(Note: Received on March 10, 2010.)
Hola minha familia!
So, I'm in the great city of Sao Paulo. This keyboard is weird, so don't laugh at typos or lack of apostrophes because that's in a weird place. Anyway, I made it! I'm here! Everytime I look out my window, it seems like a dream. And it has been quite the adventure, even though I just got here on Friday. Let me give you the short version.
I met two Elders in the airport in Miami, and then we flew to Sao Paulo. Overnight plane rides aren't fun. I didnt sleep. But I got my first picture as a missionary taken before even leaving the airport here! The Elders had talked with some guys on the airplane, and they wanted a picture with them and wanted me in the picture too! That was pretty awesome. Then we waited a while, and someone told us how to get our money changed, and then we got our ride. The Elders were going straight to their missions...one had been waiting for his visa since he applied for it in JUNE, and the other...basically the same. They were both in the MTC for like 3 months, then one went to Baltimore and the other went to Atlanta North. Crazy. I'm so blessed that I got mine on time! So I was the only one that got dropped off at the CTM (pronounced say-tay-emee). And the people here weren't expecting me. Especially not by myself. Then they looked at some paperwork and realized they actually were expecting me, but I didn't have a nametag. Or a companion.
Long story short, I was the only sister in a district of 11 Elders who had all gotten here on Wednesday. We're pretty much the only district in the CTM who came here straight from home, other than Brazilans. Everyone else spent some time in Provo. I realized when I found this out just how blessed I am that my visa came when it did. First day was crazy. Sister Richardson is my roommate, though we are in different districts, because she only has like 3 weeks left. But I like her. We talk a lot. :)
SO my first few days were crazy. I didn't get a nametag til like yesterday. I sent you a letter on Friday when I got here, but you won't get that for about 2 more weeks. It takes about 2 1/2 weeks for mail to get here. When you get it, it'll all be a repeat of all this. WOw, I'm really not making any sense right now. I feel like I have so much to say, but don't want to make this a massive 9000 page email, and I have limited time, too.
I've had 3 days of classes...and Portuguese is coming quickly. I can understand a bit of it now, and I can have conversations, though my Portuguese is still very broken. My vocabulary is tiny, which can be frustrating when I know what I want to say but can't say it. But it's nice having BRazilians here because I get to actually practice the language with native speakers, and they are so helpful, because they correct me when I mispronounce something or when I don't know a word or something. It's nice.
Oh yeah, funny thing about that. My French is coming back because of learning Portuguese. Not because they are similar, but because when I'm trying to think in Portuguese but don't know the word, I think it in French instead. My thoughts for the first couple days were a jumble of French, Portuguese, English, and tiny bits of Spanish and German. Today I had an Italian word thrown into the mix. It's crazy. But it's leaning more toward Portuguese now, which is definitely a good thing!
TODAY! We went to the Temple! It's my first p-day, and I got to start it by going to the Temple! The session was in English, and the Temple is beautiful. Absolutely beautiful. We stayed in the same room for the whole session, which was unique. But really, I can't express in words how beautiful it is!
So in other news...I joined the choir! Voluntarily! Because I decided long ago, but especially in the last few weeks, that I am putting my all into this mission. It's the Lord's time, and I'm going to use it wisely. So why not join the choir? So I did. We practice right before firesides and devotionals at which we sing, and it is amazing how quickly even a mildly complex piece can come together. And so far, we've sung the songs in both English and Portuguese, switching languages with sections or verses. Singing entirely in Portuguese has really helped with pronunciation, too. AND, it gets even better. I volunteered to play the piano or conduct the choir if they ever need me to. And on Tuesday, Irmão Lopez (Brother Lopez) asked me to play for that evening's devotional. So I did. It was a simple piece, but it was so nice to play for something! And the choir sounded beautiful.
Ah so many thoughts that I need to try to organize!!! Anyway. I met President and Sister Clark the other day (he's the CTM presidente), when my district had a meeting with them. Since only 12 of us came in last week, we got to know them on a pretty personal level, and they got to know lots about us too. Today after I got back from the Temple (just a little while ago), President and Sister Clark found me in the hallway, and Sister Clark told me that she'd heard that I've played the piano since I was 8, and she asked if I'd ever be willing and/or able to play a special musical number for something. I told her yes, if they give me a couple days to practice when I've got time (which there isn't much of, really). Then she asked me to be the coordinator after Sister Harper leaves next week, which means that I'll basically be in charge of making sure the Sisters are doing what they're supposed to and following the rules. Pretty cool!
