{"id":13189,"date":"2013-02-17T21:50:04","date_gmt":"2013-02-17T21:50:04","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/alternativejonestown.com\/?page_id=13189"},"modified":"2025-10-06T15:37:17","modified_gmt":"2025-10-06T22:37:17","slug":"02a-pgrunnetltrmay","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/jonestown.sdsu.edu\/?page_id=13189","title":{"rendered":"Letter from Pat Grunnet to her mom, dated May 1978"},"content":{"rendered":"

[Editor’s note<\/strong>: A Spanish translation of this letter appears here<\/a>.]<\/em><\/p>\n

Hi! \u2013<\/p>\n

You\u2019re right \u2013 writing gets me to sit down and answer before the boat goes out again. It\u2019s unpredictable \u2013 so sometimes miss it. Anyway \u2013 got a letter from Cara Linn. She does seem to be doing well. Glad Linda got the job she wanted. Does she still live at the same place? Being in the school I hope she can hustle up some stuff for us. I wrote her and asked for specific stuff as well as general \u2013 but (for a change) she\u2019s the one who didn\u2019t answer. (I don\u2019t think you raised your children to be letter writers!) Better yet \u2013 did raise them to involve themselves in what\u2019s important and to do it as well as they can \u2013 and I\u2019m sure you\u2019d much rather have that than 30 empty letters each month!<\/p>\n

Oh \u2013 you can tell Bob \u2013 believe it or not, we\u2019re doing intensive farming here too! We\u2019ve started some experimental plots and have done a lot of research and are planning towards this end. It\u2019s interesting having heard so much from Bob about it — and then end up doing it here. If he ever wrote, he might have some advice for us or whatever. I\u2019m going to write him too — believe it or not. [smiley face drawn in small on line<\/i>] What do you know about Wing Beans?<\/p>\n

We just got back from Georgetown for a meeting with the top educators in the country. We are now an accredited school and the Gvt. [government] wants to use our school for showing to others and training in new techniques, learning centers, team teaching, etc. (pre-school and elementary & Jr. High). The High School is a combination academic and apprenticeship program. The kids work in all areas of the community (shoe repair, soap making, saw mill, brick making, agriculture, pest control, nursing, sewing, food preparation and MANY more) along with their academic program. They really are interested in learning on the job and they feel a vital part of the community. Plus we can use their productive time.<\/p>\n

We get movies from all over the world to supplement our video-tape library of documentaries, educational tapes and nature films \u2013 and still play classical music over the P.A. to ourselves and our plants.<\/p>\n

Each time the boat comes in, they bring fish and last time my class went out and watched them cut them up \u2013 because they had sharks 15 ft long weighing over 300 lbs. & we were fascinated watching them find the organs and systems. No where else could kids watch fish that big. We\u2019ve also watched the pork & chickens be cut up and studied them as well as the snakes they occasionally bring in from the bush.<\/p>\n

I liked those ideas you sent for toys and the kids liked the snow photo. We\u2019re making a lot of game boards and manipulative materials (blocks, puzzles) that will eventually be marketed throughout Guyana besides our toys. There\u2019s a good chance the schools will pick up on our educational stuff. It\u2019s really very exciting planning for all these things and then seeing them happen!<\/p>\n

As you remember, I\u2019ve never been bashful about asking for things. It occurred to me that you might approach your boss for donations of clothing for us. He could use it as a tax write off \u2013 (Agricultural Mission, Disciples of Christ) There\u2019s a gal in L.A. at the church who will come out and pick up anything you have that you want sent over here (Vee Hollins). You can call and ask for her. We\u2019re trying not to spend money where we don\u2019t have to, so we can sink it into more specialized medical equipment and supplies because our outpatient clinic is growing. We\u2019ve saved several babies and lots of emergencies around our area on the local Amerindians. We\u2019ve got qualified personnel, and an amazing range of services.<\/p>\n

You might ask Germaine for a few copies each of the worksheets for the Sullivan books. We put them into plastic covers and use a wax lead marker and re-use it again and again. They are called Webster masters for series I, II, III and also have Activity Books \u2013 for each series. One copy of each series would be o.k. Also if we could get a teacher\u2019s guide for each series it would have lots of ideas.<\/p>\n

Anyway, the clothes would be a great help \u2013 blouses, pants, dresses, tops, etc. etc. Even if they needed mending. See what you can\u00a0fin\u00e9gal (spelling)?<\/p>\n

See you later<\/p>\n

Love<\/p>\n

Pat<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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