1630 St. Nicholas Ave. New York, N.Y. May 19, 1938
Dear Puppiken, your letter dated May 8 is the first to my address above (written on Miss Löwenstein’s typewriter) arrived yesterday. The fact that I am answering so quickly indicates to you that I am not exactly pressed for time. I have been looking for work. It is extremely difficult. You really have no idea. I think I already answered most of your questions in my previous letters. Healthwise, I am doing all right. Every once in a while, I have a bad day. But overall, I am happy. I hope you are indeed doing as well as others say about you. My relatives are beating around the bush regarding the affidavit. But of course, they will help us if necessary. And I think that I will be able to manage it myself. Your affidavit is something you need not worry about. I will certainly be able to take care of it this summer. All right? Bachenheimer is lucky. I hope he will get his visa. Please give him my regards. Regarding lessons, I wrote to you in detail.
Of course, you can‘t do more than what is possible. I can tell that you are aware of the importance of this point. You are right that it is beneficial that the teachers at the Berlitz School take turns. I received the money you sent: $3.95. You are asking what you can buy here for this amount. I will give you few examples without being able to give you complete picture of the buying power of a dollar. It can pay for a week’s rent for a room including breakfast, 80 tram rides, 16 dozen excellent oranges, 80 local phone calls, 10 tubes of toothpaste, 40 pineapples, 80 letters to Germany, 10 good lunches, 500/600 cigarettes, 4 medium-quality, button-down, collared shirts. I think I already wrote to you that there are things that are less expensive and others that are more expensive than over there. Overall, everything you might need for life, you should be able to purchase for $1 if it costs RM2.50 over there. My room at the Sterns’ is on the second floor. The upper apartments are the better ones here because they get more air. The pictures that Mr. Rosenst. took, I am expecting in the next letter from Nieheim. Please give my regards to Mrs. Ury. Did you send a Mr. Beer or so to Leibholz, telling him that they have a factory? Please don’t do this again. By the way, I assume that this isn’t even true. Also, please don’t send people to me. If I can help Gartenberg and Schiffs, it will be no small feat. These things look entirely different from over there than they are in reality. If I didn’t know how much the two of them want to come here,
I would spend my time otherwise. I see that you are going to see Mr. Drüner. Was he able to alter your dress? You should be able to make good use of your jacket dress. But don’t buy any more light dresses. And buy as little as possible. Please ask me if you want to buy anything else.
I will close for today; if I think of anything else that I want to tell you, I will write you a postcard. Because I now have $4! By the way, thank you so much for that!
All the best to you, my dear Pupiken, much love and 1000 kisses from your Fritz
Please give my love to [your] parents, Gisela + Joachim and Miss Löwenstein.
I hope you are not sitting around in the house on Sundays, and that you are outside getting some fresh air! Kleinsteinberg or somewhere else!
