1973 Roberta's letter to Serena - July 8

No envelope with this letter but we can assume Roberta mailed it to Serena in Brazil. Transcription follows, not quite accurate as I'm not sure how to do typeovers on the computer though I think there might be a way to do that. As we all know Roberta's non-academic talents have way overshadowed any lack in the school grades department. Glad to have you as my favorite oldest sister, Roberta!

July 8, 1973

Dear serena,

Hi, well first off you will have to excuse my typing, I haven't typed for so long and of course I never was super the typist . . .  When the family came down they brought down my typewriter so thought I better be getting some good use out of it!!!  I know I'll be getting alot of use out of it by July 31st . . . . .as I have a forty page paper due then, that has to be typed.  I really don't have a start on the paper xx at all, so I've got a feeling I'm going to be having a slight heart attack about the last week of July.

So how is everything with you?  I hope you are enjoying Brazil, hey what language do they speak there, is it Porteg . . . . well you know how bad of a speller I am.  Speaking of spelling and everything, remember the tests I was telling you about that I had to take down at Florida Atlantic Univ . . . . . . . . well, I got the results back the other day, I rated below average in everything, spelling, reading, math, you name it.  I know they must be wondering how I've ever made it this far in school.  You know, I wonder myself.

Now back to Brazil . . . . . . . . what's it like . . . . . it is cold, hot, or inbetween?  And how is the family that you are staying with?  Do they speak English?  I guess you notice my panic about the language people speak, I just wouldn't know what to d say to someone that didn't speak English!!!!

Oh, Vanessa and Diane Walwaven are coming down sometime today.  Poor Aunt Mary and Uncle Bill don't know what they are in for.  I got off Thursday and Friday from work so if nothing goes wrong, we will all be heading up to Disney World for those two days.  I figure I might as well go for broke while they are here.  Mary Virginia will be going to Disney World with us, also another girl that I've met at work may go, we should really have a riot!!!!!!

I guess you know that I had joined fat club . . . . . weight watchers, well it is really beginning to pay off.  At first I wasn't losing that much and no-one could tell, except for the people that I had told and I think they were just telling me that I looked thinner because they knew they should, but anyway now, my clothes are really getting baggy, and oh I love it, the baggier they get.  I'd love to get so thin people would worry about me, you know the real sickly type of thin.

We got your post card.  I hope you all made it out of Dallas, ok.

Oh, it is now Sunday night, Vanessa and Diane made it down.  I wish you could have heard Vanessa talking about their tyipxdown, like they left on Friday night but only drove for three hours because they were too tired to drive anymore.  Gee . . . . no wonder it took them three days to get here.

Did you hear that I got a C out of the Math course that I took at the junior college.  And I was really lucky to get that.  Then I started the Science course, but I had to drop it.  I needed to have had chemistry in high school and of course I had never taken chemistry.  I really can't say that I was too disappointed about having to drop it.

Well, I better quit for now, I'm beginning not to make much sense (Ha, as if I did when I first started!)  Well, write when you can and enjoy your summer.  Oh, Vanessa says that she owes you 20¢ from about a year ago.  I'd charge her interest if I were you.

Everyone says Hello –––

Love, Bert