Okay okay okay. I have to start this off with a confession I have been hiding for awhile.
I like fruitcake.
Like I actually enjoy it and get EXCITED when people give it to us everyday. AND I ACCEPT seconds!!
You know...that really dry bread with weird dried fruit and who knows what else inside.
What is this place doing to me??
Also I have confused the smell of mold with the smell of home. hmmm
Time to move
And move we did. Finally!
Our new little apartment is lovely. As in it doesnt have mold..its a bit latrger than the last and its walls are a nice shade of lavender! Much better than the lime green. Sadly its in the sketchiest part of town. Like we cant walk back there at night...we have to take a taxi straight to the building. Nice going assistants. HA! But its fun! Except when we cant get a taxi and we have to sneak through fields and run away screaming from the literally naked men that chase us yelling stuff I am glad I still cannot understand. Oh its so fun! It really is. We havent seen any guns this week though! Thats always a plus. DONT WORRY! I AM SAFE! All the dogs will protect me. ;)
I wont miss taking twenty mins to prepare for bed. Prepare as in
drench my body in bug spray. Put tights on (2 pairs), then socks, really tight clothing that bugs cant crawl through. Then spray my mattress. Each sheet. Each blanket. And the air surrounding my bed. Open the window so we dont suffercate from the bug spray
and then turn little space heaters on so we dont freeze.
And maybe we will shower more now that we dont have to ....start a fire...turn the kitchen faucet on 3 times---run and turn the shower on after precisely 34 seconds--then run and turn the fire up...run back...turn off this faucet...and HOPE that maybe some warmish water will come out.
Yes we are enjoying our new little lovely lavender place!
Also our neighbors play in a mariachi band until like 4 am. So if we wanted to we could dance in our dance studio room (thats what we call the room we get dressed in and have all our suitcases) all night long! Maybe one night...:)
Our ward is so sweet. We had pretty much all the men in our ward come and help us move...plus all the elders in our district. But it turned out to be one of those cases where there are too many people and no one to direct. LUCKILY I have lots of moving experience and we were able to get it all done in an efficent manner. I knew there was a reason we moved so much!! Somehow in all that craziness I twisted my ankle. Im pretty sure its not broken..just sprained. So I just soak it in salt water (the chilean cure for everything) and hope that walking 7 miles on it everyday will help it!! Fingers crossed! Right now it sill fits into my shoe so I think were good!
Our little house has had a fit of laughing attacks that has lasted a couple weeks. Its gotten to the point we cant say a prayer or sing a hymn without bursting into laughter and tears. Its kind of bad. But its like you have to be professional and focused for so long everyday...eventually your mind just cant take it anymore and it just crashes in the worst possible moments. Its fun though
We threw together a little thanksgiving activity for our ward last week. We played fruit basket. I am so used to playing that game really intensely though...litke pushing people over and screaming and turning it into a wrestling match. So first thing I know I`m knocking my investigators to the floor and throwing my companion into a stack of chairs. No one got hurt. Dont worry. ;)
We also made some pies for it...well we TRIED to make pies. We really made peach cobber with a topping hard as a rock. We didnt have a recipie or normal ingrediants so we just kind of threw stuff in. The members LOVED it though and asked how we made it..our response "how DIDNT we make it!?" Just throw your whole kitchen in. We also made cheesecake but since none of the ovens have temperatures and run off real fires-we rally burnt it. They still loved it though! It turned out to be a great activity.
We were invited to seminary graduation since we taught seminary. Our precious students gave us roses and we even got a certificate! I love them all so much! They are SO great!! And afterwards they had a dance! (we didnt stay for that). But they have dances all the time. Well not really dances they more of just turn on music and EVERYONE dances. Unlike our dances where no one does. So after the seminary graduation in the chapel they just opened the doors to the gym and everyone ran in there and did some tengo and quakas.
Today I got my visa! It took awhile but now I am legal!
I`m having a hard time realizing its Christmas. Its been super hot and I was starting to think that maybe I wanted to be home for Christmas. But then I looked around and realized I AM home! Chile feels so comfortable and like home to me. I cant imagine wanting to be anywhere else. The people are so friendly...its hard to not instantly feel like family with them. And even though Ill be a sweaty and hot walking around knocking doors on Christmas day...eating more hot dogs, oil and mayonnaise than you would believe...I will be with these people! Who are the greatest in the world! Who are teaching me so much and love me even though I cant really speak their language and sometimes dont finish all their food.
Who care so much about everyone and always make very sure we arent hungry...and buy me socks when they realize I only brought 4 pairs (how did I forget that?)..and drop off fresh fruit everyday..and curtains for our new apartment...and make sure we know they want to help us with everything. I cant believe the generosity and the love these people are always shining with. They are so wonderful. Im frusterated at my lack of ability in expressing how truly amazing they really are. Just come see for yourself!
Transfers are next week. I am crossing my fingers for 15 more months in Chillancito!
Go show some chilean love to someone today!
Here`s to a wonderful week!
-Hermana Orchard
Pictures: some people next to our Gracias board
Excited on moving day!and my old bedroom.
No comments:
Post a Comment