• Katapusan hapit na! (almost the end!)‏...7/09/2012

kamusta kamo!

it's crazy to think that I've already been here for about otsenta ka semana and I have one week left before I leave on diessyete sa julio (July 17)! At this point, it might be best for people to write me through dearelder.com using the address they can get from my mom at hellofriendcc@hotmail.com

It's so weird to think that in just over a week I'm leaving to a area (Cebu) and language (Cebuano) i hadn't heard of before. I wonder how much it will be like the movie "Other Side of Heaven" - I know that Cebu is developed and Americanized, but I'm wondering about the bukid (undeveloped areas / "boondocks") surrounding it. Hopefully it isn't too similar with me being American and all :P

I've learned how to make some interesting drinks with the soda and juice they have at the cafeteria here - one day I felt like trying for a green drink - mixed blue powerade with yellow/orange colored juice, and called it the incredible hulk. then someone noticed how I was getting creative and showed me how to make a drink - I think it was called evening sky- but you put in some sprite, a touch of fresca, fill it with blue powerade, and after adding some grape juice, making sure it doesn't mix, then you have a drink that's purple lower ,and blue on the top part :) then one time as I was making the evening sky drink, someone showed me that if you do part fresca, a touch or two of root beer, and orange strawberry banana juice, you get a drink that tastes just like bubble gum! knowing about all these drinks makes me feel like a connoisseur of pop/juice here at the MTC :)

This week, as everyone knows, was the fourth of July. Here at the MTC, they had a speaker come in and talk to us about independence, etc. - he did a very good job, and made sure to address the foreign missionaries here and talk about independence in general. then they let us go out and watch the fireworks from the "stadium of fire" from the back of the MTC campus.

I'm going to miss the Elder that's in our branch that has a sling, Elder Meng. he'd play volleyball with his left hand and whenever he got a good hit he'd say, "yeah! fear one-arm!" and then I'd have trouble playing because i was laughing.  I'm pretty sure he's heading out to the field today.

This Friday our teacher told us that lessons in the Philippines will probably be similar to primary lessons and that we'll have to think outside of the box with analogies, activities, pictures, etc.

The trial was that last week I had been feeling down and not sure why. and after that me and my companion got assigned to the solo sister in our district - she's an awesome missionary and a really good influence. Before this my companion took the rules as guidelines and he would try and leave gym early for showers, etc. but now she's doing everything with him that I couldn't. it's as if he listens to her 20 times better than he ever did to me. she truly strives to be exactly obedient and my companion seems to have reacted better to that than anything I've ever said or done. with him, I've become more like him, talking and showing my emotions less and taking the rules as guidelines. now it's hard to try and be exactly obedient to all the rules. to be honest, the reason that the letters have gotten longer is because i found a way around the timed email window but Sister Christiansen just reminded me that I should be exactly obedient so my letters will probably be a quarter of this size next tim