Friday, January 17, 2020

1969 Catherine's Letter -Nov.26


Münster, Wednesday
November 26, 1969
Dear Mother, Daddy, Serena, John, and Mary,

Hi!  Please excuse the time lapse between letters but after spending the weekend in Amsterdam it has taken me awhile to get readjusted to ordinary life.  Amsterdam was really fantastic.  Rosie, Dick Hall (he's from Kalamazoo) and I hitchhiked.  Rosie and I got picked up within 5 minutes and got a ride straight to Amsterdam so we were there about 3:30 Friday afternoon.  (We left at noon right after school.)  Dick joined us at the youth hostel about two hours later.  The hostel was similar to the larger ones in the states and swarming with kids -- mostly American and Canadian.  I really enjoyed Amsterdam only too bad we didn't have longer.  We squeezed in a boat tour of canals, two museums, the Flea Market, and lots of walking.

To go back a little further in history thanks for the wallet and the cash.  The Semmler's were very nice and made me feel right at home.  The daughter Yulla (sp?) and her friend met us at the station.  She will study nursing in Münster next year.  They send you their greetings and said they enjoyed meeting you although they were a little surprised that you trusted gifts with people you hardly knew.  They live in a four room apartment and asked me lots of questions about America, our house, car, etc.

It's time to go to school now, more later.

11:15PM
Hi again!  I thought maybe I'd get a letter from you all today but I didn't.  I can't complain because this is an answer to the last two I've gotten from you.  Here it is Thanksgiving Eve and I'm answering a letter which you wrote on Halloween!  Dad, my money seems to be disappearing painlessly enough so I doubt if I will find it necessary to make any phone calls.

I mailed your Christmas package yesterday so I hope you get it by Easter.  HA!  It will be interesting to see how long it does take without airmail.  By chance if it does arrive before Christmas, please take the gifts out of the box as I went to extra effort to wrap them!  As for me, please don't send me anything as I would just have to bring it home.  There are a couple things I'd like but they can wait until March.  There is one thing I'd like now and that is the diary (see enclosure).  If it isn't possible or worth the trouble to send one just let me know and I can look for one over here.  For my Christmas in March here are some things you can think about (that also applies for my birthday) an atlas, a new set of sheets for school, another quarter at Kalamazoo, a trip to Colorado, a big German dictionary (Cassell's or Brockhouse I think are the best) if I decide to take more German after I get back.

Ann and I made Rice Krispie-Marshmallow balls this afternoon.  We found rice krispies at the third store we went to (most stores have only corn flakes) but we had to hunt everywhere for marshmallows.  We're taking them to school tomorrow as a sort of Thanksgiving celebration.  Tomorrow night is the big banquet for our families -- I think we're even going to have Turkey.

I've been putting in a few hours a week working at "Die Brücke" library.  I enjoy it even though as Frau Vollmer (the librarian) says, it is mostly donkey work.

Well, keep me posted on your Christmas plans (the chances are about 99999 in 1000000 won't be on my christmas travel itinerary this year.

Love,
Catherine

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