Kanduki: First Letter

When I was in Junior High School, my teacher's friend had a daughter in the Peace Corps who was teaching English in Zaire. She thought that writing letters would be a good way for her students to learn English.

My teacher asked for volunteers and told us that, according to her friend's daughter, life was very different in the village where our pen pals lived. There was very little waste. So little that in one month, the amount of garbage for one household would only fill half of one small garbage can. Everything was reused and recycled. There was no electricity in the village, and the students worked by candlelight. With no electricity, televisions were unheard of. As a matter of fact, their village had only recently started to have public movie nights. Additionally, the mailbox for Kanduki's village was many miles away, and trips to the mailbox were only made once a month. This meant that there would be a two to three month lag in between our letters.

My Dear Friend,

I am a young man and I like to corresponded with you. I have sixteen year old. What old are you please?

In Zaire we are very happy because there are many things expensive. How many children have you are you in your family

We are ten children and I am the 6th child.

We have I study in a seminary and we have many "lesson": English, french, latin, Geogrophie, histoire... So English is very interesting but we don't know to speak very well. We speak French.

I wait there so I will be happy if you answer very quickly at my letter.

Your affectionate friend
of Zaire Kanduki

Home Made Valentines

Home made Valentines from my friend and her daughter. I found the one in the center interesting. I think that's a heart with lips.

Smaller NaBloPoMo Badges

I wanted a small badge to add to the end of my NaBloPoMo posts, and found this at Growing Happiness. She has other colors there too!

It's Nice To Be Loved...

IM conversation with a friend last week.

ME

NaBloPoMo's theme for April is "Letters." At first I thought "I don't have 30 letters in me to write.... that I'd share!" Then I thought about all the letters I've saved over the years. I've got loads there. I could scan them.

HER

There you go!

ME

Then there's email. Those count as letters.

HER

So you have enough for a whole decade!

[LATER]

HER

I'm eating the last piece of Dove chocolate. It was screaming my name.

ME

How annoying.

HER

The wrapper says: "Send a love letter this week."

ME

Ooooh! Send it to me and I'll put it on my blog next month!

HER

The other night I had two chocolates and both of them said that.

ME

Then you'd better get cracking!

HER

I know.

Tomorrow's Friday!

I wonder who I should send it to?

ME

Me!

For "letters month!"

HER

Dear Melissa,

I had a weird dream last night. And though you weren't in it, I just felt I had to tell you.

Oh, and I love you.

Sincerely,

[friend's name]

How's that?

ME

I think I may have it framed.

First Birthday

In my baby book is an envelope with about fifteen cards from my first birthday. Some are very cute. Several have fuzzy textures on the pictures. It seems fuzzy cards were in back then.

Some Highlights

• One from my parents, which is really sweet. They actually bothered to go out, buy a card for my first birthday, and sign it. Well... my mom did anyway. She also put the wrong date on it (May is the fifth month of the year!)


• A card from my grandparents signed with glue and silver glitter.


• These two cards which I loved when I was younger. I looked at and played with them all the time.
  
  


• And then there's this card which I never read until today.
  
  
  

  "Dear Melissa:
  
  We know we're rushing you dear by sending you a card for a 2 year old, but this was a prettier card than the one they had for one year olds. Confused? Have your mommy and daddy explain it to you when you get a little older. And by the way, don't throw this card away since we won't be sending you one next year. A little present is on its way. Have a happy birthday."

Generosity, New York Style

A real email conversation

> > Hope you made it home ok with your
> > storage boxes et al! :) It was fun
> > seeing you yesterday if only for a
> > little bit. I'm glad you found
> > things you could use.
> > (Told ya there was good stuff! :D )
> >
> > -Melissa

> I did indeed, and they are going to
> be so very useful! Thank you so very
> much! Please come by if you need any
> cockroaches, like for pet food or
> something. We have extras here!
>
> "J"

Cool! I'll keep that in mind. Thank you so much! And I'll pass your offer onto my friends as well. You know... in case their new place doesn't come with any.

-Melissa

Baby's First Personal Letter

My parents kept a baby book for me. I was the first child. -Parents do that with their first! ;) "Uncle Bill" sent this letter when I was one month old. At the very bottom of the letter (but not shown here due to identifying info) my father wrote the words "Baby's first personal letter."

According to this letter, it seems that "I" wrote to him first. I'd love to know what "I" said. It must have been good to get me a line of credit at one month old!

* For anyone nosey enough to try to make out the extremely faint script writing in the middle (because I would!), this letter was glued to an unused baby book page. The print showing through said "Among those present."