12-2-13
Hola
Familia y Amigas,
So first off I still
have not gotten any pictures of Katelyns Wedding and I really like to see some.
Also I would like to see more pictures of the rest of you guys. I love
the random pictures every week!
Also Happy Birthday
Logan!! Hope you have a great day!!
Okay so this week I am
going to explain a little more about what it is like to live in Chile.
Characteristics of
Chile:
1. The weather is
pretty chilly and since I am pretty close to the coast it is windy ALL OF THE
TIME!! Yeah I have almost flashed people a few times with me skirt coming up.
haha anyways... It also is heading into summer right now which is great, but it
is still pretty cold at nights which make me a little scared for winter.
2. Chile is not a
third world country by any means. It is not first world, but to me it
just seems like a poor area of America that speaks Spanish. The main
differences are that they have a lot smaller houses, even the rich families.
And they do not have heating. So I am going to freeze in the winter.
3. Instead of knocking
on the door because most houses have fences, you just say Alo. You can
knock too, but most of the time we just say Alo.
4. The word for nap in
Spanish is siesta. Which pretty much means to me sleep fiesta. Yep probably my
fav. Spanish word.
5. Bacan means cool or
awesome in Spanish. And every time someone says it, I think they are
saying Rock on. It is the best.
6. Relief Society in
Spanish is called Soc Soc.
7. They have little
earthquakes here about once a week. I have yet to feel one, but everyone
tells me they just felt one.
8. The Spanish here is
super fast and they mumble a lot when they talk. But I am getting used to it
and can mostly understand what they say.
9. There is this
magical all powerful word that they use called ¨Permiso¨ which literally means
permit me or excuse me. But they pretty much say it all the time and it
grants you access to anything. Literally I could probably take somebody’s car
and say permiso and they would be okay with it. haha not really but literally
we just say it all the time and it is the best word ever. I say it when I
want to enter someone’s yard, I say it when I am reaching for something across
the table at lunch or I say it when I eat a few of my comps cookies. Don’t
worry; she does it to me too! It sounds like it would be annoying but really it
is just super helpful!
Characteristics of the
Chilean People:
1. They are super
super friendly.
2. They are super
chill about everything, if you are running late, if they are running late, if
you have to change the time or whatever they are just super chill.
3. This is a quality
of all Latin Americans I think, but they are super honest. They don’t
sugar coat it. So if you are cute they will tell you, but if you have a flaw
they will also point that out. It is kind of annoying but also makes life
easier.
4. They love giving
directions. That is how we start contacts a lot is by asking where something
is. Sometimes we even make places up and they still will tell us ¨Where
they think it is¨ This is also why when we really are asking for directions we
have to ask a few sources. Love these people!!
5. They are not dirt
poor here, but they are still living with very little money and even through
all this, they are just so giving. My new philosophy, ¨More money more
problems¨ Some of them will save all they have and just so they can feed the
missionaries one lunch. It is so sweet to see. They love giving us food.
6. Which leads me to
the next thing. They love to eat and eat a lot. Lunch is there biggest
meal of the day and it is probably 3 times bigger than a normal American
dinner. This is also when they feed us. We have lunches with members every day.
The first 2 weeks I came home sick everyday for eating to much. Finally my
stomach had had enough because I would have to starve myself breakfast and
dinner to prepare for the next day’s lunch, and I started to take a Tupperware
with me and whatever I could not eat I would just stick in the Tupperware.
This helps because then the members are not like ¨What you do not like my
food? ¨ or I don’t feel bad for not eating everything when they have worked
hard to feed us. So I am no longer sick which is good!
7. Most of them
believe in God which make life as a missionary so much easier, but also they
believe that is all they need is faith, which makes life as a missionary so
much harder.
Well all in all the
Chilean people are awesome and some funny people! My favorite quote so
far, Us contacting in the street:¨Can we talk to you for a minute?¨ Old Lady
¨Listen to me I need to use the bathroom urgently¨ as she starts walking past
us faster. It was so funny!
So this week I had my
first mini cambio and I went to Penco which is right on the beach. It was so
pretty. What I learned from that cambio was to always be diligent and
don’t take anything for granted. And so I just want to say right now that
I am so grateful all you guys and your support and prayers and letters and the
opportunity that I have to serve a mission right now in my life! I love it! It
is never easy, but it is always worth it!!
My Spanish is getting
better and today for the first time, Hna. Taylor was talking on the phone to a
member in Spanish obviously, but at first I thought she was speaking English
because I understood it so perfectly. I was like woah I completely understand.
It doesn’t sound like gibberish, or a translation, but actually sentences and
thoughts.
Oh and lastly our main
investigator right now is planning on getting baptized on the 14th!! She really
is amazing and I wish I could tell you her whole story but it is super long.
But she had her baby and 3 yr old blessed yesterday in Church and it was
really cool!
Love your sister,
friend, daughter, and missionary,
Hermana Corbett
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