SEASONS GREETINGS FROM MANIZALES COLOMBIA

Come New Years’ Day and we will have been in Colombia for two years and shortly thereafter we will be heading home for the Monterey Peninsula or some part nearby. As of this writing we do not have any definite plans but do know that we will be out of here by the first week in March, 1964. We are looking forward to seeing all of our good friends again.

These two years have been most interesting as we’ve had the opportunity to see another part of the world and become part of it. Especially with the work that we’ve been engaged in we have been able to get to know aspects of the culture that one does not usually, get to know. We have also been able to do some travelling in Colombia and also to Peru and Ecuador. We were visiting Machu Pichu and Cusco during Christmas week last year.

David is growing up fast and seems to be developing well. He still speaks neither Spanish nor English. It must be Quechua he is using as we can^’t figure it out. We are pleased with his advancement and feel that he will attain a fair level of understanding. He loves his bath in the morning and we have to be tricky about taking him out as he loves to give one great big splash which soaks Mary Ann or me but gives him a big kick.

Mary Ann worked at the University Hospital for nine months and was ready to leave it or go on sedatives. She finally left and will do some work with the orphanage rather than return to the hospital. The trouble was that they had 450 beds and only five nurses.  The other girls working were illiterate wash girls who had to be taught why one had to wash their hands before treating patients, why you could not use the same thermometer on all the babies in the ward without sterilizing it, etc. Too much of a Job for any one person.

 The Centro Colombo Americano had a full year with over 2,000 persons participating in our programming. We have become most ubiquitous in this city and have projects in many barrios. At the moment, we have 10,000 persons participating in a nutrition program. In spite of our popularity in the city we were the victims of a bomb placed in the Centro several months ago.  The same night some 39 bombs went off in Colombia. No one was hurt and damage was slight.

The photograph enclosed was taken by Stanley Dunn, a professor at the Centro but developed and printed by Mary Ann and self. Mary Ann is getting to be quite the photographer and dark room expert.

So long for now and love to all our friends.