So this week and last week as well (I just didn´t mention it) we taught investigators and have had so much fun and done so many things and just YES IT HAS BEEN SO MUCH YES.
It feels like the days go by so slowly but the weeks fly by. Today we are the only district in the entire MTC because LITERALLY EVERY OTHER DISTRICT LEFT FOR THE FIELD THIS MORNING. We are alone here in the CCM and it feels a bit like the zombie apocalypse is coming, but it definitely isn´t, don´t worry. I don´t have pictures from today´s P-Day because we haven´t gone out yet; we´re writing first, but I will send pictures from last P-Day and also I don´t know my thoughts are very scattered and it is very hard to type on this keyboard and all of the above but anyway. Let me set out a little plan real quick so I´m not screaming random thoughts out everywhere.
First I´ll talk about our investigators. Then I´ll talk about the food. Then I´ll talk about my district and also my companion. And then maybe some other things we´ll see.
Okay, so we have (had since we get new teachers and investigators tomorrow) four investigators: Hermano Marcos (we never found out his last name oops), Hermana Carolina Castillo, Hermana Flora Navia, and Hermano Sebastian Díaz. Marcos was our very first appointment before we knew anything so we didn´t do anything right and it was really quite terrible and we ended up just asking if we could come back later. Flora we did somewhat the same but we at least shared a scripture with her, and then Carolina was an amazing lesson and Sebastian was not too shabby.
Then, however, we had the trainwreck.
The Marcos Trainwreck, that´s what we call it.
Hna. Paulson and I went in very prepared and everything and started talking with Marcos, getting to know him and it was all fine... until I mentioned prophets. And he was confused. And rather than following the Spirit and teaching about prophets, we decided to trudge ahead and continue teaching the Restoration and long story short, by the end of the lesson Marcos was thoroughly confused and we tried to commit him to read the Book of Mormon but he said he didn´t want to and I literally pleaded with him to read it; I begged in Spanish for him to read it and made him take it and it was terrible and at the time Hna. Paulson wasn´t super confident in her Spanish so I would teach most of the lesson and she would testify and pray and so we tried to testify and he was walking out of the room anD IT JUST WAS TERRIBLE AND WE REALIZED WE HADN´T PRAYED WITH HIM OR PRAYED BEFORE WE CAME AND WE MADE ALL THESE TERRIBLE MISTAKES AND IT WAS SO BAD BUt now we give ourselves some more slack because, well... that was our second day at the CCM. At least we messed up then though; at least we have the CCM to mess up in at all. It was just a really bad lesson. It was bad. And we agreed when it was over that it was because we were relying too much on ourselves and our own capabilites to speak Spanish. I think the most important thing that I´ve been learning the last two weeks is not to depend on yourself. I don´t know this language. I don´t know how to teach the gospel in this language, I don´t know all the Chilean customs and whatnot and I don´t quite know how to be a missionary yet and I need to rely on the Spirit more than anything else right now, and for the rest of my mission, and for the rest of my life. The Spirit will never lead me astray.
Okeedoke, now let´s talk about the food.
So, basically, we have breakfast at Alcántara and then we bus over to the CCM and have lunch and dinner there. Breakfast is usually cereal (very similar to what we have in America) but instead of milk, we have yogurt on it. I haven´t had milk in two weeks. I AM DYING. Not really but I really love milk and it makes me sad to not have the milk oh ugh I don´t want to talk about it.
Also the water is safe, I drink a lot of water and a lot of strange juices that I don´t know what they are.
We eat lots of bread.
Oh yes, I didn´t finish with breakfast. We have these little breakfast sandwiches (which apparently are strange in Idaho because none of the Idahoans understand sandwiches I guess) and also lots of fresh fruit. And hot chocolate. And hard boiled eggs. SO MUCH YES.
We also have lots of carbs and unknown meats, so that´s way fun. Sometimes they tell us what the meat is and sometimes they don´t and sometimes they say words that I don´t even try to understand but none of it has been bad so I´m sure it´s all fine (though I did hear that a couple weeks back the meat was cow stomach hahahaha COOL). We had these little noodles and ham/cheese type sauce the other day that made me think of kaspatzle or however it is you spell it.
ALSO THERE ARE ALWAYS DESSERTS AND THEY ARE ALWAYS WEIRD AND I DON´T KNOW WHY BUT THERE ARE PRUNES IN EVERYTHING. WE HAD THIS BRIGHT PINK THING THE OTHER DAY THAT WAS LIKE A WEIRD ROOM TEMPERATURE MOUSSE THAT TASTED LIKE A BABY BOTTLE POP AND IT WAS QUITE STRANGE AND I DIDN´T EAT MUCH OF IT AND WHEN YOU ASK THE NATIVES WHAT IT IS THEY ALWAYS SAY ´no sé´ which is quite comforting but in all reality I eat three meals a day and even though the other girls have a problem with a lot of them, I think they´re fine. What can I say? I like food.
ALSO SPEAKING OF NOT BEING ABLE TO SPELL
I am forgetting how to spell and it´s very disconcerting because I have always been a very good speller but now it´s just all gone. It´s okay though, I´m not super worried. Also I wrote a list of things that are different here in Chile, let me write it to you.
