Letter #2 MTC

The MTC is like prison. Only a really spiritual prison where you are forced to wear skirts and learn a different language. I have one week down and 8 1/2 to go. Thinking about it honestly makes me want to vomit. All Asian languags stay for nine weeks and the longest anyone can stay is twelve, but that is only if you are learning two languages, and that is for missionaries serving in like Fiji or something.Korean is so hard. But somehow in the strangest way everyone had been blessed with gift of tongues (.....some more than others....) When our teacher speaks to us in Korean we know what he's saying. Please tell me what kind of place OTHER than a mission you can get 40,000 19 year olds to be able to understand an entirely different language in one week. It blows my mind.

Our teacher spoke English to us for the first time this week and we nearly died. Like somehow in our ignorant minds we had decided that this scrawny red headed American boy only spoke Korean. We all nearly peed our pants when we found out this wasn't true. GUYS, OUR TEACHER SPEAKS ENGLISH. Its incredible.
We are beginning to get into our 6 hour class schedule. In the MTC, we have absolutely no awareness of time. It is the most bizarre thing. We have no clue how many meals we have eaten. Or how many hours we have been in class. We don't even know what language people are speaking half of the time, I kid you not. Yesterday my district and I were all watching a Mormom message-
Elder W- Guys, what language is this in?
......15 seconds later
ITS IN ENGLISH.
There is no in between blissfully happy and miserably depressed at the MTC. Everything is heightened and extreme. My companion and I were walking from the bookstore yesterday and started laughing about something. Somehow that laugh turned into tears and then I was just standing there crying. My companion is the sweetest person in the world and pulled me aside and hugged the crap out of me.
...I dont even know why I was crying. The MTC does weird things to you.
Speaking of crying, EVERYONE CRIES AT THE MTC. Yesterday AND Monday someone cried during our lesson.
......and it was an Elder.
Things got super weird super fast and the next thing you know we have an angry Elder who was refusing to participate in the lesson. I asked the teacher if we could have a break and he goes, "Sister, are you Ok?"
(thoughts) DUH IM OK BUT HELLLLLLO, THERE IS AN ELDER CRYING IN THE CORNER
... The same thing happened yesterday,
When people say that missions are hard that is an understatement. EVERY aspect of it is hard. Thank goodness my companion and I get along because if I didnt have her I would go nuts.
Plus she liked Regina Spektor so we automatically are BFFs.
The MTC turns you into old people. At 5 we are ready for dinner and at 8 we are totally and eternally over with anything that has to do with being awake. I AM TIRED ALL THE TIME. Welcome back from class at 9:30 and pass out. (Except for the fact that our roommates stay up till midnight studying. MY COMPANION AND I WANNA KILL EM. But we wont. We will save that topic for another day) I fall asleep during study and our TALL computer time. Its the most boring thing of my life and everytime we have to do it I want to stab my eyeballs out with a fork. I ALREADY KNOW HOW TO SAY HELLO IN KOREAN, I DONT NEED TO LISTEN TO A KOREAN PERSON SAY IT FIFTY TIMES.
We got language probs. For the most part, my companion and I pick it up faster than anyone in our district but we make the funniest mistakes. During a lesson with our investigator my companion said "Heavenly Garlic" instead of Heavenly Father and then I accidentally told him that he will get baptized WEEKLY instead of next week.
BUT HEY, HE'S GETTING BAPTIZED!!!
Also, a random Elder held the door open for me in the cafeteria and I meant to say THANK YOU in Korean but I accidentally said I LOVE YOU.
.....whoops.
You really dont have to speak the language perfectly to communicate this message with people. Once you stop obsessing over getting everything perfect, then everything falls into place. And Holy Crap I can speak Korean.
(A little. But still.)
Everytime we get frustrated with the language my teacher told us to scream out loud I SPEAK KOREAN (In Korean) It is the funniest thing in the world and we die everytime he makes my district do it.
There is a game all the Elders play at lunch. We all sit in K Town (All the Korean missioanries) and the Elders gather all the salt shakers and push them back and forth to each other. When they reach the edge without falling off the other Elder has to eat a shake of salt. Everytime it happens they add another shake. They play to TEN. I dont know if its just because we are so bored of language class, but there seriously is nothing funnier than watching an Elder almost vomit from eating 10 shakes of salt.
.......and this is what being a missionary does to you.
There is an Elder in my Zone that has an incredible story. His girlfried died in a car accident two weeks ago. ( He got here last week) He wasnt going to come on his mission but his family persuaded him to. I cant imagine how much pain he must be feeling right now but I can testify to you that, that kids faith moves mountains. He is one of the happiest people I have ever met and HE KNOWS that God will take care of him if he serves a mission with a full heart. Everyone I meet here is amazing.
This whole thing is amazing. I hate it and love it.
1 Week Down, 8 1/2 to go.
XO Sister Pappa

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 I can pray in Korean! I can also read. Its actually pretty easy.

