First Week

The CCM (MTC) is great. I told you before that my compañera was Hermana Mills right? Well now we are a trio- the 2 of us plus Hermana Thacker (who we were behind in line at the SLC airport). They are really sweet. I kind of like being in a trio, it's fun. The español is coming along pretty well though and it's fun learning a new idioma (language). I've already learned a ton!
Thanks dad for the thought and mom for the talk!! I'll read it tonight!!

So we live in casas (houses) with about 10 girls. The houses look cool (I'll send pics soon i hope). Our casa is white and turquoise! basically the cutest casa around. I like it except we have cockroaches!! EW! and they refuse to die. Hermana Mohun (in my casa) split one in half and it was still alive and moving! apparently we're the only casa with this many so they fumigated our casa during the day once I guess, but it didn't work in our room because we still have a ton! at least they aren't too big though- only like an inch long or so. Anyway, all we really do at our houses is sleep. Besides that we're up at meetings, meals, but mostly studying and class.
There is a playground behind our house. It's basically great. They told us we could go there to have joy, haha. But we haven't really had any time since we've been here.

The CCM is gorgeous. I love the palm trees and the ones that look like giant pineapples. Our first day here we heard some super loud birds making a sound i've never heard before up in the trees. I'm loving the different culture here. Though, inside the compound (what we call the CCM) doesn't really feel all that different than home. Though there are mountains pretty close on all four sides. And you know, the constant traffic, honking, sirens, barking dogs, and the occasional "fireworks"/gunfire all night and day is a bit different. (Don't worry, I think most of the sounds that one night were actually fireworks for some Mexican holiday-the rest were probably gunfire. But we're completely safe here. It's like a seriously guarded MTC.)

Outside the CCM is definitely Mexico though. The bus ride here and the bus ride to the temple today was awesome! Though I'm pretty sure there is really only one traffic law: if you see an opening, take it. It doesn't matter if the light is red, or if there is oncoming traffic, or if someone is trying to get in your lane, or if you're trying to get into someone else's lane where there is barely an opening, or if you're a pedestrian and it's not actually a crosswalk and you just walk through the cars, or if someone wants to pass you and there's not actually another lane there- whatever. doesn't matter. If there is any opening you take it. And even if there isn't. I'm surprised we haven't seen like 30 car accidents in the 2 hours I've been on a bus. And people walk between moving cars, some of them trying to sell the people in the cars cigarettes and gum. Yep, definitely not in Utah anymore.

Oh and our view of the houses and stuff from here is gorgeous! I'll send pics soon (maybe today if I have time at the end). There are houses halfway up the side of the mountain and they are super colorful and at night they have their lights on and it's just beautiful!

The food here is actually pretty similar to what we have back home, but it just tasted slightly different the first few days. Not anymore though- I think I've just gotten used to it. And I've gotten used to the water (because it definitely does NOT taste like Utah water).

Okay um, story time.
First- In my district someone was trying to say "we are all servants of God" in Spanish and instead said "we are all farm animals of God." It was basically the highlight of my day.

Second- In our second lesson with our investigator (in Spanish by the way- our first lesson went great, second was iffy because we weren't really teaching with the spirit, and third was also pretty good, next one tomorrow) our investigator said for fun he likes to go drinking with his friends, but he said it in Spanish. All me and Hermana Thacker heard was "amigos" so we were both like "¡Si, bueno!" and Hermana Mills was just silent. Later she told us what he actually said... oops.

Third- for sacrament meeting, we all prepare talks, and then in the meeting they announce who will be speaking. So when they called my name on Sunday, I just wanted to cry. I would have if no one had been there. I am definitely not a fan of speaking in front of people and I hadn't had time to translate it to Spanish so it was completely in English. And of course I was reading it off a paper, and I messed up, and my face was super red. But afterward people said I did great. I think they may have just been trying to make me feel better.. No you know what, it was a great talk, thank you very much! haha, who knows.

Fourth- yesterday our elders in our district started talking about politics and it started getting contention-ness, so one Elder Smith was like, "lets learn Spanish." He walked up to the board and wrote yolo=swag. He's basically hilarious, like all the time.



A little more time I guess...
We went to the temple today and it was beautiful and I loved it!!! The city is really fun to drive through and really different. It rains here like everyday for 10 minutes and then stops.. random.. but I love it. I love you!