Mason City, June 24 1952
Dear Elis!
I received your letter with great joy, I must apologize that I didn’t answer right away.
How I now heard that you are very homesick — I believe you think back on Austria too much. It’s beautiful here too and certainly much better. Yes sometimes I think back, missing my friends and football, but otherwise I’ve settled down a little here. Now my brother and I bought a car so we drive 40 miles to work every day. We learned to drive from our German work colleague. Now we feel safer driving. There are also Germans that came around, so we visit and drive around because there isn’t other entertainment yet — until later when we want to buy and build a house on the outskirts of Peoria, because from here it is too far to drive all day.
In 3 weeks we have a test for a drivers license. I’m curious if we can do it without English. Then I believe that it won’t be all that long until we will see each other again. Have you already figured out how many miles it is from you to here to Springfield that is 30 miles away? I learned between 200 – 400 miles. This week Leni has also written to us. She asked what’s going on with you since she didn’t receive any mail.
Now enough for this time. Heartfelt greetings from your beloved Otto
This is our factory where we work on the first floor. It is all intake.
