Hey everyone!
I don’t really remember what I put in my last letter because I had only about 5 minutes to write it. They didn’t tell us that before I got on, so I had to suddenly cut it short. I read all of the emails I got, but I don’t think I have time to respond to them all. Anyway, I’ll give you a simple summary of the past week.
The flights were OK. I think I told you a little about the first one and how the woman I sat next to send me a Facebook friend request, and I guess she did that because she is a strong believer that things happen for a reason, like her flight plan being changed so she flew next to me. I don’t really think the reason was particularly great — probably to help me feel more comfortable flying alone for the first time — but she must have thought there was some bigger reason! Why else would you try to find a random stranger on Facebook that you knew for barely 3 hours?… I mean, if you’re not a 12-year-old teenage girl! Anyway, the second flight I sat next to another Elder — Elder Pierce — and we talked a little bit, but later in the flight we were trying to sleep and things like that. Unfortunately for me, I didn’t get much sleep because they kept the lights on almost the whole flight (They turned it off for a short time, but there was a slight medical emergency with an elderly passenger — I couldn’t see, I only know because they asked for a doctor over the intercom — and they needed the lights and kept them on after that. The lights also made it impossible to take pictures out of the window as we flew into Peru, so unfortunately I don’t have any of the city) and I couldn’t recline my seat because I was way in the back, right úp against the wall of the restroom (That created a whole other problem that I won’t go into detail about!).
We finally landed in Peru around 11:30 PM (we being the 18 Elders and 5 Hermanas that were on the same flight. Surprisingly, my suitcases were by far the lightest out of almost all the Elders. Most of theirs were over 50 pounds AND they had carry-on bags! But even though mine were lighter I really hated that they don’t have a pull-up handle (at least they have wheels!) because they were hard to carry around. My other option was to walk all hunched over and drag the suitcases as I walked, but I chose to carry them and my shoulders hurt for the next 2 days! The drive to the MTC would have been better if I had been able to get more pictures, but it was had out of a moving vehicle. We finally got to the CCM, got to our rooms, and went to bed around 3:30 AM… and they expected us to be up at 7:00. Yay!
The second day was the longest. Sleeping for 3.5 hours is not great, and the entire day was mostly getting a tour of the CCM, learning the rules and having mini devotionals, and eating food. It was really boring — even the food! I’m not really sure what I expected to eat, but it wasn’t rice and chicken every lunch and dinner! It’s always white rice, but at least there’s some variety in the chicken: chicken with bones still in the pieces, chicken cooked in orange sauce, chicken cooked with paprika, etc. Breakfast seems to be toast with a side of whatever the main course is supposed to be — as in everyone eats 3 or 4 slices of toast and a little bit of fruit and meat. That’s just how it is around here (the breakfasts aren’t great, but the lunches and dinners are quite delicious (usually)) (And for those who know I’m picky, you wouldn’t believe I was if you saw me here! I’m determined to at least try everything, and I’ve kept true to that!).
At the end of the second day, a group of the older Elders came to our rooms to welcome us and share some advice. I say “older” because somehow they all seem way older than us, probably because they act more confident and we kind of get the freshmen-meets-senior feeling when we see them. They told us that sometimes Elders who stayed in the room before us leave presents for us in the ceiling tiles (they can be lifted up) and some people received cookies, an alarm clock that went off at 4:30 AM, and a Pringles can full of poop (Luckily that wasn’t us; those were the elders across the hall. We got a note that gave some advice the older Elders told us in person). The older elders also warned us about the “siempres” and the “nuncas” (the “always” and the “nevers”): either you always have to poop, or you never can poop. (I don’t know why there’s so much about poop around here) (It’s great anyway)
Day 3 we met our teachers, and Days 3, 4, and 5 were pretty much the same. We practice Spanish, eat food, and study and relax when we can. We aren’t great at focusing in our district (the group of 5 companionships that share room 109), but we are getting better at speaking Spanish. We have to be, because we teach an “investigator” (our teacher role-playing one, anyway) almost every day. It’s really had to share something I’ve been taugh all my life when I can’t think of the word to use! It’s frustrating, but it IS only week 1.
Well, I’ll write about the rest of this week when I have more time. I’m actually (kind of) keeping a journal (I’m a little behind), so I’ll make sure to remember everything I need to. I’ll also be able to send some pictures (I’m only allowed to take them on P-Day, so I don’t have many). I love you all and don’t worry about me — I’ll live (even if I can’t poop)
Elder Schroeder