Wednesday, March 21, 2012

1st Week in Brazil!

Hey there!! I made it to Brazil!!!!
 
Mom, hopefully you got the email they sent out the first day with the arrival group pictures... and they should be sending another one today of our p-day group at the Campinas temple!!!!! ALSO, I sent you a pouch letter that you should have gotten by now, and it has all my mailing information. Did you get them?? And when we head out into the city this afternoon, I'm going to try to send you a letter I wrote on sunday. Apparently there is a member who has a store across the street that scans handwritten letters and then emails them for the missionaries here. You guys can use that to write back to me too I think, but it costs a little bit. But they print them off and get them to us fairly quickly. oh, and I dont have very much email time, so if anyone wants to send me letters, I will be able to enjoy those a lot more. =)
 
Okay. I've been in Brasil a week!!! crazy! It feels like it has been a year. We've been so busy.
Today we got to go to the Campinas Temple which is GORGEOUS. I love it. The Sao Paulo temple is closed for cleaning, but it will be back open again next week, so this was our only time at Campinas. Hopefully I'll get to go there when I head out to the mission field though! The temple is sitting on a hill overlooking the city and it is soooo awesome. Campinas is huge. I'm so excited to go back there in 5 weeks!!
 
Alright, so everything is so great here!! I love brasil, love portuguese, love my district and love our teachers!! I am the only sister in my district, so two of the elders in my district have to "escort" me everywhere. Ha. I feel a little bad, but whatever. They are great, Elder Gaines and Elder Elliott. The rest of our district is fantastic as well. The elders are a bunch of goofballs and always ask our teachers to tell them how to say slang words and phrases in portuguese. haha.
Our teachers are Irmao Costa and Irma Korth (pronounced Korch). They are awesome. They both just laugh at us when the Elders are being ridiculous and think we are all hilarious.
Teaching is my favorite part so far. Elder Gaines, Elder Elliott and myself have taught two lessons in portuguese so far and I love it!!!! We aren't very good, and cant say everything that we want to... but our second lesson was SO much improved! Irma Korth said that our portuguese was completely understandable! wooo!! find joy in the little things right?!!!
 
We are learning portuguese so much faster than I thought we would!! It is great!! We learned how to pray the first day of class and now we are basically pros. Okay, so we aren't, but I dont have to use notes!! And we can bear our testomonies. Sweet deal.
We always try to practice our portuguese with the brazilian missionaries at meals.... usually it only works if one of them knows some english.... hmm. But we are getting better. They help us out a ton. But they usually end up just laughing their heads off at us.... cool. =)
I have two roommates, one is from California and has been here for three weeks I think?? The other is brazilian and got here the day after I did. She is so great and helps me out with my portuguese every night.
 
Okay, so something I'm super excited about..... In class last night, I learned how to say "how dare you?!!" in portuguese. It is "como voce ousa??!!" (the s sounds more like a z) and I now use that phrase whenever any of the elders in my district decide to be rude... hahaha. Elder Geigle thinks it is hilarious to call me a liar ("mentirosa"???) ALL THE TIME.
 
OH. and here in brasil, they pronounce my name like "warge" (think kind of between barge and forge....but with a W at the beginning...). And brazilians with a Sao Paulo accent sometimes put a little bit of an "ee" at the end.... hahah. So great. Our first gym time, I played lightening with the elders and somehow miraculously made these perfect baskets for my first two shots and got two of the elders out.(FAMILY, you know how miraculous that is... and don't worry, my true skills at basketball were revealed soon after... ) hahah. So they were all yelling "seester warge!! yeah, seester warge!" hahah. it is the cutest sounding thing.
 
Well. I may be getting a companion today... WOOO!
But if I do, I might get moved a week back into her district (sad day) and that may change my pday..... SO just to be safe,  email me  in time for me to read it if my pday is on tuesday!!
wow. Well, I am out of time and I hardly said anything......
I LOVE BRASIL!!! and I am so insanely excited to learn portuguese. AH. AND I LOVE TEACHING THE GOSPEL. well. practicing. But I know I will love it when I get to do it for reals!
 
Okay.
Love you all so much and miss you A TON.
 
Tchau!!
 
Sister Ward
 
PS--Amanda Walker. You are the bomb dot com for that note that you made me wait till I was over the ocean to read. (how could you do that to me!!??? haha) It makes my day. Everyday. Thanks.

No comments:

Post a Comment