Bolivia

. I have SO much I want to tell you about, but the internet is
PAINFULLY slow and the keys on this keyboard stick like nobody`s
business. So don`t expect too long of a blog email this week.

This week I left the CCM and got on a plane to Santa Cruz... It`s been
a crazy week, that`s for dang sure.

Leaving the CCM was really sad. Saying goodbye to everyone that I`ve
gotten way close to over the past six weeks was really hard... But I
know they`re all killing it in Peru.

My first night here I got to sleep in the mission home, which is
absolutely stunning. It`s up really high in this apartment building
and it has a view of the South part of the city, which is the part our
mission is! After President Willard interviewed us all and him and his
wife bought us all food, he showed us all our areas, super vaguely
from the mission home. He told me I was going to stay in the city and
pointed out which area I`m going to. There were 8 of us that came in
together, me and Hermana Cabaña from the Peru CCM, 5 from Columbia,
and one kid who randomly came in from Provo. Sounds like he had an
even weirder time than I did.

My companion`s name is Hermana Mejia. She`s from Guatamala, she`s 22,
the oldest of four kids. She has 3 younger brothers. She doesn`t speak
English, but she has the clearest accent I have ever heard in Spanish,
which is wonderful because everyone else is nearly impossible to
understand. We get along great and we can pretty much communicate
whatever we have to. She`s the most patient person in the world and
she jokes around that she`s a gringa... Sometimes I forget that she`s
latina because... I don`t know.... I can actually communicate with
her, haha. I am thanking my lucky stars that she is my companion
because I am learning so much from her.

My area is Cañada, which is also the name of the ward we are serving
in. There are two sets of missionaries working there. Me and my comp.,
and a set of elders. When I came in... there straight up wasn`t a
bishop. And I can`t tell, but it seemed to me like there hadn`t been
one for a while. The funny thing is that there were counselors to the
bishop, but I don`t know who they`re supposed to be counseling
because.... I don`t know. There was no bishop.

But then, yesterday, me and Hermana Mejia were walking to the church
and the phone rings... and it`s President Willard. He`s all "Where`s
your church?" Hermana Mejia tells him... He`s like "Okay, we`re on our
way there." So we`re freaking out, hauling butt to the church... Long
story short, we have a bishop now, thank goodness. It was funny
because in relief society for the opening prayer, the lady was like
"Thank you, Heavenly Father, that we can have a bishop..." and it was
not passive aggressive. At all. But anywhere else, it would`ve been
and that made me laugh.

Santa Cruz is hot. Bloody hot and humid. I constantly feel like I am
in a sauna. I have never sweated so much in my entire life. Also,
there is dirt everywere. I know South America is dirty, but Santa Cruz
is dirty in a different way. Hermana Mejia even says so. "Ugh, dirt.
As is Santa Cruz." It reminds me so much of the race track it`s not
even funny. It`s dirty in the same way.

And I have never drank so much coke. Everywhere you go, people want to
give you Coca-Cola. I am grateful. I stinkin` love soda.

This week the funniest thing happened. There`s a gym near our house
called "the Rock Gym," and it has a picture of Dwayne Johnson on it.
So I was like "Oh. People here know who Dwayne Johnson is! That`s
funny."

Fast forward. I was teaching Hermana Mejia English words in the street
the other day. I`m like "Tierra. Dirt." "Arbol. Tree." and then I`d
make her repeat it. Anyway, I point at a rock and say "Piedra. Rock."
She repeats it. I`m like "Sì. Rock. Como Dwayne "the Rock" Johnson."
She looks at me like I`m an idiot and is like "¿Què?"

I lost it. I laughed so stinkin` hard at my Dwayne Johnson joke I made
with myself, and I was dying. Poor Hermana Mejia had no idea what I
was laughing at. Now I keep making references to my own dumb joke. But
don`t worry. I explained it to Hermana Mejia.

The food here is surprisingly good. Empanadas are to die for. I love
them. Every day at one, we have a pensionista that feeds us, we just
go to her house. Her food is to die for. One of the first things they
told me is to write home and ask for recipes for apple pie and banana
bread. They`re always learning how to cook new things. But they have
to be so patient with me because I know approximately no food words. I
ONLY KNOW HOW TO TALK ABOUT THE GOSPEL. I DON`T KNOW HOW TO SAY
ANYTHING ELSE.

But my Spanish is coming along. I love it here, I love being a
missionary. I`m getting better at teaching and understanding
everything that`s going on... And when I get back, I`m determined to
be Latina. I love you guys! I miss you like crazy!