Scout camp anyone?

February 22, 2010

Dear Family,

The bugs here really like me. I counted the other day and I have 48 bug bites on my arms, legs, hands, and feet respectively. It´s not fun.

Also, there are no pictures this week because the internet place we normally go to doesn´t have power so we went to a different place and their computers aren´t recognizing my camera. So, next week. Also I had a video of my bug bites that I was going to send with my blurb about being eaten alive, but that will have to wait as well.

This week was pretty good. It´s always interesting to see or hear things from home here. For example Celine Dion´s hit song ´my heart will go on´ is playing right now in the internet place. The other day we had a lesson with an investigator who had a Barrack Obama bag, and barack Obama belt buckles abound. Not even kidding.

Merilee, I heard that Miley Cyrus song the other day and thought of you.

Cool is not a word you think an old person would say. But I hear old people say it all the time here. It´s hilarious. The greetings here consist of ´tudo´ and any of the following, ´fixe, cool, bem, bom, and really anything else you wanted to slap on. for example, I heard an old woman say ´tudo cool´ the other day. I laughed on the inside.

I also laugh a little every time I see a car backing up in the middle of the road, which isn´t that uncommon believe it or not. It´s mostly hiaces or taxis that pass someone and go back to get them. Not the smartest idea to straight up back up in the middle of the road, but they do it and the other cars on the road just do whatever. It´s all part of the crazy traffic here.

Mom, you wanted a map, but I don´t really know where to get one. Cape verde isn´t a place easily mapped with the organization more random and hectic than Grain Valley. I´ll keep looking though.

The other day I ate my first whole fish straight up. We had a bowl of fish and rice and a plate of fish. Fortunately, the fish had been fried. It was pretty good. I had to watch out for the fish bones though. Those are quite annoying. I also ate a fish eye at the encouragement of another elder. It was al ittle strange, but not as bad as I was expecting. It kind of tasted like egg.

The work is coming along here. It´s hard to have lessons with members because there´s really only 5 members that will ever teach with us, and with 3 companionships in the ward, the members would almost have to be full time missionaries themselves to be able to teach any significant time with us. So we get a few lessons with members here and there.

I translated again on Sunday. It always seems to get easier until the last speaker or so. Then I barely understand anything. I still have a lot to learn. But I´m still in my first transfer so I´m not sweating it.

That´s all for now. Love you. Keep writing.

~Elder Peterson