Reply ID: hvui
10/20/16, 10:00 AM
Watching football on TV

Dear Jamie,
Hi, how are you? Haven't heard from you in a while. How are you. Must be busy in school but living a life too. I sit here watching my football play on national TV in England (Cincinnati Bengals). Here, it has gotten cold, but winter hasn't hit us yet here.

I finally got to talk to my daughter. I spoke to Krista on her 19th birthday. I was so happy to have been able to hear her little voice. I don't like her decisions, but she's mine. I love her, and I don't know how to be a parent. So I will do my best, support her, show her that I love her and pray for the best. She is such a good kid but needs some good role models and family in her life. It's hard when you have no parents to rely on like most people do.

So what are you doing? What are you studying in school? I never went to high school, but I got my GED which is what you can get in USA; it is almost the same as finishing high school.

I was given a job. I am on a maintenance crew. We get paid 19 cents an hour to work hard. But what frustrated me was I got 19 cents to work overtime. In this country, when you work overtime, you normally get your daily salary plus another half of that. So if you make 20 euros an hour in Switzerland, doing overtime would get you 30 euros an hour. They made us work 16 hours in one day. Three guards watched six of us prisoners clean windows or ladders. The three guards made over $50 an hour for overtime. And people wonder why prisons are so costly. It's the staff salaries. But that's not my fight.

I spoke to my mom this morning. She is back in the hospital. She hopes to go home by tomorrow. I'll be 40 on November 30. My mom said she still remembers me as a baby. I told her, "You cannot remember what you ate yesterday, but you remember 40 years ago." Mom has seizures too, so she has a bad memory.

No, Jaime, prison staff do not read our letters or mail.

You are a funny girl, and I know you're gonna grow up to help people. Don't ever let anyone else discourage you from pursuing your dreams and goals in life. Don't listen to anyone who says you can't do it. I've learned a person can do almost anything if they put forth the effort. So if you truly do want to help people, stay in school, get your education, and do what you want to do. I'll be your first guinea pig if you need one.

Well, I gotta get going. A lot to do in my cell. We are on lockdown. A guard argued with a prisoner. The guard spat in his face so he punched the guard. Now we are all on lockdown and must suffer. Take care of yourself. Do you like Switzerland? I hope to hear from you soon.

God bless, ciao.

P.S.: Can you ski?