The tissues here are so small. They are for people with small noses.
The ranch is not ranch. It is ranch, but it is not. Do not be fooled by the ranch, it is not ranch. But it is.
Flan is quite bland.
Chilenos talk SO DANG FAST
Everybody and their cousin likes to hug you and kiss your cheek.
Chilenos don´t point with their index finger; they point with their lips. They just kind of kiss in the direction that you need to go and it is strange.
Everybody honks. EVERYBODY.
Chilenos are actually mostly of European descent so their skin isn´t super dark like most other people, but they all have long black hair.
We have dulce de leche with literally every meal.
Also there are many universities nearby and there has been a lot of hazing lately so that´s been interesting.
Motorcycles drive wherever the heck they want to like in between the cars and on the sidewalks and I haven´t seen a single motorcycle not driven by a man wearing a suit.
1 in every 30 people here is a Mormon
Don´t call people sassy in Spanish here because it is actually somewhat offensive (glad I learned that here hahahaha)
You must ALWAYS practice good table manners because it is VERY rude not to.
People are very friendly also :)
What else was I going to talk about?
Oh yes, my district and especially my companion!
I love my companion so much, Hna. Paulson is the actual best. We have so many similarities and so many differences but we work really well together. I am afraid for when we get out of the CCM and I have to get a new companion :( I love Hna. Paulson so much.
She is from Idaho Falls and she likes to run and she plays piano and we are going to perform on a Sunday before we leave :) she looks like a Chilena but doesn´t have any Chilean in her family whatsoever, but it´s useful when we´re out on the street on P-Day. She is allergic to all nuts except peanuts so we have to ask everywhere we go if there are nuts and I dunno it´s just fun and she is so awesome and I dunno I´m just super glad that she´s my companion. She went to BYU-I for a semester before coming here and she´s studying to be a dental hygienist. I just spent four minutes trying to figure out how to spell that but I am done no more I give up.
ALSO EXCITING NEWS.
So, we´ve been staying in the Hinckley room as I told you before, but as of today, we have been moved into what is notoriously known as...
THE BIRDHOUSE
It´s this little attachment off the side of the house and up some stairs that is super cute and just yes I love it and I am very excited to live in there even though it is QUITE warm in there. We think we got moved because there are 26 new missionaries coming to stay at Alcántara tomorrow.
Haha.
TWENTY-SIX
We had 15 in there before today but then all the Latinos left to their missions and for today we´re alone, but tomorrow we are going to total 34. In Alcántara. Because President and Hermana Doll are going on vacation or something like that so all of the missionaries have to stay at Alcántara. The new North American hermanas are getting the Hinckley room and we more experienced hermanas are going to the Birdhouse since we´ve been here longer. Hna. Paulson and I are getting two more roommates: Hermanas Heeb and Cornejo, both Latinas! So we will be learning Spanish very quickly after this. I am QUITE EXCITED.
ALSO I KEEP FORGETTING TO TALK ABOUT ALL THE SMELLS HERE BECAUSE WHOA SMELLS
First of all, Santiago has a very distinct smell. I noticed it when I got off the plane, but I don´t really notice it anymore. It used to be quite stinky to me, but it´s okay now. Though still quite stinky every once in a while.
But because it is stinky, the CCM has all these smell-inators everywhere that I´m not quite sure what they are but they are little cans of liquid with a little paper boopy boop sticking out that smells up the whole place and sometimes they are very strong. We do this thing called TALL which is a computer program to help us learn Spanish and everytime we come into the lab it smells very strongly of almond extract.
OH ALSO BEFORE I FORGET
TODAY
IT
RAINED
IT IS RAINING AS WE SPEAK
THERE IS RAIN
But the rain doesn´t smell normal. It smells spicy. Like fresh peppers. It´s kinda weird.
Kinda a lot.
And it is quite humid before it rains. I´ve felt sticky all day; like I just got out of the shower or something. But constantly. Everywhere you walk. All the time.
OH YES BEFORE I FORGET (as you can see I am quite forgetful)
The Latinos have finally learned how to say my name! Though they just left, so now I have to teach a new group of Latinos...
But my teachers all have it down somewhat. Elder Perrier (the one from Switzerland) says it more like ´Schombu(flem)´ and sometimes to get it right he says ´Schomburgerking´ so that´s all cool and fun.
I´m sorry this hasn´t been super spiritual, I´m just really emotionally compromised because my brother is coming home and I won´t be there to greet him so I´M NOT THINKING ABOUT IT AND I NEVER WILL
But anyway, I love you all and I´m going to mail real letters now :) talk to you all next week!
LES AMO MUCHO (no sé si es correcto o cualquier cosa yo hablo) [I LOVE YOU MUCH (not sure if it's right or anything I speak)]
¡Ciao!
OH YES, Momma, please title this week´s blog post ´Holy Colorado´ because all of my district makes fun of my little sayings. Especially Holy Cannoli and Golly, so they have started saying ´Holy Colorado´ so anyway I love you so MUCH I JUST LOVE YOU HOLY COW
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