Kumusta from the Philippines!! So, yes, I am alive. So. The flights went well, we made it where we needed to go, it was just EXTREMELY long and confusing at times where we needed to go. They ended up charging us more than I had in Manila to check our bags in Bacolod, and no one told us, so that was a hassle. Luckily my travel buddies covered me and we will get reimbersed. I hope that someday I will finally understand how everything works in the Philippines. hahaha. My Mission President is really nice and speaks English. Mostly everyone here does, it's just hard to understand sometimes with heavy heavy accents. But I don't want to use English as a crutch. The language is by far the thing that is killing me right now. My first priority is learning Ilonggo. It is hardly ANYTHING like Tagolog. Only a few words are the same, so for me it's figuring out which ones are and which ones aren't and learning the right words for which ones aren't. Oh yeah, my first area is called Pulupandan, and I'm not totally sure, but I think I'm near La Carlota, maybe south of Bacolod? hahah. I really have no idea. So my trainer is from Boston and AMAZING. I look up to him alot and so do alot of the other missionaries. Everyone says I am lucky to have him. He's our District leader, and the very first thing he said to me was something to the effect of "Let's get to work. We're white-washing an area." (White-washing is when both Elders in the area are replaced by new Elders) hahaha. yeah. wow. So, this weekend has been spent trying to get to know the area and the members in our ward. Mostly him, because I still can't understand or talk to anyone. haha. It's kind of overwhelming, but maybe this week will be less hectic. My very first night we went tracting in a rain storm, so that was fun. I felt like a "real" missionary. hahaha. The heat surprisingly is not killing me. Neither are the mosquitos, probably because we are near a city. Well, sorry if this doesn't make much sense. I have a TON to say, but not much time, so I'm kind of scatter-brained.
ps- Even though it sounds like i'm going crazy, I really do love it here. The people are hilarious and friendly and take good care of each other. The nature amazes me and we have some pretty cool encounters with wildlife, like goats and frogs and wild roosters. hahah.
another ps-We have a baptism already scheduled for Friday! hahaha. It wasn't totally our doing, but it still feels cool to say. lol. maayang pasko! (merry christmas)
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