 My companions Mom sent these DARK CHOCOALTE COVERED COCONUT ALMONDS. Basically my 3 favorite things. I died when they were finished

My dearest companion, Sista Arvanitas. She is such an angel, seriously

Reading the scriptures in Korean EXHAUSTING. But I can read pretty well now. Practice is worth it

Letter #1 MTC

THANK YOU FOR YOUR EMAILS. My missionary friends always said they needed mail and I never understood it until I came to the MTC. It is like, the best and worst experience all at the same time. So hard to explain. 

Also, I wrote everyone last initial becuase i didnt want to put their names on the blog cause I might embarrass them a little. But you can know my companions name. 

So my first day started with this girl taking me to my room where me, my companion and two other sisters in my district are staying. My companions name is Arvanitas じた げ だ 還.
I seriously got so lucky with companions. She is the cream of the crop. She is from Pittsburgh Pennsylvania and she has lived in Southern California and Japan too. SO WEIRD HUH. We are the same height and pretty much have the same personlity except for the fact that she was super bright colors and all I wear is gray and black.

She is super easy going and we got along RIGHT AWAY. It was so bizarre. I knew we were going to get along when she told me she liked to read. For "gym time" we walked to the gym and walked back.

COMPANION WIN.

The first day of Korean class was absolutely insane. My teacher still hasnt spoken any English which is SO emotionally draining but it helps you to learn Korean so so fast. There are three comanpanionships of Elders and two companionships of sisters in our district  (including me) Elder B. and Elder W., Elder B. and Elder J., Elder A. and Elder B., Sister K.and Siter H. and then me and my companion. All of us are going to Korea except for this sweet Elder who seriously is like our best friend. He is from Heber and he is like a small child. Seriously, thats the only way I cant describe him. The very first day in our district he told all of us that his mother packed his whole suitcase.

My companion and I wanted to squeeze his cheeks, it was the cutest thing.

The other two sisters are really cute. They grew up together in Hawaii and somehow ended up being companions. -_- Can you imagine if Kensey and I were companions? Now you know how cool that would be,

.....Also how dangerous and probably extremely unproductive.

We have been pretty much nonstop busy since we got here. When we don't have scheduled class or fireside or Branch meeting or whatever, we are supposed to be doing companionship study, personal study, additional study, classroom study. SO MUCH STUDYING. Its nuts. My brain feels like a huge blob of soggy oatmeal. They really make you think all the time here at the MTC. Someone in our zone told us yesterday that the amount of language material they teach our district at the MTC in 9 weeks is equivalent to TWO YEARS of college Korean 101.

I feel exhausted just talking about it.

Yesterday was great too. On the first day you have to wear these little orange stickers on your nametag and so everyone, and i mean EVERYONE is saying hello and welcome to the MTC in like, all 42 languages that they teach here. It gets really annoying because even thought you are probably older than like 80 percent of the Elders, everyone treats you like children. My companion and I hated it.

Yesterday we got to take the sticker off. Best feeling, really. We still are new but we can just pretend that we arent.

Yesterday we were in class for like three hours which is nothing compared to our regular solid schedule which will start tomorrow. We teach our first lesson tomorrow too. IN KOREAN. My companion and I are pretty nervous but if we prepare it wont be bad.

In class we learned how to teach a few things to inverstigators, the alpahabet (I am still working on that one) and how to pray. It is so much to learn and honestly you don't retain very much but I am getting better and I am surprised at how much I can already communicate.

We learned different phrases to say in a prayer and then we all knelt down as a district and Elder B.  offered the worst prayer I have ever heard.

.....seriously.

