Mama, I want you to do that I am doing AWESOME. Okay, the CCM is so great. I love it here. Don't get me wrong, it is really hard. Yesterday was a really tough day. I didn't realize just how hard my patience would be tested here.
A little about the CCM. Okay, it is like a big, giant family. Wow, there are about 20 Nortes and 40 latinos. Everyone here is so kind and nice.
Wow, I am having a hard time focusing because everyone in the computer lab is talking so loud and crying. It is hard for me to focus on what I want to write first because I literally have hours and hours of things to tell all of you.
Mama, I am not crying. I have not cried since I have been here. In fact, I have been doing really really well.
Back to the CCM... One big, giant spanish family. They immersed us real quick. We were the first group of Nortes to be immersed fully in the language. There are 4 elders in my district (District Moroni) that are going to Cali, Colombia. The rest of my district, 9 hermanas, are ALL going to Cochabamba. It is really fun.
Okay, I''m going to vent for a bit. One of the reasons for my patience being tested is working with only 18 and 19 year olds. I love them all to DEATH, but they do not know how to study or to focus or anything. Esta bien. Paciencia es buy bueno.
I know you are all DYING to hear about the FOOD-
Desayuno (breakfast) - today we had cereal! Wow, I as so excited. Normally, we have like these crazy sausages, juevos, or this crazy good porridge stuff that I love.
Almuerzo (lunch) - THE MOST FOOD THAT I HAVE EVER EATEN IN MY WHOLE ENTIRE LIFE. Holy hannah...it's loco! They normally have two big pieces of meat, a heaping of arroz, soup, a dessert, and some sort of bread or potato. The food actually all tastes way way good. I havent eaten anything yet that I havent liked.
Keith, Kyle, Kayla, Rhiannon, and Dad - you better be proud of me, because I dominate all that meat. Yeah... even the one time that we ate gross bloody kind.
Oh! I have a funny story. One day, they served this really tasty meat that no one knew what it was. It had this delicious bbq sauce on it. We found out the next day what it was... COW STOMACH. I actually liked cow stomach! The first crazy food that I've eaten! BOOYAH! So yeah... mucho mucho comida.... And there are signs EVERYWHERE that say - finish ALL of your food. Yeah, you have to eat it all.
One day, Hma. Webb and I were talking with the other latinas about icecream and pizza, and that night they served it for dinner. It was the most excited I had ever been in my entire life. Yeah.
Dinner is smaller, but it is still a lot of food. It is usually rice, some fruit, some lettuce, and maybe some soup.
DAD! Guess what I tried last night? A COLOMBIAN TWINKIE! Bahahahaha yup. They treat us like ninos here, and give us snack time at night, and last night I had a twinkie with strawberry filling. It was tasty. I thought of you, dad.
Okay, my first companion is absolutely AMAZING. Her name is Hma. Webb, and she is from Utah. Oh my goodness. I cannot believe it. We are already such good friends. She balances me out. She helps me to remember to teach by the Spirit.
My maestros (teachers) are my favorite people ever. They are both these tiny Colombia guys about my age, and they are so hilarious. They are the beeesssssttttttt. We have an inside joke with Hm. Barragan about "Pero Claro". In english it means - but of course! We do a lot of repetition to work on our accents, and afterwards we always say PERO CLARO! It has become our favorite thing to say in spanish. So yeah, now you get one of our inside jokes...and I probably explained it so wrong. Lo siento. It's fine.
Okay, so I have come to realize that Heavenly Father must really really really love me, because He sent me here to study at the CCM with all the latinos. Latinos are the greatest people on the planet. They are the nicest, most patient, most hilarious people every. Hma. Webb and I LOVE spending time with them.
Let me give you a quick example of how much I love these people. You all know how much I love exercising and running, right? You havent entirely forgotten about me, huh? And you all know how much I TOTALLY STINK at playing volleyball, right? Well we have about an hour of gym time, and guess what I do with that hour? Nope, not run. I play volleyball with all the latinos. Yes, loco, si? And I have so much more fun. I love getting to know them, and spending time with them. They are literally the greatest people I have ever met.
So yeah, I'm changing. And I can thank my Heavenly Father for that.
Hma. Webb and I are so so sad because our group of latinos are leaving this next Tuesday. We have become so close with all of them, and I will miss them so much. They are s sweet. They helo us learn spanish, and we help them learn english.
MY SPANISH.... Okay, so I can understand 100 percent of what my teachers say...and what my presidente says. However, my brain has this crazy way of forgetting EVERYTHING that I know when I try to speak...especially when I talk to the latinas. They speak muy rapido. Wow. But it's good. PRACTICAR, PERO CLARO!
Man, is this all making sense? I am typing so fast...and I feel like I am going to forget something.
Dad asked me which bunk I was in...top...naturally...because I am like the 3rd tallest missionary here. Haha... There is one samoan elder who is as tall as me. Dad would like him. He wants to play for BYU.
Yeah, so I am doing really really good. I get sad when I think about leaving here, because it is so awesome. But I am also excited to go to Bolivia. There is a hermana who is one of my favorite people ever named Hermana Zapata, and she is from Bolivia, so she tells me all about it. She let me try on her poncho last night, which apparently are very popular in Bolivia.
OH! I'm gonna send this letter and start a new one, becuase I'm sure mama is just sitting by the computer waiting, thinking I'm dead or something because I didnt write right at 1. Our time was at 4... they like to torture the noobs
Wow, sometimes I forget that I am in Colombia, and then I look out the window and see palm trees, tiny cars. I live in BOGOTA! I can only think about that stupid speaker at the Moa that said - Our family lived in Bogota, Colombia! And now I'm here! Wow... Today, during class, right outside our window was this Catholic procession with TONS of people walking down the street with crosses and stuff. Today is Good Friday.
We actually were able to leave the CCM on Wednesday! It was amazing. The city of Bogota is so crazy. They have no lines on their street, so its total chaos. We went to the Bogota Temple, and it was the most beautiful experience that I have ever had. They let me listen in English, which was awesome. However, try saying some of those things in Spanish. Woah. It was hard. But being in the celestial room with 50 or so missionaries was amazing. Okay, I have never before felt that kind of joy in my whole entire life! The spirit hit me like a brick wall, and I could not hold the tears back. Family. This church is true. Nothing else could make me feel that happy. Nothing else could bring me more joy. Heavenly Father confirmed to me that I was in the right place. I am supposed to be here. He has filled my heart with a love for these people. It is truly truly amazing. I am tearing up just thinking about it. I am here to invite others to Christ, and I am having so much fun doing it. So dont worry about me. I am having the time of my life. I love all of my roommates. I love everyone here.
Okay, so before I go...Mamasita... I want you to post this link on my wall and send it to everyone in the family
easter.mormon.org
Also, I am SO sorry that I couldnt respond to everyone, but you have absolutely NO IDEA how much I love your emails. Thank you so much.
Con MUCHO amor,
Hermana Routsong
Sounds like you're having a blast! You'll be an awesome missionary!
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