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