Today for my birthday we went shopping and I spent about 300L on a Honduras jersey and a Honduras shirt. I felt weird spending that much money, but then I remembered that it´s only $15. i still feel like i over-splurged. i also spent 100L ($5) on a pizza, because it´s a special occasion. it´s weird how I feel like I can buy the world when I use my card here, because I´m shopping in the rich people stores where not many people shop, and I´m not used to thinking of myself as rich. shopping and pizza today, so a good birthday.
I just LOVE walking around in the marketplace. it feels like Pikes place market. I hung out with all Spanish speakers today, and even bartered with a guy selling key chains in Spanish. It´s tough being a gringo here,because you automatically get gringo prices. But now looking back, we were only disagreeing over the equivalent of 50 cents... but it´s sooo much fun to be here walking around and talking in Spanish. How could I ever be sad when I´m a missionary in such a great place!?
His name is Elder M. He is from Paraguay, and is the only Paragueno in our mission. Paraguay is a bilingual country, so he speaks Spanish, and his native language Guarani, which sounds weird and NOTHING like spanish. He is about 6 months older than me, and has 10 months in the mission.He studied a year of medicine before his mission. He grew up in the church, but was inactive until about a year before his mission. But convert missionaries are the best type right? (Alma, Paul) and that is so true! I knew he was good right from the beginning, when he began contacting our taxista as we were driving home, which missionaries hardly do. But he´s anything but all work and no play. the whole day while we walk we get to talk. I love that he has a desire to learn English, so I can help him. And having someone that´s enthusiastic helps us to expect success, and accept nothing less. So I just have a feeling that the next six weeks are going to be great, because so far, we´re on fire!
So I was putting my laundry away while listening to Beethoven's 7th. The music accompanied with the smell of bleach from the laundry reminded me of all those mornings in the winter when I got up, ran on the icy streets while listening to Wagner, swam at the Y, then went to seminary. I can't believe I put that much determination into getting in shape! But I remember that time as being fun! It was fun to work hard, especially now that I can look back and be proud of the work I put in then, and see the results when I made 6'00'' in high jump. It just makes me happy to look back at that hard work and the results. I want these two years to be like that. Now's the time to work like crazy, and then remember and benefit from the results for the rest of my life.
P.S. so you may think that Americans put up Christmas stuff early, well everyone already has their Christmas trees up, and some people even have lights on their house..... and it's been this way for about a week!