29. January 29, 1968: From Barbara to her folks

 29. January 29

Dear Mom and Dad (Line from Barb)

Yesterday was the first time Diane could “exit”, so we went down and spent the day with her. It was a nice visit and we all enjoyed it. We took Cheryl Ferguson too, from the family who lived next to us in New York. I told you about meeting them when we took Diane to school. We took a picnic lunch and drove out to the Ngong Hills east of Nairobi about twenty miles. You drive right up to the top of some really steep hills. We had to get out and walk at one place as the car just wouldn’t pull it. From the top you get a tremendous view of the valley all around. There were some people there, but it was relatively quiet and we just lazed around after we ate. I came home with a bit of a sunburn.

Diane seems to like the school fairly well. Some of the teachers sound like duds, but maybe that’s just her opinion. The geography teacher was amazed when Diane knew all about the land and climate between the cascades and the Rockies. It seems rather surprising that she didn’t take advantage of the fact that she had someone in the class that had lived in the area. Diane said she just said, “Oh,” when Diane explained why she knew the area. But Diane thinks she has met some interesting girls there, and that makes up for whatever else is lacking. There is an Israeli who lived in Arizona for a year, an Asian who is a communist and hates President Johnson, a danish girl who came the same time we did, a Canadian and three other Americans, plus some British who were born in Kenya. All in all, she says it’s not too bad. There is her house mistress who seems to like to pick on her, but Frank loaded Diane with buckshot to fire at the right moment. Diane says she finds fault with everything and can’t be pleased. 

I hope things will straighten out. The other girls have noticed it too, so maybe they can help her out. She is taking piano lessons and is arranging for guitar lessons. I think the most irritating thing to her right now is the fact that from 1 o’clock to 3 o’clock every day, they have to put on their “dressing gowns” and lay down and rest. Reading is permitted but not writing or studying. She says it is a waste of time. Oh yes, President Kenyatta’s daughter is in Diane’s dorm. She is several years older and very pleasant and doesn’t even have the fanciest clothes in the dorm!

Frank and Vicki have been busy all week making kites. The first one was a regular kite about five feet tall and it didn’t fly too well. It went far out but not very high. Then Saturday they finished a box kite about five feet tall. They put it on fishline on Frank’s big heavy deep sea reel and it really took off. We figured it was almost a quarter of a mile high and it went straight up. It was a sight! Now we have the kite fever for sure. This all started when the Peace Corp girl, Pat, made a little kite to take out to her primary kids and had trouble making it fly. Then she bet Frank he couldn’t make one that would fly, and that was like setting a match to a firecracker! It has been lots of fun Frank’s been pretty fed up with how slow things move in this country and with the school After the kite flew so well, he decided the trip was worthwhile, just to have time to do some things like flying kites!

The last thing that really finished us both was that we had brought some books from Kenyatta College that were being given away. There were about three hundred of all kinds of textbooks and library books and library books for primary school. All of them would be useful to the students here, both in preparing lessons to teach and just for fun information. All some of the teachers could do, was gripe because it was going to be so much work to get them marked and cataloged. I went up and did the whole works in one day. At least Miss Williams was pleased and has her students using some of them right now. I suppose it’s the same attitude some people take when you give them used clothes. It is a shame they aren’t more eager to get books when they need them so badly.

 Our kids have sure enjoyed them. We brought a lot of them down to the house to read. Amy was trying to read a Biology book, Milt found one on making model planes, Frank was reading about Winchester rifles after he finished one on the F.B.I, and Vick had one on the Indian Wars and a sea adventure story. Kiva claimed a first grade number book and sat down to work on her Arithmetic. She is learning to write her letters and can do through “F” so they look like they are supposed to. She hasn’t much patience with reading yet, but we try almost every day. Milt is doing better with reading. At least he understands what he reads and seems to like it a bit better.

As for me, I made a new dress last week and a batch of cream puffs that were super. This week I’m going to try a cake again, but have to wait for the egg boy to come. I did make a sponge cake to eat with strawberries that was good, so maybe this one will be good too.

We have planted a new batch of corn and some more beets. So far the first beet crop hasn’t amounted to enough for a meal. The ants like them too well.

I wonder how the cattle are getting along. Last you said was you’d just gotten a bunch more to feed. Has the winter been cold enough, long enough, to be hard on them? It sure is a silly feeling to find it hard to realize the weather you are having. We are really drying out. The whole countryside is turning brown, and the road is a good six inches deep in dust. The clothes dry in a couple of hours even when wrung out by hand. We always have wind three quarters of the day. It is nice in the shade, but the sun is really hot. Nights are still cool enough to need two or three blankets. Mt. Kenya has been visible all day long for the past three weeks at least.

This is about it for now. I’ve got to go think up something for supper. We took pumpkin pie on the picnic and I bought a jar of Del Monte Dill Pickles, a terrible extravagance, but oh were they good. We celebrated our anniversary with fresh strawberry shortcake! Lots of Love, Barb and all.