September 18, 1968
Miltona, MN
Dear Marjorie,
I’m not sure I’ve told you that I now go to the big school in Alexandria. In 7th grade we began junior high and got bussed to Alex. Now we are in 8th grade, and I feel like so much has changed. Some of the girls in class (mostly the ones from Alex) are wearing nylons! I don’t—yet. They look so grown up. Do you wear nylons yet? I see in gym class that they wear garter belts that hold up the stockings. I am wearing bobby socks, and got a whole bunch of new ones for the start of the school year. Oh, well. And some of the boys, are getting taller. I’ve been getting pimples, too. Do you have any? They are so ugly! I’m embarrassed.
Tell me about your school. Who do you hang out with? Who is your best friend. Are they the same kids as you went to grade school with? When we came into town from Miltona Elementary, we all were so intimidated! My best friend from Miltona is Janie Swanson. She lives on Lake Irene near the Lynn Haven Resort where I worked, and we used to see each other all the time during the summer. She rides the bus with me and has an older sister in the same grade as my sister Katrina. I used to have a crush on her brother Jess who is a year older than us. I’m so over him now.
But Per Johannson—he’s two years older than me and in the same grade as Katrina and Janice, Janie’s sister. He’s so nice.
In elementary school we had one teacher and 30 kids in class. Now we go to different classrooms for different subjects. Do you do that too? We have 5 minutes between classes, and we have lockers assigned to us. My locker number is 121, and Johnny Kirschenmann and Mark Koebbe are next to me—you know, alpha, and my last name is Jarvi, so J, K’s. I have English with Mr. Cline, Math with Mr. Jorgensen, Social Studies with Mr. Lane, Music with Miss Schuster, PE with Mrs. Luce. Last year Mrs. Luce was Miss Lemke, but she married the boy’s PE teacher this summer. Then I have Science for half the year with Mr. Paulson. He has an arm that doesn’t work, I guess he had polio when he was a kid. Next semester I’ll have Art, and I really look forward to that.
I love school—the classes but also all the kids. Even though we don’t have sports, we go to the high school games. Football is so fun. I think we might play Morris—wouldn’t that be fun?
That’s all for now.
I look forward to hearing from you!
Love,
Irene
ELAINE KOYAMA WRITES 