Letter from Dora Giffen to her brother Williamson Martin Giffen and the rest of her family in New Concord, Ohio, February 9, 1921

1)
45 Faggala, Cairo
Wed., Feb. 9, 1921

Dear Martin and All:
As usual I am late in getting my letter off to you. I imagine it will miss this week’s boat, for some home mail came on Tues., much earlier than usual. Last week I got the letter dated Jan. 13 on Thursday. I think probably that when the mail arrives here on Thursday I get the letter from home for that week, if it has been sent, on Thursday from New Concord. If the home mail arrives on Friday, I get mail sent from New Concord on Friday.

You people have been sending me some good home letters. I quite often share with them with Uncle Johns who enjoy them. I was so glad to get your good letter, Martin. In the last home letter was enclosed one from “Fort Sleeth,” and if you see any of them I wish you would tell them that I was quite “charmed” with their letter; also give them my love. One from Father and Willard was also enclosed. I, like Willard, sometimes wish for a chance to again play in “our” orchestra. I wonder if work for the Festival has not been begun. I would certainly love to see the music that they will use this year. To my mind there is nothing quite so enjoyable as orchestra work and I am glad that I have had as much of it as I have had.

Father must be having his hands full this winter, too, with so much work to do out at the farm. I only wish I could accept your invitation and help you eat up some of your “extra” meat. I want to thank you so much for the Muscoljuan and to thank Willard for the picture, which Mother said were coming with Doctor Finley. He (Dr. F.) is due here next week I think it is. I was wishing several times this year that I could see last year's Muscoljuan, and now my wish is coming true.

I am afraid that the Christmas presents I sent you were not worth much, but I am not any good at thinking of things to send. I wish you all, especially you, Martin, and Willard, would tell me if there is anything especial you would like from Egypt. Don't be shy about telling me and if I can I will get it. I know Father and Mother would not care so much for Egyptian things. You, Martin, might tell me what they might want.

Mother mentioned sending money to Mrs. Rankin for postage. I am pretty sure that I sent enough with her to pay for the extra postage or rather for all the postage.

I want to thank Mother so much for sending those cards. Another time I hope I will not be inconsiderate enough to ask her to do such a thing, when she is so busy anyway.

I received such a nice letter from Aunt Anissa this week. And I believe I forgot to mention the fact that for my birthday I received from Aunt Dora such nice pictures of Mary, Marshall, and Welch. I would like to see those children.

Mother's birthday letter ought to be written this week but I doubt now if I get a real birthday one 2) written to her until after Association, which begins tomorrow and does not close until one week from next Sabbath. All of the members of our household, with the exception of Clarice and myself, have been having committee meetings the last few days and so they (not we) have not been having lessons. We, youngest members of the mission, have not been definitely told whether or not we will be expected to attend all of the meetings. Since nothing has been said about discontinuing our lessons, we are planning to have lessons all of next week and go to as many meetings as possible outside of lesson hours. But on tomorrow and Friday we expect to do away with all lessons and attend Association only.

Our guests for association are Mr. and Mrs. Hart, who have been with us since Monday. Miss Weed has given her room to them and gone in with one of the other girls. I am sleeping in my little single bed now, since Mary Thompson from Assiut is sharing Clarice’s bed. They knew each other in Tarkio. Both Miss Thompson and Miss Cabeen (from Alexandria), who is rooming with Sarah Adair, are boarding at the Quays’, since our table will hardly seat comfortably more than fourteen; in fact a family of twelve seems to fill it. Miss Downie of the Fayoum came up the latter part of last week an until today stayed with Evelyn McFarland, but she was assigned to Hoymans for Association Week. She has been having a very great deal of trouble with one tooth. She has been going to the dentist (an American) daily and says that he told her that she has very narrowly escaped an operation, for the abscess tooth had affected the eye. She is an aunt of Janet and James Downie.

Thurs. – 7:30 A.M. I will finish this letter now and mail it on the way to Association, which meets in the Esbekiyeh Church at nine o'clock this morning.

My room is not nearly finished being fixed up yet, but by working at it little by little I hope to get most of the things done by the summer vacation? I have not yet heard from my bed, chifferobe, and chair. Last Saturday I spent practically all day doing a little sewing, fixing up my room, washing, etc. (Some of my things I never send to the wash, - they are too hard on them.) Last Sat. The carpenter Mustapha came and took my bookcase to his repair shop. When I got it out of the crate I found it needed a good deal more repairing done to it than I had thought. It was brought back yesterday afternoon and looks very nice now. Sometime when I get my room fixed up, I will take a picture of it to send home.

Last Sat. evening I went out to Uncle Johns again to spend the week-end, then came back Mon. morning in time for my nine-thirty class. Sara Adair was there too. She had been having her last set of examinations last week and was tired, so Edna kindly invited her out. As usual 3) we had a good time, - took walks, read, had some music, etc. Edna has her hands full these times, and I rather hate to go out so often, but Edna and the rest insist, and I do enjoy it out there, being with Uncle Johns, having the quiet, and everything. Edna does practically all of the running of the house, besides her little bit of teaching every morning. Aunt Elizabeth is looking unusually well just now. Every day she takes long walks into the desert just south of them. It is a most interesting place to walk. And Uncle John, too, is looking well, although I think he feels rather out of things, out there in Abbassia.

Mr. Trowbridge conducted an S.S. Conference in Esbikiyeh Church last Fri. and Sat. and it was well attended by people from all over Egypt. Everything was in Arabic, so I did not attend, but they said it was a splendid conference. Our little street S.S. received honorable mention. Because the children kept coming in ever increasing numbers we had to hunt up another place in which to hold a part of the classes. Very fortunately we found a house just back of the one the S.S. was now occupying, which had a large open court, so last Sabbath we took the boys over there. When I went over to the new place to play for the singing all the roofs and windows around were full of women. Some men came in also from the outside. It is very interesting work. Mrs. Cleland is helping Sara out now by taking one class of girls, who have been divided into two classes now.

There is a very interesting work being started now by some of the young men of the city, who are interested in such things, for some of the little street boys who have no home. They the men go out into the streets from twelve to three o'clock at night and gather up little boys whom they find there, taking them to a Waif’s Home which has just been started. The boys will receive there different kinds of industrial training, besides Christian teaching. There are about sixty boys in the home now, and before long they expect to be able to take twice that many. They have gotten the services of an Englishman, who has been quite a success in handling men and boys out here, to oversee the boys, and he certainly has his hands full.

Last Sabbath night was my turn to lead Christian Endeavour. A few weeks ago in telling something of the start of “Young People's” Work in Esbekiyeh, Miss Thompson told of Mother’s having asked her to take the charge, or at least part of the charge, of such work in Esbekiyeh Church. Does Mother remember anything about it? Miss Thompson has been having a light attack of “flu” they call it, but is better now. Mr. Elder, too, is sick with it. Miss Rena is much better, - able to take some solid food now. I saw Miss Paden again yesterday. I suppose I will see quite a few people today at Association.

The U.P.s have been coming quite regularly. I think that it is about time now for the B. and M.s to begin coming again after the Xmas holidays.

Well, Martin, I hear you are a “sub” on the basket-ball team. That is fine! How does it feel to be a Senior High? I am sure Mother could not get along without you. Did I tell you that I went out to the University Courts the other day, with one of the girls, to play tennis, and lo and behold! I had the Professor R. S. McClanahan for a partner. Tennis is a game almost everyone out here plays. I am quite fond of it myself. Take good care of yourself and the rest and keep on growing. My! I wonder if I would know you now. Lots of love from your sis, Dora