Note: The UNRRA, the United Nations Relief and Rehabilitation Administration, was formed in late 1943 to “provide relief to areas liberated from the Axis powers after World War II” (from Wikipedia). I think it’s pretty badass that my great aunt – my mom’s aunt – was helping in Italy after WWII. Since this letter was handwritten in cursive, I wasn’t able to figure out every word and have noted ???s where I wasn’t sure of a word and (?)s where I was pretty sure but not positive of a word.
-R
Kay Graw
UNRRA (Italian Mission)
APO 394
c/o P.M., New York
Mrs B. Graw
4707 N. XXXXX
Chicago V5, Illinois
20 June 1945
Dear Mother:
My traveling days have continued and there seems to be little likelihood of any change soon. By the end of this week I ought to be traveling into northern Italy with Dr Weber and Lacy(?) Rahon(?) for a week or two at beach and ???? more. We will be going in connection with a group of about 20 who will be working in the refuge camps up north – by the time we get back I should know what my next assignment is as we have been training Italians to ????? us here. As Jared is now at Bari in southern Italy checking up on the ???? assignment in Yugoslavia. Continue reading 'June 20, 1945 – Italy to Chicago'»
Last night I went to the latest Cirque show with a trans youth group I attend.
(Circus Sidenote: the show was good, but I was a little disapointed. I only learned later that it was intentionally acrobatic- and clown-focused, which is awesome, but I feel a little spoiled working at a circus organization. Cirque’s performers were undeniably top-notch, but I sort of feel like the difference between a very good aerialist and an amazing aerialist is larger than the difference between a very good juggler and an amazing juggler (or magician or contortionist). I did, inevitably, see one thing – a crazy trapeze acrobatics act – that I’d love to try with a mechanized winch and a gooood safety harness.)
Anyway.
On the El ride back up north (the long El ride back up north; gods is the United Center public-transit-inaccessible) I ended up being the last person from the group on the train with two of the facilitators. As I’ve said before, I like them a lot, so was kind of interested to see how they behaved in a more informal setting, as by that point we were all too tired to really be in ‘groupleader/groupmember’ mentalities. Likewise, as I’m one of the older memebrs of the group so sometimes feel more alligned with the facilitators than the other group members anyway.
So we were sitting and chatting, and T started talking to V about how someone at the last station had come up to her and someone else and said to the other woman, “You look fine,” but then turned to T and said, “Man, why you dress that way?” T continued, talking about how shit like that really hurts her confidence and makes her doubt herself. Now I’ve been very jealous of how both T and V look and how they hold and carry themselves, so it was interesting to hear someone I look up to express such worry over what other people are thinking of themselves. I think in some ways it was good, in that it made her seem more approachable and understandable, but in another way it was disapointing to see anyway – especially someone I’m looking up to – brough down like that.
-R
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