Speaking of the Sisters, let me give you some statistics. First of all, there are 22 million people in this city. My mission is one of the smallest in the country. And everyone who is from here says "I'm sorry" when I tell them where I'm going. It's funny. Here at the CTM, there are about 200 missionaries. Maybe less, because a ton left yesterday. But we got a bunch more today. When I got here, there were about 16 sisters. I was number 17, and then 3 more came later that day. Yesterday, almost all the Brazilian Sisters left, so there were 9 of us. Now I think there are 12, because three more came today. 12 sisters in the entire place! And the Elders treat us like queens. We get to be first in line for everything, and they take our trays and let us cut in line if they're already there...it's pretty awesome :) OH, and President Clark said that the CTM is actually in my mission. So I look out the window and I see where I'll be serving!
About the city...it's enormous. It's so spread out. Traffic is 100% insane. Pedestrians get run down if they're in the way, and motorcycles have the right of way. They drive in between cars and that's no problem. Merging doesn't exist...to switch lanes, you just move and cut someone off with centimeteres to spare. Yeah, the ride from the airport to the CTM was kinda terrifying. And all cars are small here. There are TONS of the old VW Beetles. It took us an hour to get from the airport to the CTM, and we never left the city. The buildings are so colorful...I love it! Today it took us an hour to get to the Temple, which is only 10 miles away. Across the street from walmart. And still in the middle of the city. The skyline is never-ending. Everywhere you look, there are buildings 10s of stories high. And it just goes on and on. The city really never sleeps, especially on Saturday nights. We sleep with the window open, because the breeze is nice. And we hear motorcycles, music, birds, cars, people, and all kinds of city noises. It's better than trying to sleep over the noise of the fan though! I actually enjoy it, which is weird for me to say. As for the weather...picture September. After August's humidity. The first day was sooooo humid. Then on Saturday, we had some of the famous rain, and three thunderstorms. Since Sunday, the temperatures have been beautiful and the humidity level has been way down. It's so nice! I thought it would be a more difficult switch from winter to summer (especially because I flew out of Boston in the snow), but it's not that bad. And fall is coming in a couple weeks anyway.
I got my first letter yesterday! The Elders in my district were like "WHAT?!?!?" because I was one of the first to get a letter and the last one to get here. Oh speaking of my district...last night, I got news. Today I'm being transferred! I need to move into a new room, I'll have two companions who spent last week in Provo, and I have a new district and a new branch. Sad, because my Elders were so good to me, and they are like family at this point. It's amazing how close you can get to people in just a few days, just by spending all your time with them. But I'm happy about it...I'll have companions! This is exciting. Plus I know it's what the Lord wants, so I'm definitely okay with it! I met them and the rest of my new district at lunch today, and they seem pretty nice. It'll be fun to get to know them. There are only 7 of us in the disctrict, I think. Oh yeah, branches are tiny...my branch on Sunday was 22 people. The size of an EFY group.
Wow, this is massive at this point. I have so much more to say. Maybe I should start writing a letter, which will take me days to write, but I'll be able to write more, in some ways. Palm trees everywhere!
Volleyball here is like soccer with a net in the middle, and you can use hands. They use feet, hands, knees, and head for volleyball. We played it at gym time the other day, and I was laughing so hard I could hardly play.
A couple random thoughts...I saw people pulling handcarts around the streets. I'm actually across the street from the CTM right now, at Mr. Cheney's Cookies. They have a computer lab here, where we get an hour of computer time for 1 reais. Oh yeah, thje exchange rate is SO GOOD here...and everything is way cheap anyway. We went to distribution today, and I got a scripture case with the Sao Paulo temple on it, for like 5 reais, which i about $3.50. So on P-days, we get to walk around the city. There's a perimeter we have to stay within, but we get to actually be IN the city. And after 5 weeks, we get to to proselyting a couple times, on the strees. Both within and without the perimeter. Oh, the day I leave here in May 4. I got a nametag yesterday. They just took a blank one and taped my name to it, so I still have a fake one. I will get a real on on Friday. :)
K, let me end this with a scripture. D&C 90:11- "For it shall come to pass in that day, that every man shall hear the fulness of the gospel in his own tongue, and in his own language, through those who are ordained unto this power, by the administration of the Comforter, shed forth upon them for the revelation of Jesus Christ." That's me!! I get to teach the people of Sao Pauo East in their own tongue. The Lord is really blessing me with the Gift of Tongues, and I know He will continue to bless me with it as I work hard and am faithful. I know you will be blessed too. I can't wait to hear about the blessings you all receive while I'm on my mission. Look for them...they are there. You'll see them every day; hundreds of them.
Much love,
Karen
PS- I'm the best toilet-flusher here :D
Hola minha familia!
