July 8, 2013
Bueno bueno
bueno.
so we're going to
take a pop quiz. SURPRISE!----- Don't worry, it's only one question and it's
open note, open-neighbor, open internet, open
that-one-coworker-that-kind-of-speaks-spanish.
QUIZ:
1. What does
"agua" mean?
.......everyone
finished?
Yes, you can
correct your own test, but no cheating. You're on your honor here.
ANSWERS TO QUIZ:
1. Not water. let
me say that again. Agua does NOT MEAN WATER. Confused? Welcome to the first
three weeks of my Californian existence. Apparently, "agua" means any
liquid that could possibly be digested by a human stomach (excluding soda,
which they appropriately call "soda") --- it took me about 25 days to
realize that if I wanted water, I had to ask for "agua puro."
Honestly I don't even know why the word for juice even exists in Spanish,
because "agua" ranges from SunnyD to raspberry lemonade. so just a
tip: if you're ever ask for "agua"....you're rollin' the dice.
Second item of
business:
So as I'm sure
you're aware, two very important holidays occurred this past week. I don't
blame you if you have only heard of one of them, as it is much more well known,
and much more important than the other. The lesser known holiday is called
"The Fourth of July" It's a traditional American holiday celebrated
by most families with fireworks, parades, BBQs, and a plethora of Red, white
and Blue. It’s also the official D-Day for the burn unit of the E.R. Seriously
kids. Only YOU can prevent your dad from thinking that lighting all the
fireworks at once is a good idea. This year, I celebrated the independence of
America like a Mexicana, complete with tortillas, pico, and carne.........OLE!
It was a blast!!!!
The other holiday
was OBVIOUSLY my half-birthday, and I'm sure you all threw lively, day-long
parties complete with streamers and cheesecake. My celebratory activities
consisted of enthusiastically drawing pictures of cupcakes and balloons in my
planner. Officially 19.5, whoop whoop!!
Whilst driving I found a street with the
same name as my home address in Utah. How Fun!
Third item of
Business:
I feel sorry for
every missionary who has ever served in any part of the world that is not
Redlands California, because my new Mission President is SUPREME! He and his
family arrived this week, and their children range from 7-19 years in age. The seven year
old is probably the second cutest child to ever have been born, second only to
Shirley Temple. (because, let's be honest, who can resist her "animal crackers
in my soup?")
I. love.
them.
Last item of
business:
another what I wish
they understood--
many times when we
start talking to people, they immediately try talking about some random point
of obscure deep doctrine somewhere in our church. They are fixated on this one
point and refuse to talk about anything else.
What I wish they
understood:
When one goes to
the first day of "Intro to Beginner's Biology 101" they do not bring
a copy of "The Advanced Biology of Intricate Ecosystems Level 8." and
ask the teacher a question about something written on page 786. They simply
need to know the basics first. The same holds true when people on the street
bring up the deep doctrine of our church. They associate "Mormons"
with this one aspect, without knowing our basic beliefs. Without knowing the
basics, no one can understand the more intricate parts because I can honestly
say that yes, it DOES all interconnect, it DOES all make sense, but in reality,
the basics are the most important parts of our gospel anyway. I have learned
much more since, but everything I really needed to know about our church, I
learned in Primary. So yes, we can answer their questions, but it doesn't make
sense without first understanding the basics.
I love being a
missionary I love being a (kinda) Californian, I love buying whatever I want at
the grocery store, I love wearing my nametag, I love wearing a watch (who
knew?!), and I still secretly love puzzles.
I love YOU. Write
me letters por favor.*
*pleasepleasepleasepleasepleasepleaseplease
Love,
Hermana
Thomas
No comments:
Post a Comment