Oct 5, Letter Home

So this week has had its ups and downs. Lets start with the downs... my companion has been really sick all week so for the whole week we have done nothing, I think we only taught like 10 or 12 lessons total. The rest of the time he is had to sleep and I just sit there and either read, study, or be bored out of my mind. I have finished the Book of mormon, our search for happiness, and am like 100 pages into Jesus the Christ and I study tons of the language too but than just forget it after. It gets really boring and I hope things will be back to normal this week, I think he is starting to get over it. We have had a few visits to the doctor and we have the nurse over sometimes though.> >

So the highlights of my weeks were the conferences. We had zone conference on tuesday which was really good, we had lots of food and it was the most satisfied I had been since I got here, we have had ice cream. Out of my zone there are two other american elders and one tongan sister and everyone else is from Brazil, Port., or here, we have tons from here. So everything was in Portuguese for it, my president doesnt even speak english very great but he is a stud, I really like him, he is only 40 or so and he is the first president that will stay for two years, because this is such a stressful mission the past ones have only stayed two. We were also able to watch conference live which was sweet, it was only the Praia missionaries that were able to and even they usually cant, we just hooked up a lap top to a projector in the chapel and had it in English and Port. I was only able to watch the first session and closing session though since E Sequeira was sick. I have never been so grateful for conference in my life though and I loved watching it. It was weird watching it last night though and having it be dark outside while it was early afternoon for you guys. It was cool watching Scott and Holland speak since they spoke to us at the MTC. I loved the first talk from Osgulthorpe or however you spell it when he talked about how his mission they would speak Tahitian and French and when he tried to speak one they would answer back in the other and how he could hardly understant either, I felt like he was speaking directly to me because thats how it is. I hate when I start speaking in Port. and they talk back in Creolo and when I tell them I hardly understand a word they say they just keep talking. Im still just working on Port. though cause its the most important for the lessons and the president said to, Creole is just for starting out conversations and stuff and if you know portuguese perfect creole will come like that so most missionaries say it starts coming in like 5 months or so. > >

So transportation is hilarious here but scary too, we either take the bus which is pretty normal, a taxi where the drivers do not know how to drive, they just weave in and out of cars like crazy! And the best is the Hiase ( these little vans that just drive around everywhere). They have a guy that sits outside the window and as they drive ask people if they need rides. When they find people they just stop in the middle of the street and you hop in and it doesnt matter how full it is. The most I have seen in one with me was 22 which is about like putting 22 people in our Ryans 4 runner. I always get crammed between two large women who smell like fish and I cant even breathe. Then they blast their music up extremely loud with tons of bass so you cant here the person next to you and you just drive around. Its hilarious! So we take those every once in a while when we need to travel far but for the most part we walk, we walk tons everyday and our area is up on a steep hill so its a lot like hiking in the mountains everyday all day, its good for me though.

> So once again I forgot to bring my address with me to send you guys. Its really simple but I always forget it but its the one that you can send letters and packages to and I dont think it takes that long for them to get here. In my stuff I sent home is my call packet and it might be in there, its just the mission home address and all it is is like a PO Box number. I think 420 and then Praia, Santiago, Cabo Verde so if you see anything like that thats what it is. If you havent found it by next week I will make sure to have it by next and I am planning on sending some letters and stuff today. I would love some letters though and maybe even a package! So yeah just try if you can.