So, I'm in the great city of Sao Paulo. This keyboard is weird, so don't laugh at typos or lack of apostrophes because that's in a weird place. Anyway, I made it! I'm here! Everytime I look out my window, it seems like a dream. And it has been quite the adventure, even though I just got here on Friday. Let me give you the short version.
I met two Elders in the airport in Miami, and then we flew to Sao Paulo. Overnight plane rides aren't fun. I didnt sleep. But I got my first picture as a missionary taken before even leaving the airport here! The Elders had talked with some guys on the airplane, and they wanted a picture with them and wanted me in the picture too! That was pretty awesome. Then we waited a while, and someone told us how to get our money changed, and then we got our ride. The Elders were going straight to their missions...one had been waiting for his visa since he applied for it in JUNE, and the other...basically the same. They were both in the MTC for like 3 months, then one went to Baltimore and the other went to Atlanta North. Crazy. I'm so blessed that I got mine on time! So I was the only one that got dropped off at the CTM (pronounced say-tay-emee). And the people here weren't expecting me. Especially not by myself. Then they looked at some paperwork and realized they actually were expecting me, but I didn't have a nametag. Or a companion.
Long story short, I was the only sister in a district of 11 Elders who had all gotten here on Wednesday. We're pretty much the only district in the CTM who came here straight from home, other than Brazilans. Everyone else spent some time in Provo. I realized when I found this out just how blessed I am that my visa came when it did. First day was crazy. Sister Richardson is my roommate, though we are in different districts, because she only has like 3 weeks left. But I like her. We talk a lot. :)
SO my first few days were crazy. I didn't get a nametag til like yesterday. I sent you a letter on Friday when I got here, but you won't get that for about 2 more weeks. It takes about 2 1/2 weeks for mail to get here. When you get it, it'll all be a repeat of all this. WOw, I'm really not making any sense right now. I feel like I have so much to say, but don't want to make this a massive 9000 page email, and I have limited time, too.
I've had 3 days of classes...and Portuguese is coming quickly. I can understand a bit of it now, and I can have conversations, though my Portuguese is still very broken. My vocabulary is tiny, which can be frustrating when I know what I want to say but can't say it. But it's nice having BRazilians here because I get to actually practice the language with native speakers, and they are so helpful, because they correct me when I mispronounce something or when I don't know a word or something. It's nice.
Oh yeah, funny thing about that. My French is coming back because of learning Portuguese. Not because they are similar, but because when I'm trying to think in Portuguese but don't know the word, I think it in French instead. My thoughts for the first couple days were a jumble of French, Portuguese, English, and tiny bits of Spanish and German. Today I had an Italian word thrown into the mix. It's crazy. But it's leaning more toward Portuguese now, which is definitely a good thing!
TODAY! We went to the Temple! It's my first p-day, and I got to start it by going to the Temple! The session was in English, and the Temple is beautiful. Absolutely beautiful. We stayed in the same room for the whole session, which was unique. But really, I can't express in words how beautiful it is!
So in other news...I joined the choir! Voluntarily! Because I decided long ago, but especially in the last few weeks, that I am putting my all into this mission. It's the Lord's time, and I'm going to use it wisely. So why not join the choir? So I did. We practice right before firesides and devotionals at which we sing, and it is amazing how quickly even a mildly complex piece can come together. And so far, we've sung the songs in both English and Portuguese, switching languages with sections or verses. Singing entirely in Portuguese has really helped with pronunciation, too. AND, it gets even better. I volunteered to play the piano or conduct the choir if they ever need me to. And on Tuesday, Irmão Lopez (Brother Lopez) asked me to play for that evening's devotional. So I did. It was a simple piece, but it was so nice to play for something! And the choir sounded beautiful.
Ah so many thoughts that I need to try to organize!!! Anyway. I met President and Sister Clark the other day (he's the CTM presidente), when my district had a meeting with them. Since only 12 of us came in last week, we got to know them on a pretty personal level, and they got to know lots about us too. Today after I got back from the Temple (just a little while ago), President and Sister Clark found me in the hallway, and Sister Clark told me that she'd heard that I've played the piano since I was 8, and she asked if I'd ever be willing and/or able to play a special musical number for something. I told her yes, if they give me a couple days to practice when I've got time (which there isn't much of, really). Then she asked me to be the coordinator after Sister Harper leaves next week, which means that I'll basically be in charge of making sure the Sisters are doing what they're supposed to and following the rules. Pretty cool!
