Tuesday 3rd
March 1930
Letter 1
Dear Felipe
We haven’t been sending letters since a while so I thought I could send one to you, hope you have been okay, I have been perfectly okay. I remember last time you asked me about how everything is here, so I will start with how my neighbourhood is and my house.
Here I am at home, me and fifteen other people live here, we live in 2 bed rooms and 2 bathrooms for all of us. It’s really dirty hear, but well all my friends also live like this, there some people that are very rich that live in huge house, but I think to myself that I probably am happier like this. Outside of my house, at the entrance door, there is garbage; I can see mice digging in the garbage. There is also a strange smell I think it is from the market; they must have fish of last week, going rotten. The milk man just came by to pass us our milk for the week, it is not much milk for all of us but it is something to give us energy and all the minerals and nutrients the milk gives to your body. Some days the bakery man comes and leaves fresh bread for us, this bread finishes in some days.
Now I will go and play with some of my friends outside, as hear inside is so full of people, yesterday a meet a new kid called Jonathan, he just moved hear some weeks ago, he says he is from California, I will now more about him today.
Hope you will be ok
Bye
Monday 13th
May 1930
Letter 2
Dear Felipe,
How have you been? I have being excellent, as yesterday my neighbour, as always took me to see a show. The show was about a family, which if they went broken in the 1929 depression, the state will take away there kids. At first I got scared, but then, I thought it was really a show, and it wasn’t really truth.
I really enjoyed on Saturday playing checkers, with some friends of mine, I think is one of the best games ever. In some time more I will go and listen to the radio, because at 7 o’clock they will put on some of my favourite music, and at 9 o’clock they will give the news, and I want to know how our country is after the great crisis of 1929.
I didn’t know if I have told you but, my dad works in a factory which makes cardboard boxes, he makes 10 dollars a week, with that we need to live all the week as my mom doesn’t, work, these ten dollar, which aren’t enough for the week, we need to be careful in what we waste it, as we can finish note been able to eat some times. I have a friend, that neither her father or mother works, they get food from the garbage, I feel some times sorry for her so I give her some times some of my food.
Hope you have a great day
You’re sincerely Matthew
Letter 3
Wednesday 14th
June 1930
Dear Felipe,
I just came back from school, I had a great time with my friends, I still don’t eat anything today, I am starving, but I will have something to eat now. Today, after school, when I came walking home with some friends, we saw some Negros walking at the same side of the road than us, so he had to cross the street, it very dangerous pass beside some Negros, they can do something to you. In school I am one of the best students, I normally get A’s, the teacher always congratulates me because of this, as for me is very difficult to study ass I don’t have enough money to buy my text books, so I go and study to a friend’s house, which has all the book that we use in school, also as I go to my friends house I help them to study for them to get good grades as I get.
Hope you have a great month
Bye
Friday 30th
November 1930
Letter 4
Dear Felipe,
After winning the world war, USA lent money to other countries, because they didn’t have any to fix the damages of the war. But after this the 1929 crisis came and left the USA very badly economically, and took other countries down in South America.
In the case of my family this affected very much the economy of my house, as my mom lost her job, and in the factory my dad works they are paying them less, it’s very difficult to live in these days. My mom buy less food, she never buy clothes for me, so I use old clothes that are all rip off. Also, I don’t have any money to buy a ball to play in the street, well it is also very dangerous to play in the streets, as the negro’s can do something to us. The radios in these days has been my main mean of entertainment, I listen to music, news of the world, books, show, etc. I pass a great time of the day listening to it, this radio was a great investment for my parents, as they are very expensive, but they were saving for 6 months to buy it, and finally we were able to buy it, I tell my dad is one of the best buys ever, as I enjoy it so much.
Hope you will be okay
Matthew
