Folder 8

1957 Nov 11, 2 p. w/env. Letter to Folks Is on the plane back to Ankara from Tehran; spent too much money and won’t be buying a Persian rug; conference was a good one; returned to Ankara and maid hasn’t shown up; started language lessons; the best maid in town that has a higher salary than a college professor is nowhere to be found and Mary is swamped
1957 Nov 15, 6 p. w/env. Letter to brother Prized maid is ill so she sent someone else to work for her; found out a woman had hired Mary’s maid from under her; general service department lost a Tacrir request form; needs new oil for her car but none can be found and tells about how others have gotten their cars or car parts stolen; Helen McCune, another home economist, is meeting with Mary Border; Thanksgiving plans fell through but is still happy for a break and some time to herself; had her 4th language lesson and seems to be thankful for it; describes how the PX threatens to take the privilege away from Americans and Mary is surprised that the Turks know so much about it, for example, how they can find coffee so easily; Is trying to make her home a little more homey and has put up some watercolors
1957 Nov 26, 5 p. w/env. Letter to Folks Describes more in detail her Turkish class, “We [Mary and her Jewish neighbor who is also in her class] really make it tough for the teacher, we are tough characters and she is a timid little Turkish girl”; new maid showed up and is the best one Mary has had so far; finally got her lamp bowl; is trying to cook for Thanksgiving dinner; went to a party at her boss’s place and has decided that she doesn’t have it too bad at her own place
1957 Nov 23, 6 p. w/env. Letter to Folks Finally received the calendars she needed since the Turkish calendars are a bit difficult for her; having more maid trouble as “you hire them and will they or won’t they show up”, and they show up when you don’t expect it; girl on the third floor of her apartment to have a wedding this evening; talks about how the home economics program there is always requesting more money but never seems to use what they have; they have excellent home ec. textbooks, but “it would not, however, occur to them to teach what is in the book;” her store room looks like a grocery store, “I buy like a drunken sailor when I can get to the P.X.; has rugs tucked under the doorways so the wind doesn’t get in; described a wedding she had gone to and thought it was the most interesting one she’d ever been to; went to talk to old neighbor who suffered from a broken leg in a terrible car accident that killed a Turk, “At night had run into a stalled truck with no lights. He says he will never go out on the highways again.”