Speaking of the Sisters, let me give you some statistics. First of all, there are 22 million people in this city. My mission is one of the smallest in the country. And everyone who is from here says "I'm sorry" when I tell them where I'm going. It's funny. Here at the CTM, there are about 200 missionaries. Maybe less, because a ton left yesterday. But we got a bunch more today. When I got here, there were about 16 sisters. I was number 17, and then 3 more came later that day. Yesterday, almost all the Brazilian Sisters left, so there were 9 of us. Now I think there are 12, because three more came today. 12 sisters in the entire place! And the Elders treat us like queens. We get to be first in line for everything, and they take our trays and let us cut in line if they're already there...it's pretty awesome :) OH, and President Clark said that the CTM is actually in my mission. So I look out the window and I see where I'll be serving!
About the city...it's enormous. It's so spread out. Traffic is 100% insane. Pedestrians get run down if they're in the way, and motorcycles have the right of way. They drive in between cars and that's no problem. Merging doesn't exist...to switch lanes, you just move and cut someone off with centimeteres to spare. Yeah, the ride from the airport to the CTM was kinda terrifying. And all cars are small here. There are TONS of the old VW Beetles. It took us an hour to get from the airport to the CTM, and we never left the city. The buildings are so colorful...I love it! Today it took us an hour to get to the Temple, which is only 10 miles away. Across the street from walmart. And still in the middle of the city. The skyline is never-ending. Everywhere you look, there are buildings 10s of stories high. And it just goes on and on. The city really never sleeps, especially on Saturday nights. We sleep with the window open, because the breeze is nice. And we hear motorcycles, music, birds, cars, people, and all kinds of city noises. It's better than trying to sleep over the noise of the fan though! I actually enjoy it, which is weird for me to say. As for the weather...picture September. After August's humidity. The first day was sooooo humid. Then on Saturday, we had some of the famous rain, and three thunderstorms. Since Sunday, the temperatures have been beautiful and the humidity level has been way down. It's so nice! I thought it would be a more difficult switch from winter to summer (especially because I flew out of Boston in the snow), but it's not that bad. And fall is coming in a couple weeks anyway.
I got my first letter yesterday! The Elders in my district were like "WHAT?!?!?" because I was one of the first to get a letter and the last one to get here. Oh speaking of my district...last night, I got news. Today I'm being transferred! I need to move into a new room, I'll have two companions who spent last week in Provo, and I have a new district and a new branch. Sad, because my Elders were so good to me, and they are like family at this point. It's amazing how close you can get to people in just a few days, just by spending all your time with them. But I'm happy about it...I'll have companions! This is exciting. Plus I know it's what the Lord wants, so I'm definitely okay with it! I met them and the rest of my new district at lunch today, and they seem pretty nice. It'll be fun to get to know them. There are only 7 of us in the disctrict, I think. Oh yeah, branches are tiny...my branch on Sunday was 22 people. The size of an EFY group.
Wow, this is massive at this point. I have so much more to say. Maybe I should start writing a letter, which will take me days to write, but I'll be able to write more, in some ways. Palm trees everywhere!
Volleyball here is like soccer with a net in the middle, and you can use hands. They use feet, hands, knees, and head for volleyball. We played it at gym time the other day, and I was laughing so hard I could hardly play.
A couple random thoughts...I saw people pulling handcarts around the streets. I'm actually across the street from the CTM right now, at Mr. Cheney's Cookies. They have a computer lab here, where we get an hour of computer time for 1 reais. Oh yeah, thje exchange rate is SO GOOD here...and everything is way cheap anyway. We went to distribution today, and I got a scripture case with the Sao Paulo temple on it, for like 5 reais, which i about $3.50. So on P-days, we get to walk around the city. There's a perimeter we have to stay within, but we get to actually be IN the city. And after 5 weeks, we get to to proselyting a couple times, on the strees. Both within and without the perimeter. Oh, the day I leave here in May 4. I got a nametag yesterday. They just took a blank one and taped my name to it, so I still have a fake one. I will get a real on on Friday. :)
K, let me end this with a scripture. D&C 90:11- "For it shall come to pass in that day, that every man shall hear the fulness of the gospel in his own tongue, and in his own language, through those who are ordained unto this power, by the administration of the Comforter, shed forth upon them for the revelation of Jesus Christ." That's me!! I get to teach the people of Sao Pauo East in their own tongue. The Lord is really blessing me with the Gift of Tongues, and I know He will continue to bless me with it as I work hard and am faithful. I know you will be blessed too. I can't wait to hear about the blessings you all receive while I'm on my mission. Look for them...they are there. You'll see them every day; hundreds of them.
Much love,
Karen
PS- I'm the best toilet-flusher here :D
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