It didnt even sound close to Korean but it honestly was the most beautiful thing. He sat with his book and read the charactes all by himself. I have no idea how he managed to do that because most  90 percent of us in the class cant read yet. It was awesome and we felt the spirit so strongly. PRAYER IS AMAZING.

The meals here are pretty good. Some people complain, especially the sisters but I dont think its that bad. Ask me again in a few weeks though. Almost all the Korean missionaries have been here for a long time and honestly our zone is pretty cliquey but I have to give it some time and then people will actually talk to us.

We usually eat with a two companionship in our district. They are all from utah and one from Arizona. Elder B and his companion Elder J are SO SHY. They are warming up to us though and we already feel like we are a little family. At mealtimes we eat popsicles and feel new together while the rest  of the Korean missioaries talk to each other.

....today was better though.

Today was our P Day which also means we do our service too. We are in charge of cleaning one of the English speaking buildings. Our service time is 6:05 am. -_- Me and my companion cleaned every single door in that building. Seriuously, we were all so tired but it gave us time to socialize with the other new Korean district. they are almost all Elders and they are so fun. My companion and I get along with the Elders better, they are all super easy going and the sisters kinda just keep to themselves so we just talk to the Elders. All the missionaries are great but we just dont know everyone that well. 

When you put a bunch of 18 and 19 year old kids together its pretty much the most hilarious thing of your life. We were putting on gloves for cleaning today during our service time..

Elder K- I FEEL LIKE I'M ABOUT TO GIVE A PROSTATE EXAM.

.........(eternal awkward silence)

so funny.

The same companionship cracked me up in our branch meeting yesterday when our trainers told us to never go in the same bathroom stall with our companion.

Elder M says to Elder K- I TOLD YOU ELDER.

Also, incredibly funny.

In the branch meeting we had a chance to meet with the presidency in a personal interview. These people are so incredible and are called of God. They have the most wonderful spirirt and I truly believe I am serving in the best mission. We have the largest branch in the entire MTC! Next week we get a small group of Native Koreans.  That will be fun.

After service today we went to breakfast where I spilled an entire glass of chocolate milk on myself. I dont even know how i did that. Also it was all over my butt so I pretty much walked around the cafeteria looking like I just took a bath in the soda machine.

Elder M told our whole table I peed my pants.

ha.....ha.....ha.

THANK HEAVENS FOR LAUNDRY DAY. Blessing in disguise.

I am trying to keep a line of the day in my journal but seriously, so many things happen everyday that I have to keep more than one. Here are some funny ones-

Elder B- "It is so amazing how much you can learn in two days!!"

Elder W- "Its also amazing how much you CAN'T learn."

Bahahahahah KOREAN IS SO HARD.

Random kid in the cafeteria who is eyeing my tag- "Is that Egyptian??"

Me: "........ Nope."

Also, for the record, Even kids in the MTC think I am going to North Korea.

Gotta go, love you all! Get better kassey! The church is true! I pray for you all every night.

xo Pappa Chame 

P.S I will send you pictures next week

Write Me.

For all my family friends and strangers who will be reading this blog while i serve my mission, here is the contact info if you want to write me letters and/or send me packages.

While in the MTC (July 10th-September 9th):
>> dearelder.com
>> kelsey.pappa@myldsmail.net
    This will be my email throughout my entire mission. 
>> Sister Kelsey Rae Pappa
     Korea Daejeon Mission
     SEP 09 KOR-DAE
     2007 N 900 E UNIT 69
     Provo, UT 84602
     Handwritten Letter are apparently the best on your mission. Ive heard its like Christmas.

While in South Korea (September 9th-January 2015):
>>dearelder.com
    Still works in Korea! This should be the fastest way to contact me in the field as well.
>>kelsey.pappa@myldsmail.net
>>Sister Kelsey Rae Pappa
    Korea Daejeon Mission
    Daejeon PO Box 38
    Daejeon-si
    Chungcheong-namdo 300-600
    South Korea
    This Address is for letters.
>>Sister Kelsey Rae Pappa
    Korea Daejeon Mission
    Daejeon PO Box 38
    Daejeon-si
    Chungcheong-bukdo 300-600
    South Korea
   This address is for packages. It looks the same as the one above, but is slightly different.

I would love to hear from everyone I know while I am gone and want everyone to be updated on all the fun adventures that I will be having! This mission will be the best.

XO Sister Pappa