¡Arrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrriba!

(Oliver with President and Sister Walker of the Mexico Monterrey East Mission - they look the same age!)


HELLO FAMILY! How are you all? I'm doing pretty well, missing you all but good. Right now I'm in an Internet Cafe (I expect Sam that you did something similar in Chuuk), and it's quite a nice day.
Where to start? My area is Colonia Moderna, just a bit north of the Founder's Park (or something like that; it's called Parque Fundadora in Spanish), though we live just outside of our area, in Colonia Fabriles. We live in a four-elder HOUSE (actually the largest living quarters in the mission!), me, E. Muñoz, and two other elders, E. Thomas (who only has 2 weeks left!!!) and E. Elizabarraz. It's a pretty nice house, if dirty (no bare feet and some mold; winter is really humid here); we're planning on doing some cleaning today. It has pretty much everything though, from the kitchen and fridge to beds and showers. Pretty different from what I'm used to. I'll get used to it though; I just need some time (remember the mantra One Day at a Time : D).
I appreciate the compliment from President Walker! I still feel not quite there with Spanish yet, but same with everything, I just need time. President Walker also told me the things you could do for letters:
You could mail directly through the US Mail to the mission office,
You can mail through the pouch,
You can use DearElder.com (which I believe also goes through pouch)
or just email.
I'm going to try and send at least a small letter today, so we can figure out how long it takes to get here. I don't know if we'll be able to get to the office for mail every week like before, but we'll see.
Yeah! Elder Muñoz is actually quite cool. He's from Mexico City and has 11 months on his mission so far. He's really been helping me a lot with Spanish and getting accustomed to here, and I really appreciate him. He also works really hard, and I look forward to working with him! One thing that was tough for me at first was how he teaches differently than Elder Jardine. We've talked about it, though, and we plan on working on both my style and his style and combining it over the next while.
Today I'm planning on getting a few things, like food and shampoo and maybe a pillow (I still don't have my own!), as well as laundry and cleaning up the house. I also need to exchange my cash for pesos; I guess I should have deposited some while I was in California, but I think it'll work out.
: D There´s a lot of roosters that I hear here! There's also a lot of dogs that either are hanging out on the streets (no problems, though) or up on the roofs! That was surprising the first time : D.
Whew! I'm not sure what else to write about! The first few days have been pretty tough, as I'm sure it was for Sam and every missionary. I felt like I did when I first entered the MTC, a little! I pray that as I get to know the people here, start to serve them and really focus on the work, that I'll feel better and not worry so much. I love you all so much, and it gives me a lot of comfort to know that you feel peace that I'm here and that you all are doing well (an 80?? Sweet!). Elder Muñoz has been great, too. After every prayer together, we do a Mexican hug (handshake, hug with head to the right, then shake again : D), which is kinda fun.
Yep! I love you all, and I pray for you and hope your week will be SUPER! I miss you a lot, and I hope things will get easier. I know they will, especially with the Lord's help. I just need to give myself time! Which is honestly kind of hard to do : ). Talk to you soon!

LOVE YA BUNCHES!
Oliver