Cultural Experience As Told In An Old Letter

I've mentioned before that my mom grew up in West Africa, right? She attended a boarding school in Miango, Nigeria called Kent Academy. The other day I was reading through some letters she wrote her parents. (My grandmother found them as she was sorting through boxes of old memories.) They varied in type of information and detail, but provided a nice view of how school life was for her so many miles from her parents.  I couldn't help but laugh a little as I read this and imagined how a traditional African ceremony would appear to a young American teenager.  I also thought how wonderful it would be to experience a different culture this closely!  And to be part of the ceremony too... pretty cool!

A few days ago on Thursday to be exact the cheif of Miango was promoted.  So we took part in the program.  We marched beside ECWA school all the way to the village.  Tim and John P. carried the flags.  There was a big circle right in the middle of the village.  The chief sat on one side and we marched in the circles to "Onward Christian Soldiers."  Whenever we were right in front of the cheif we had to turn our eyes to the right.  After a while we sat down on some benches and watched the rest of the program.  The pagans did a dance with rattles and dried beans etc.  Then this guy came on, body painted white with a blue painted face. He was the wierdest thing. He wiggled and swayed and everything else.  -- Sharon, Nov. 5,1965

I'm really glad my grandmother saved these letters so we can go back and read about life for them back then.  Have you ever read old letters from your family and also found interesting tidbits from their lives?