My Last Transfer

Well - week one is OVER!!!!! Man I´ve forgotten how slow the weeks go when you´re totally and completely lost. All the time. And don´t know anyone. Farroupilha already feels like a dream and it makes me sad. I miss that place. hhh... anyway. Things are good. I really am enjoying my new area, new companion and everything... it´s just been a loooong week. haha

Well, for transfer day, Bishop and Nice took us to Caxias to catch the bus at like 5 AM. Transfer time changed from 11 AM to 9:30 AM so we had to leave a lot earlier. It´s crazy. Anyway... they were wonderful and helped us get there in time and oh I was sad to say goodbye. But, it was "goodbye for now" so that is better. haha I got to the Rodoviária in Porto Alegre and met a Sister - Sister Phillips who waited for her visa for FOURTEEN MONTHS. Yeah. That´s insane. But the even more insane part was that she served IN SEQUIM!!! I wanted to hug her just to hug something that´s been to Sequim more recently than I have. I forgot how much I miss home. But anyway, it was fun talking to her. She said she saw my plaque, mom and dad´s plaque and even saw our old house!! She said people still talk about us and... that made me happy too. haha It was cool. That poor thing tho - only 4 months in Brazil. I don´t know if I would have switched that close to the end.

Time is just a crazy crazy thing. Everything feels so incredibly fast and slow all at the same time. At transfers I met an Elder who I served with in Passo Fundo. He was in his first area there (here on the mish we say "I watched him be born" AKA... I was there when he came on the mish) and told me he's at almost a YEAR!!!! My mind was completely blown. haha he just got here!!! I JUST GOT HERE!!! haha The time sure flies when you´re looking back at it.   Anyway...

I guess I should prolly tell you all where I am now, right? Yeah, so I´m in a city called Novo Hamburgo I´ve actually always wanted to come here so I was pretty happy. (Novo Hamburgo) And that´s about all I know. haha BUT the crazy part? I´m in the dead center of the city AGAIN!!! That makes five out of my six areas in the dead center of the city. haha ooooh I love the city. My companion is Sister Rodrigues (eyyy Hannah!) and she´s really cool. She´s from São Paulo, and is just returning to the mission after being home for 6 months recovering from a shoulder injury. Or something like that. She was trained by Sister Loss and was living with Sister Cleveland right before she went home so - we have some fun connections. She speaks absolute perfect English so she´s decided her new mission is to break me back into English so I don´t make a million English mistakes when I go home. haha BUT. I already speak English good so... hahah

The ward here seems pretty fun. It´s weird to be back in a real chapel. They have a REAL PIANO!!! I almost cried. haha it´s so weird to see a real piano. Anyway, I got asked to speak yesterday... during the meeting. haha But I had fun. It´s gonna be weird having to speak in English again someday. We're teaching a really fun family, Ketlin and Tiago, and their three kids. They´re so much fun! Ketlin and Tiago will be married just shortly after I leave, and so I get to plan a wedding again! I won't be there to do her hair, but I get to be a witness in the civil part... er something. It´s confusing. haha but anyway, they´re the only ones I´ve really gotten to know, but we seem to have a good group of people to teach. There´s a lot of crazy steep hills here too so... hopefully I wont come home too fat! haha 

Being transfered is a funny thing. I´ve forgotten the things that always happen at transfers. 1st of all, everyone ALWAYS thinks you´re in your first area. And they talk to you really slowly if they can tell you´re American. Then, when I start speaking back they´re like "Woah! how did you learn so fast?" And you explain you´ve been living in Brazil over a year and THEN they realize it´s not your first area. haha Also, I think I´ve said this, but everyone always says I have a Portuguese (from Portugal) accent and it makes me so happppyyyyy!!! Sister Furtado went home this last week and she said the same thing when I went to say goodbye to her. mwahaha! I love being trained by a Portuguesa! And the third thing I get every time I´m in a new area is "why aren´t you sister queen?" And I have to laugh every time and pretend I haven´t been hearing that since the day I was born. hahahahaha. ha.
Two other questions I always get when I get to a new area: "Do you know how to make brownies?" and "Are you rich?" which is a really tough question cuz if you say "Yes." Then you´ll probably get robbed. But if you say "No." They argue with you and say "yes you are!" hahah oooooh this place is weird.

Anyway, it´s been a good week. I´m living with Sister Lima and Sister Cook (actually, funny story. I was living with Sister Cardoso at the beginning of this week. She´s going home around the same time as I am. She stayed in Novo Hamburgo a grand total of 3 days and was transferred again! OH my goodness. It´s crazy. So, Sister Cook is here now and she´s cool. Anyway...) I´ll make the best of my time in Novo Hamburgo and I will definitely keep you all posted. :) I love you all so much and hope all is well!!!

Drea