9-8-14

Al Mundo

The past couple weeks Elder Soy and I haven´t been putting our full times worth into our days, because if waiting to move, or problems with money transactions and waiting around to get them, But, now we almost have everything taken care of, still waiting for Elder Soy´s money, but we are working longer and harder now. Had my first baptism this week on Saturday and Sunday. I didnt do any teaching for these 2 baptisms, but i did talk to them and befriend them for 3 weeks, so it kinda counts? not really, but i baptized them both anyways

Shortly putting it, we only planned to have one baptism, marcos, who is 13. Once he got there, he kept saying that he didnt want to be baptized that week, but the next week. Up until 10 minutes after the start of the baptism, his other friends were waiting for the  start of the service. One of his friends who was his a investigator came to us and asked if he could be baptized the same day. I dont know the specifics, but apparently he was qualified but just didnt have a date. His name was Hansel and he is 12. Once Marcos realized his friend was being baptized, he decided to be baptized to. I did both the baptisms, but had to say the first one three times and the second one twice. The prayer itself was easy, but saying their super long 4-6 name names with spanish names im not familiar to hearing or saying was hard. bleh.  Here they get baptized on friday or saturday, and confirmed during sacrament meeting on sunday. I didnt do either of the confirmations, but i did participate in the circle.

There are some picture i sent home of a burger, and yes thats a burger. It costed 3,500 colones, which is about 7 dollars, but it was a 4 by 4 or 5 by 5 burger, cant remember which. The thing was huuuugge, and i couldnt finish it either. Good story though

Okay things i learned this week:

Before my mission i hated coca cola,and mc donalds .But being here and not eating a lot of food, you are really hungry. And since most of their spices are only salt or tobasco, other flavors start to get nice. Of and their flavored drinks they everyone has at home taste like crystal light drinks, but really watered down, so they are pretty nasty, but we drink it anyways. If anyone wants to give you a treat though, they will open some sort of pan and give you a glass of coca, which actually has flavor. And as far as mcdonalds, meat is rare here, no one ever serves meat. Out of my 3 weeks here with my cocinera for lunch, i think ive had meet 3 times, and it was pork, pork, and some sort of chicken. So ya, mcdonalds isnt meat, but its the closest you can get. Im fine eating food here, but it doesnt leave you feeling heavy or full or stuffed like it would in america, hard to explain, but even when you cant eat any more here, you still feel like your body needs food.

Im learning what ill actually eat and cook in college. Cereal here is nasty. For example, they have corn flakes, but they taste like they have absolutely no sugar, so i add my own sugar to them. And even then, i am never filled. After three bowls, im sorta full, but i feel like ive had too much sugar and need real food. So that being said, dont know how i did it at home, maybe it was the same, but now that im working and sweating a ton here, sugar just doesnt cut it for me.

Camelbacks are like a thing from the future here. The word germaphobic doesnt exist here, so everyone drinks water from the fossit from their hands or shares everything. For the water at church, there is a sink, and 2 nossels in the washing room. There are 3 plastic cups, one above each water source, and the people just fill up the cup, drink, and put the cup back down. The next person uses the same cup. And generally the dont swap out the cups unless they break or are lost. So, Elder parker got a camelback with his back pack in the mail and didnt want it, so he gave it to Elder Soy. Every investigator we talk to or little kid in the street is super curious what the hose is coming out of his bag, and when they say its water, they are all stunned and want to try. America, land of the lazy.

Depending on how cloudy it is, but normally not, its always crazy hot outside in the streets. And we have to walk about 15 minutes from our appartment to our cocineras house, or 25 minutes to the chappel, so you get plenty of time to cook. And since a drinking fountain doesnt exist here, no public places offer any kind of water except a bottle for $2.50, its hard to get a drink, and your always super sweaty. So, at the apparment you always have a big fan on you, whether your sleeping, reading, eating, or studying. Even though we have AC in our appartment and it can be cold compared to outside, you always have a fan. I havent had a pillow either for these past two weeks, so its been hard to sleep. I use a towel and some clothes for my pillow, which sort of work, but i half my planket for the rest of the pillow. That being said, im not completely covered with the blanket over night, so depending on where im not covered, normally my arms or legs, i get tons of bites. And the bites here get huge, like anywhere between a bebe to a quarter of inflamed skin for a day or up to 4, and they huurt. i currently am waiting for my cash from Elder Soy, so i cant buy any bug spray either. And for some reason, only the gringos get bit, everyone else doesnt have to worry about it. But i should get a pillow when i go on for my 1 month interview in san jose next week.

All the floors everywhere are super dusty. Most houses have either tile or concrete, they just collect mad ammounds of dust. Probably because everywhere outside of the house is dust so you bring it with you in the house. But even if we dont bring  our shoes in the house, a ton of dust accumulates. I underestimated my parents when then said "even if you cant see the dust when you vacuume, its there, so go slowly over everything", ya i never listened to that, now i realize i was wrong.

Well, nothing else, keep in touched for next week
Pura Vida

Elder Campbell