My diary -March 5-7, 1973
- Susan Fisch Good
- 4 days ago
- 4 min read
March 5, 1973 Mon.
Dear Smiley:
We ate lunch at 11:00. The bus came alittle before 12:00. We are the 1st ones picked up. We go a bit farther than Colinas. Almost to Masaya. I got out of gym!!! (Brought an excuse for my p.). Mr.Sanchez divided us in 3 groups. I’m in a group with Bill & Julio. We are the 1st ones off on the bus. Came home 15 after 6. I got a History test & Science quiz!!! I went out & played. I bet I made a fool of myself. Well got to study.
BYE!!!
Note: We had been spoiled by Dad or Mom driving us to school in the early morning, but after the school changed our schedule, we were now riding the bus. It was a novelty and kind of cool being the first picked up.
March 6, 1973 Tues.
Dear Smiley:
The bus ride was okay. In Spanish we listened to a record about how Nic. was. It was good. History test was mas-o menos. I worked in the Fresco stand today with Charlie & Monty. Somoza kid comes in with a $20 bill (American) & wants a 50-cent Coke!!! Watched T.V. We went to the Japanese Embassy for supper. Carrie was there. I’ve never eaten so many different courses & things I’ve never heard of or seen before. It was all good!!! We played game. This one game if you lost you had to answer personal questions.
Poor Carrie.
BYE!!!
Note: I enjoyed working at the Fresco stand (Concession stand). I didn’t enjoy smart alecks. I wonder how we resolved the issue of the U.S. $20.00, as he was the son of President (Dictator) Somoza.
It was exciting to have dinner at the Japanese Embassy, and I learned an important skill of eating with chopsticks, which I still love to do.
We developed a friendship with the Japanese Embassy after the earthquake when I would let them know when the water truck was there, and they would look out for us when Dad was at the airport.
March 7, 1973 Wed.
Dear Smiley:
I got a 92 on History. I did P.E. I flunked though both written & skill test. I did a back walk over for the 1st time. Alfredo Montealegre is at our school!!! YULK!!! Seehafeirs took us to school today (Steve ate here). Joey was born June 5, 1956 at 5:00 and on Wed. Exactly like me except one year!!! Watched T.V. Hingst came over. Went outside & played Policía y Ladrones. It was pretty fun.
BYE!!!
Note: I am not sure what a back walk is or who Joey was who shared my birth date.
March 5, 1973 Mon. (David’s Diary)
Snoop, Gotcha!!!! Almost forgot to write on you or in you. Ha Ha. I’m in a good mood. School was cool man!!! Well kinda anyways You know in basketball with all my fancy dribbling I don’t do much. Tomorrow I have an English test. Ya Know, if I wouldn’t’a written down the pages, I would have studied same one and Shakespear. Life. Math test tomorrow also. DIDN”T I TELL YA., we went by bus. I’m already in trouble. I’m gonna give the driver directions to Doris’s house, not to their corner. On the way home by my locker I got . Should I take or leave my basketball. Should I bring home this dumb Turzand (sp?) book she put in or not. Then. I remembered, boy did I run. Sue and Beck played Ladrones and Policias. Beck had more fun than me. G’ nigh.
Ya, it’s 12:05, better sleep, Good night. Final. Ya see it.
March 6, 1973 Tues. (David’s Diary)
Ya I feel sick. Snoop
School was normal. I think I did goo in English. Watch me get an F. You know I can’t wait ‘till my voice lowers a bit. Well that’s that. Tomorrow I only have a science test, but I’ll read 7,8,9 in Geography. In the bus I told the driver how to get to Doris’s house. Phew!!! I was bothering Doris on way to school. She bothered me on the way back. She almost threw my pen and basketball out in the window.
At about 8 or 9 we went to the Japanese ambassador’s house. They sure do eat a lot. I almost omitted. I learned how to hold chopsticks. You know Carrie was there and we talked a bit. We played games and I found out that Beck liked Cazares (sp?)
Note: I don’t know why I was stressed about giving the driver directions to Doris’s house.
The bus: In San José we lived a half block from the high school, but in Bogotá we took the school bus.
The school had 4 or 5 busses and we were all on first-name basis with our driver. They were always overloaded, arriving and leaving the school with half dozen to a dozen kids standing in the aisle holding on to the overhead grip bars. They had to use low-range granny gear to go up the driveway slope. The Detroit Diesel engines were seldom in tune, so they smoked a lot. And rattled so loud you had to raise your voice to talk to your seatmate. And always smelled of grease, diesel fuel and the lingering odor of puke.
Roberto Somoza was kind of a dick. He drove their limo to school with driver/bodyguard in the passenger seat. I still remember him peeling out and burning rubber in front of the school. I also clearly remember one time in class he asked the kids sitting around him not to look at him because he wanted to pick his nose.
Fun read as always!
Very often in these posts you mention PE and what a misery it was; I agree. Really, it was never about keeping fit or exercise as a foundation for good health, was it? I mostly remember being pushed to do things that had no practical application in life—-handstands, jumping off a bench, catching a bar and pulling up. Almost no one could do either, with the exception of a couple of girls who were truly athletes. Do schools still require PE? I’m pretty sure some if these activities would be considered too risky—-for both the physical safety of the student and the legal security of the school.