Una Gringa en Panamá: Que Sopa?

The title just means what’s up in Panamanian. Yes I said Panamanian because that is what they speak, not Spanish.... Okay so notes first

Pear juice, the greatest thing on the planet aside from Abby and Funeral Potatoes... yeah it’s that good.

Laundry, the lady we live with never lets us use her washing machine so we have to walk a mile to a different members house in order to do laundry.. yeah

Fajardo, Jensen, Kipp, Gonzalez, and Tzep are all probably leaving this change L

Trunky books, so you buy a notebook and then everyone writes in it and puts pictures and what not. I will have to show you when I get home.

So I was sick last week and so the Elders gave me a blessing and then I felt worlds better!! No more congestion!! It was actually kind of awesome.

Let me know when Sarah is supposed to get to Panama so that I can keep an eye out for her. Maybe tell her look up YouTube videos of Panamanian news channels or something so she can start to learn the accent. Oh and tell her to enjoy hot showers while she can cause she won’t see one for 16 and a half months once she gets here.

There are no lawn mowers here. I don’t know if I already told you this or not... but they use a machete to cut the grass. Oh and I have eaten sugar cane. It’s weird.

So I took a bunch of pics of the animals that I saw this week for you to show Abby and Lindsay.

Panama has amazing birds

I love the picture of us with the stuffed animals, I look like I am 5. haha. And the one in the massage chairs is pretty funny. So the stuffed animal I have was a HUGE caterpillar, it was seriously like 10 feet long (:

Quimiz, Fajardo, Alyssa and Gonzalez

Alyssa, Astudillo and Jensen

Quimiz, Fajardo, Wandell and Gonzalez

At the temple there were two sets of couple missionaries. One is from South Jordan and the husband knows Grandpa because they worked together in the temple, someone Shumway. And the second couple, their last name is Broadbent... yeah... and they have heard of Grandma before, probably because if anyone tries to do family history work it is basically impossible cause she did all of it already. They live in Wyoming.

Last pday we went bowling and I got the highest score out of everyone!! Wooo!!

Wandell, Kipp, Quimiz and Jensen

High Bowling score

Elder Astudillo

Hermana Gonzalez, Elder Quimiz and Hermana Wandell

So a sister named Hna. Dawson called us yesterday to ask how some families in our branch are and she asked to talk to me. She was born (not literally, she means her very first area when she came to the mission) in Alcalde Diaz as well and I guess when she got there Pres. Ward (the mission president who left in July, President Carmack is her mission president) sent her an email that said something along the lines of "Congratulations! You live in the ugliest house in the whole mission!" Yeah... I live in the same house... On the bright side that means you can only go up from here (:

You definitely have to have tough skin for this job. Yesterday we went to go visit a member's daughter who is inactive and she was SOOOO RUDE to us. I just laughed it off but it made my comp really mad and she started crying. I guess I just am used to it.

Also the members here are so incredibly lax. They think everything is our responsibility and a lot will not help us but that’s Panama. There are only 7 stakes in the entire country...

Okay now to reply to your email. I am sorry that techonology is stupid sometimes. (when I emailed her back last week I had to start over 4 times, it kept erasing my email L, by the time I was done I was frustrated) As a precaution I am writing this in word and then copy and pasting it.

I think that is a good idea about the missionaries. (my plan for “feeding the missionaries” consists of gift cards I am carrying around in my purse for when I happen to run into the missionaries and then treats, the sisters in our ward are reaping the benefit of living so close to someone who makes great treats) And it doesn’t make me feel bad, it just makes me realize how lucky I am to be a Utah Mormon. Because trust me there is a difference.

Elder's Kipp and Astudillo and Hermana's Gonzalez and Wandell

I would LOVE to stay with Hna. G but at the same time I want someone new because otherwise I will have to stay in Alcalde Diaz for 3 changes.

Alyssa and her first companion in Panama, Hermana Gonzalez (Guatemala)

Enereida's whole family is awesome and so generous. My umbrella broke and she gave me her really nice one that is huge and it cost her like $7, which is a lot for an umbrella here. And her brothers bring us ice cream all the time. They are awesome, and sometimes they feed us cause they know we don’t always have food.

If possible please find one of those little battery powered fans, please. Yeah the whole treats thing is kind of a lie (I guess we can send food afterall, we had been told not to send food or candy of any kind, you have no idea how happy this makes me!!), because I know so many people that get stuff just fine. Tell Grandpa happy birthday for me as well please.

Tell my Abby that I love her and I miss her and that I hope she is liking school and that I can’t wait to see her Halloween costume. Okay I love you guys!!

Today we are going to Hardrock cafe... :)

Quimiz, Tzep, Wandell, Fajardo and Astudillo

(does anyone beside me think she looks really tall in this picture?)

Thats awesome!! She is in the 2nd best mission in the whole world! (I told her about a really cute and extremely talented girl in Brent’s ward in Florida that got her mission call to the Salt Lake City South Mission, yes that is the mission I live in) Okay I have to go now!! I LOVE YOU I LOVE YOU I LOVE YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

TTFN!! Only 15 and a half more months!! Woo!! See you soon!!