It has becoming somewhat of the joke to tease me about my boyfriends here or in the states. On Monday the family had some friends over to eat and play games. A very lovely couple; by the end all were laughing and teasing each other. Of course the topic of marriage comes up and Presidente & Hna. Martinez express their concern that Jhonatan doesn't have a girlfriend. I responded "But he's only 21!" His mom replied that he's 22 (which is not true, his birthday is at the end of December) and 'she knows a guy who is 32 and unmarried'. On and on the conversation went and finally I laughed and said "I wonder what my parents say about me! Bahaha, they've probably given up hope!"
Don't worry folks, I haven't given up hope. I really don't think 26 is that old, and it probably will happen some day. But it did make me laugh to hear the concern of parents for a 21-year-old not taking dating seriously enough.
Tuesday was the great and tragic day of the presidential election! Scanning and e-mailing my ballot didn't include being a proud recipient of a "I voted today!" sticker, but I still felt warm and fuzzy in my heart. I was so nervous I went running for a little while! As I eagerly searched for the best online source to keep me posted I settled on two sites, and my excitement dissipated as the numbers rolled in.
I woke up Wednesday morning to the sad recollection that Obama is still the president of our country. I got dressed and heading to the temple solo (normally I go on Tuesdays with Hna. Martinez, but on account of the election I decided to wait a day). On the way I remembered we are supposed to pray for our enemies, so I prayed for him. I have to admit that made me feel much less dooms day-ish. I had a wonderful session and when I went to the celestial room I had some quality Sam-God time. I even thought of my motto, I wasn't looking to make one up, but it just came to me. Certainly it is not a new concept, but it's one that chose me and I felt it deep in my heart that it is what I need to focus my life on:
Faith in Jesus Christ,
Hope in OUR future,
&
Charity to all men.
I like it cuz it's reminds me what my faith is in, so I don't look to any other source. And also that there is hope in the future (and 'our' reminds me not to be selfish and have everything be able 'me'). And Charity isn't a pick and choose who I like game, but it is for everyone. The sun raises on the just & the unjust alike.
An exciting improvement this week was being able to wake up and emmediately speak spanish!
They called again for splits on Friday, and I happily accepted. I got to help teach a really awesome couple who are getting married soon so they can get baptized. It was cool to watch them learn the gospel and help in the process of teaching. We also spoke with a less active recent convert and I was grateful for my parents example to me throughout my life and got to express to her the legacy she might leave for her daughters.
When we returned to my house we were all chatting in the living room when the phone rang. Hna. Martínez was busy and asked me to answer. The following occurred:
Me: "Alo?"
nothing
Me: "Alo?"
nothing
(just incase)
Me: "Alo?"
and then a super soft voice, which sounded to be a recorded message
(so naturally I hung up, and declared it was a marketing recording)
But the phone rings again:
Me: "Alo?"
nothing
Me: "Alo?"
this time the voice spoke just as soft, but I felt I should give the phone to someone else, just incase I was wrong out the recorded marketing thought. At first the Sister thought the same thing, but then quickly handed the phone to Hna. Martínez who looked someone alarmed as she spoke. Just then Presidente came to the door and she quickly passed the phone off to him.
Turns out it was the secretary of the Area Seventy that I HUNG UP ON!!!!!!
All Friday nights there is an institute dance class, but this was the first night I got to go. I learned some sweet new salsa moves! On the bus ride home Andrés was picking my brain over different slang words that he has heard in english songs. I learned a couple of new words myself, like "nachas"--which means butt...ironically I'd been wondering for a while what that word was. The best part of the night was after I had repeatedly told Andrés that "a$$" is a bad word and to use "butt", he was trying to practice the pronunciation of some other words, in frustration he declared: "I like a$$, it's so much easier to say! A$$, A$$, A$$!!!!" I about fell out of my seat laughing.
Before I go onto the weekend, some photos:
This is probably one of the worst photos I've seen of a group of people...and Jhonatan put it on facebook, THANKS! This represents 5 hours of dancing and really tired friends.
This might look like a regular plate of food...I invite you to look again. That my dear friends is only a QUARTER of an avocado! (I think I'm in love!!!)
This might come as a shock to some: but I haven't boughten any candy here yet. So Friday night as we were walking home I got the urge and splurged so I have a supply for when I get tired in church!
(Andrés recommended these 3 as the top delicious candies...the US definitely wins in this department.)
Back to the boy: A day or so after receiving my epistle I replied with a short response, which contained 3 different statements of only being interested in friendship with him. He still had not responded on Friday, and being that we had made plans the week before for the next day and my last response was debatably harsh, I wrote him again explaining my position a little more clear and also that I would not be offended if he didn't want to go to the Salt Cathedral. He wrote back and expressed that he still wanted to go. I falsely assumed that because I had told him I wasn't interested in him romantically that this changed the before stated date to the Salt Cathedral to a simple outing with a friend. He paid for my bus ride there (to Zipaquiera, a city about an hour and a half away), for my entrance into the cathedral, train ride, lunch, and bus ride back. Of course I protested every time and tried to pay, but he always refused and won paying because he speaks better spanish then I do. He even tried to pay when I went to the bathroom! (luckily I was faster at getting my coins out).
At the entrance of the cathedral I noticed the miners here have unusually long right arms...I suppose it is easy to mine with this extended reach...
