Evening star., 1942-12-27

80 sA~S IVA WV SAtiSS OSOobCl. 10tl,
have kitchens and everything In
Guiding K. PSI"
November 10.
This morning for breakfast had
fried eggs (powdered-not bad,
ham and coffee.
"A French African town is really
something-Arabs walking about
you should see the women-just as
In plctureS-very picturesque with
their white veils-very dirty too
the pictures don't show the dirt.
And the novels they live in! The
women are either barefooted or
IN grass slippers--so are most of
the men.
"One thing here-every one drives
on the right instead of as in Eng
land on the left. 1t Is a great help,
1T is really nice town COran)
though-funny trolley cars-French
and Arabs in all mixtures-little
black boys with shoe shine boxes
pulling at your sleeve with the
one English word they know,
"Shine'-bars where they sell wines
or beer-restaurant with tables on
the Sldewalk-narroW streets with
every one walking in the middle.
Reminds me of the French quarter
IN New OrleanS-even to the iron
scrollWork some of the older build
lngs still have (there is no repre-
sentation of anything living in the
ScrollWork on the fountains, build
lngs, etc. Their religion forbids the
representation of anything living.
The streets are full of Arabs on tiny
little donkeys-the size of st. Ber-
nards-or carts pulled by these
little donkeys-driven by a dirty
ten-year- Arab with his pants
seat torn. There are very few. il
any, civilian cars here-the French
use horses and carts like the ones
you used to see on the farm. Most
every one wears berets.
Transportation to and from
town Is provided via the thumb
route. And then we try to figure
out the distance given by the sign
posts in kilometers into miles.
Personally am comfortably situ-
ated here-have been in the same
place since I arrived and have all
| the comforts of home! Even a mat
tress. I'm one of the lucky ones.
We don't have any sheets but our
blankets are soft so they aren't
needed"
November 20.
Had fried eggs again for break
fast today-not powdered this time
either. We trade with the Arabs
for fresh eggs. They also have
chickens but I'm not that much of
a cook. 1t really took a lot of finger
raising, gesturing and pointing, on
all sides to trade; a motion picture
OF 1t would be really funny. We
also buy tangerineS-the size of
half a lemon-from them. They're
very sweet and we eat dozens a
day. The Arab figures nickel is
worth more than dime because it
Is bigger. They don't like pennies
reminds them of francs which they
like even less.
THE Arabs and French here
haven't had coffee in three years.
They are crazy about the soluble
packets which we get in the canned
ratlons. So we've been trading
them for tangerines."
November Fl.
went to town yesterday and to-
hQU for tho f3rct firo,n T,r;o
an English French dictionary-all
sold out. Tried to get hotel room
so could remain overnight-all
hotels ''complet"-I assume it meant
full The boys who managed to get
there first just about cleaned the
town out! There isn't camera in
town.
Went to the best restaurant in
town-you could order anything you
wanted but got only their standard
dlnner-noodle soup, bread (French)
like New Orleans but out of whole
wheat fiour-pork sausages and rice,
and for a desert two tiny oranges
sour as lemons, and, of course, a
bottle Of Tine-white wine. would
have swapped it all for good
American meal! Anyhow we had a
four-piece orchestra, real French
walters and a French menu tool"
November "a.
Have read few books the last
day or so. The chaplain set up a
Lending library. 1t is help to be
able to read something new"
November 28.
The P. K. had new shipment in
the other day but before 1 could get
to 1t all there was left was candy
bars--at Z for Is cents-so bought
those! While they had a stock it
was as bad as trying to buy tickets
for the World Series at the box
Office. 1t took three to four hours to
sweat the line out, and 1 didn't have
time. But am we'll supplied with
tobacco and all necessities so it
didn't matter.
The people here are being very
helpful-they're trotting out their
high school English and the boys
are trying to remember their high
school French. Have already learned
several words-'Merci, cinq and
dix"
November 20.
Am back with the squadron again,
"The whole North African cam
paign is the beginning of the end
for Hitler-I hope. The secret was
well kept. We had no idea of where
we were going or the extent which
1t actually took in. It wasn't until
we were just about there that we
were told. T slept in a truck the
first night, on straw the second and
had mattress the third-did not
have hardship! But worked like
the devil the rest of the time. But
its much better than sitting around
In the States.s