17. October 30, 1967: From Barbara to her folks

 17. October 30

Dear Mom and Dad (Line from Barb)

Well, I’ve finished my first full week of teaching and while it isn’t so many hours each day, it was really good to see the end of the week. 

When we were in Nairobi last weekend, we got some things to send home for Christmas, so last Friday, we got everything packed up and wrapped up in a nice wooden box. According to the information we had gotten in Nairobi, the postage was cheaper in the one big box than in several little ones, so I took it down to Embu to mail it. First thing the clerk said to me was that it was too big! He finally dragged out a mail sack and found it would go into the sack. Then he put it on the scales and said it was too heavy, it couldn’t be over 22 pounds. There was no point in arguing with him, so I came back home, unwrapped the box, and rewrapped it in two packages. When I got back down to the post office, it was closed for the noon hour and wouldn’t open again until 2 o’clock. It was then one o’clock. We just waited and finally got things mailed. It cost eighty shillings! 

I’m afraid you will just have to wait for us to bring any more things, it’s too expensive to mail them. Likewise, please don’t try to send things. It will cost so much, it just isn’t worth it, and we may end up paying duty too. I mailed everything to Jim Cochrane and he will send your things on to you. That will mean your things will be late, but I guess late is better than never. I hope you like what we sent. After it is all done it doesn’t seem like very much. I sure don’t have much love for that postman in Embu!

Today is Diane’s birthday and your letter came to her today! She was real pleased and so was I. About the only thing that happened was I tried three times to make a cake for her and all three times it fell right in the middle. I still haven’t decided what caused it. Looks like coming to Africa hasn’t improved my cake baking at all. It’s just as bad as it was at home! Her presents weren’t very exciting, but at least she didn’t have to wash the dishes all day, and we promised her a birthday dinner out next trip to Nairobi.

Dad, you wondered what our news media was. We subscribe to the East African Standard which is printed in Nairobi. It covers the news pretty well, but some of the articles aren’t written as well as some of the Aberdeen Times used to be. We have sent you a couple of issues by surface, maybe you’ll be getting them in a month or two!

We also get a lot of home news on Voice of America. It comes in good and strong about breakfast time here (or supper time your time). We listened to Notre Dame playing football about 10:30 last Saturday night. Gives you a funny feeling to think there is that much time difference. And it is strange to think of it being dark so late in the morning with you. We still have sun-up at 6, the only difference is if it is cloudy and rainy.

We’ve had plenty of that this last week, rain like the dickens at night and dry enough by noon you don’t pick up mud on your feet. The roads are staying in good shape too. I guess the thing is to let the sun shine for half an hour before you venture out! You just never saw ground soak up water like this does, it is very porous. The road is packed so hard it is almost like pavement. When it gets wet it is real slick on top. Guess it is not so everywhere. 

The Flemings came over from Buteri, somewhere West of us, and said they had rain every day and their roads were just too deep ruts and plenty soft. 

They had gone to Nairobi on business and stayed overnight with us. It was good to see them. Any TEEA person seems like a close relative here. It’s curious that we would all feel so close after knowing each other such a short time.

We finally received our visas and work permit so we are in the country legally. When we arrived someone goofed and our visas were only good for a month. Now we can travel anywhere in Kenya, and after we get a re-entry permit, we can go to Uganda and Tanzania. Talk about crazy governments and red tape! They don’t care if you go out, but you’ve got to have permission to come back in, and you must get it before you leave.

I’m making a new dress, brown and green with big yellow flowers. I decided to make it ankle length just for fun. I can’t “out-mini” the English Volunteer girl, so guess I’ll try the opposite. At least it will be a first here. Also bought a pair of Safari boots in Nairobi. They are shoes with ankle high tops, about and real comfortable, and they keep my feet dry. I guess I told you about our seven pairs of rubber boots. They call them Wellingtons and they are like the knee high boots you wear for irrigating. How the kids do love them. They don’t even wait for the rain to wear them.

The kids are going to give out treats tomorrow night (Halloween) instead of asking for them. They’ve spent most of today deciding what they are going to wear. They are making popcorn balls to pass around. I’m glad they don’t have to trick or treat here. I can see the possibility of several thousand children stopping by!

Bye for now,

Barb