The cathedral is an extensive underground church with many rooms that are significant for the catholic faith. It was pretty cool, but my favorite part is what appears to be the tree of life, carved in this wall of salt.
Look closely, the detail is incredible! I wish there was a better picture, cuz these just don't do it justice!
This is the only photo I've ever taken with a naked man...but it was a sweet representation of the creation of Adam.
This is me on the train tour of the beautiful town of Zipaquiera.
I was pleasantly surprised when I got my plate of food for lunch, unlike all other meat here, this was perfectly undercooked! As I ate I had only a seconds pause about the parasites I might get from eating this, but continued...so worth any parasite I might get! DELICIOUS!!!
This little whicker rocking horse was sweet, I wanted to ride him but figured I'd break it. :(
Hna. Martínez had requested I bring her some of this candy. I bought some for myself as well and was happily surprised to find it was like a hard cotton candy! DELICIOUS! I felt like a little girl at the fair the rest of the day in that town.
I decided I needed at least one photo in front of an old church in Colombia, and this one was sweet!
I don't know who this represents (his tag said "José") but he made me happy, so I gave him a hug and he kissed my hand. So naturally a picture was in order.
We were walking up to the oldest church in the town when I spied this little gem!
What a BEAUTIFUL mosaic!
I thought at one point I should start behaving poorly so Manuel would stop liking me. But I didn't know what to do to be a bad date. It was clear he didn't listen to a word I had said about not being interested in a relationship with him. I was careful on spacing, conversation and everything, but this guy wasn't getting it. He spoke for quite some time how he wants to raise his kids in the US--in Salt Lake City, and even threw out AZ as an option--he looked at me after he said AZ, and I kept a non-responsive face! OOSH! He invited me to a really nice dinner for a friends birthday next week, I told him I have an institute class that night (which is true, dance class at the institute Friday nights!) He invited me to spend the day at an amusement park on Monday (a holiday) I told him I was leaving to go to another town that day (which is true...not important that I don't leave until 9PM). He offered to accompany me home, I assured him I knew the bus system well and it was not necessary. He mentioned that one day I would have to come see his house, I thought 'not on your life'. I went home with the thought, I can't hang out with this kid anymore, he has grand thoughts in his head about us. Before I could write the e-mail he wrote me one. Epistle number two, more forward then the first, littered with contradictions of respecting my desire to be friends and declaring some intense feelings towards me. He asked to come to my ward next Sunday, and also to accompany me to the airport in a month. And so I wrote my first break up letter in spanish...for a boy I'm not even dating.
On the train ride back to the house there were a lot of couples kissing and making out...and I thought..."I wish I had a boy to kiss!" But not that bad I guess, cuz it's not happening with Manuel.
It was a joke with the family that I should attach a sad song to my response to him (in mimic of his romantic song to me with his first epistle)...but I'm not that mean.
I can't post without including something about my babies. This little girl was the first of all the puppies to walk this week! But they are all walking now. Man I need a pet when I get home!!!
Ok, there is a pretty funny story I have neglected to tell. But with the urging of Andrés I will include it this week. First, my disclaimer: NEVER in my life have I stopped up a toilet! But the toilet at this house seriously hates me! My first few weeks were fine, then there was several weeks where my number two's never flushed for me! (which I could understand if they were big, but they're not!) Then there was the week of horror, several weeks ago. One day it clogged all the way to the top of the toilet, and it took Hna. Martinez and I quite a while to fix it. THEN the next day it flooded the bathroom with my poop water! SO HORRIBLE!!!!!!! THEN the next day it filled to the brim again and we couldn't fix it! So Hna. Martínez said we should leave and go shopping, and shop long enough that María Eugenia would get home and fix it, and even longer to give her time to cool off. I was horrified by this idea (and also slightly amused); but I didn't have a better idea, so we went. Talk about a walk of shame when we got back! :( Then for weeks all has gone well, the toilet has been my friend and flushed every time! ...until last night, when it wouldn't flush my number two. So I waited for the tank to fill and flushed again, and again no. Everyone had gone to bed, but Andrés and I were listening to and downloading music, so he was laughing with me about my bad luck. While I was waiting for the toilet to fill A THIRD TIME so I could try it again, Presidente left his room for the bathroom. Andrés and I looked on in horror, and then snickered with nothing else to do! This is when Andrés insisted that I write about my shame with this toilet. It is seriously my curse here!
So here is me and the devil!
I love Sunday nights here because it means FHE. Normally it gets assigned a week out, but last week apparently we forgot to do that. Not withstanding, we had a sweet FHE. While we were sitting around chatting Andrés grabbed Canela and a permanent marker. At first I told him not to do it, but as I watched him draw a smiley face on top of her head I almost fell off the couch and was crying I was laughing so hard. Then Andrés, Jhonatan, and I all started teasing about drawing faces on our faces. It was all fun and games until Jhonatan and I remembered that Hna. Martinez has black face paint! Our eyes lit up, but Hna. Martinez objected--reminding us it was the sabboath. I assured her it was a really good idea for a family home evening activity. She just shook her head and laughed, but provided the desired paint. I'm not sure why, but we were the only participants in this activity. Weird...
Before:
After:
Well that's all folks! Hope ya have a great week!
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