all the lighted signs as the theater was just off Times Square. There were people enough to fill Pocatello in the streets, and I guess is was just a regular night. The car traffic had a hard time getting anywhere. We traveled by subway and it wan't quite so crowded. I guess that's all I've done this time is talk about how many people there are everywhere. I must have a bit of claustrophobia. 

    I haven't told you much about our apartment. We are on the tenth and top floor, which is real nice for we catch all the breeze. It is and "L" shape with the kitchen at the top of the L and is about the size of your bathroom (small). Then down the hall a bedroom to the right, about 16x16 where Diane and Vicki are, then a bit farther on the left is the bathroom that is the same size as the kitchen. On down on the right again is Kiva and Amy's room about 9x12 and Milt's next to it about the same size. Then turn the corner and our room is on the right in the foot of the L. It's a bit smaller than Diane and Vicki's room, and just  past our door is the main door of the apartment which goes out into the hall way where the elevators and the stairs are. There are four apartments on each floor and they vary a little in arrangement, but all have the same number of rooms. The long side of the L in our apartment faces the street, and the kitchen, bathroom and our room look out to more back windows on more buildings. But we don't have the street noise. Besides the kids can spend many hours just looking out the windows.

    As you look out on the street side over to the left is the Hudson River, with a park running along between the river and the street. The kids can get there and be alright by themselves as a group. Lots of fair sized ships travel on the river and give us plenty to watch. We have to walk about two blocks to classes and about four blocks to a swimming pool where we can go Monday, Thursday, and Friday evenings. I guess you've guessed by now that we don't have air conditioning in the apartment, and I'm just as glad. What class rooms have it are almost too cold. We keep cooler than some of the people. They've been teasing us about living in the penthouse.

    There are two desks, two chairs, two arm chairs, two bureaus, two mirrors, two closets and two single beds in each of the two big bedrooms, and one each in the smaller rooms. We got a bed from the people across the hall for Kiva...they didn't need  it. And there is a desk light for every desk. In the kitchen there is service for eight in glasses silver and dishes, a double boiler, fry pan, and sauce pan, set of mixing bowls, pancake turner, big spoon, fork and butcher knife and a baking pan. It is a good assortment and we are getting along fine. I haven't unpacked any of our own things. The stove is much faster than my old one was.

    The worst thing is the soot. It blows in by the hand full, but we are learning to ignore it and never sit down without wiping off the chair first.

    There are four washing machines in the basement and two dryers, and so far it has been no problem to get the washing done. They also furnish an iron and ironing board, and ironing hasn't become the problem it sometimes was at home, perhaps because of the limited number of clothes!

    Time for bed...hope you don't have more storms like the one you told about. One hit near Meridian that was similar, hail as big as golf balls. It just stripped the trees. We've sure had some bad ones this year.

                    Lots of love,   Barb