(Batavia) 25.1.42

A la main

My dearest Rötteli and dear Boys,

I’m writing in English to give the censure every facility and perhaps this letter will reach you more easily than one written in French. I am also writing by hand, it seems to me nicer for you to get more personal letters than a typed written one should be.

I am glad to be able to tell you that everything is all right with the three of us. Oscar came home yesterday and we had a few happy hours together. He has grown thinner, but for the rest, he looks well, healthy and strong. He’s well looked after, has good, healthy food and nothing to complain about. And so it is with Conrad and me. Last week I’ve had some high fever during a few days, it is a sort of influenza one gets from a mosquito. It lasts exactly 5 days, then everything is over again. It left me a bit weak on my legs, but now I am getting stronger every day. I’ve a good appetite always and I’m well looked after. I’ve got a woman doctor now who has studied in Switzerland and she speaks the Swiss language much better than I do, we laughed about it. She said I had to be careful with my nerves, because she could hardly believe I’ve had this meningitis when I was a young girl and that now I should feel and look as well as I do. She said that I must be very, very thankful.

Little Conrad is growing into a big, long boy. Everybody who sees him thinks he is 3 years, and he has yet to become 2 still (3.3.1940). While I was ill these 5 days, I had a nurse for him so that I need not worry. Everybody has been very very nice to me. On some days I have had eleven visitors, almost too much ! Even our friend v.M. (van Mastwijck) came the other day and was charming and of course his wife too, she came every other day.

A few days before Xmas I’ve had a photo made from Conrad with me. It’s not very good but not too bad either, thinking that it has been taken in the first days of the war when everybody was nervous and in more worries than even now. One gets used to a lot of things very quickly. In the first weeks, I found these long evenings alone very terrible, but now I’m so used to them that I even enjoy myself . My dearest little Mother, do not worry for us. Even if you worry yourself to death, you can’t help us in the least, whereas God will see to it that we have the strength, the courage, the calm and the intelligence to go through what He thinks best to send us. We can’t do anything by ourselves, Rötteli dear. I know it and Oscar knows it too, I know you pray for us, well that’s a lot, you can’t do more. If you knew how effectively I get strength and calmness, you would be so happy I feel I must write it in every letter because it’s so wonderful.

Further life goes on here as it was, only that Oscar is not at home in the evenings, as to the rest everything is the same. I seldom go out because I don’t like to leave Conrad by himself, but we go walking everyday, and pay visits to friends. I’m leading a quiet, healthy life, and thankful for every quiet day we are still allowed.

Well my dearest dears, I do hope this letter will reach you in not too long a time and bring you all the love, the affection and also the confidence of which my heart is full. I’ll be with you in thoughts on Feb. 19th especially (death anniversary of her father), Motherlie. You know I’m thinking of you every day. Do not worry for us but pray as we do for you. God bless you my dears ! A fond kiss to everyone

Nelly and little Conrad