Thought of the Week

The only thing to fear is fear itself. And this guy. Happy Halloween, everyone!

I AM NOT DEAD.

It's been a while since I wrote a blog post myself. I think the last time I wrote one was before I got into quarantine, and before I knew what my travel plans were, is that correct? Quite a few things have happened since then, so let me see if I can catch you up. I believe my parents/lovely and wonderful sister kept you updated without me, but I have no idea how...perhaps just a note saying I'm in quarantine?

I would have LOVED to provide pictures at this point (I now have the ability to access my camera on this computer) but unfortunately I didn't bring the cable to hook my camera up. You shall have to deal with yet another wall of text, sorry! Hopefully my rather random 'Thoughts of the Week' are still updating and providing the occasional image.

Before I offer the massive 3 week update, I have a few quick notes. I tried to set up forwarding so that all my other e-mail accounts would forward to this one, and I found myself utterly unsuccessful. Gmail will allow you to forward to other Gmail accounts, but does not automatically forward to an account outside of Gmail. If you would like to contact me, you'll have to either send a letter or e-mail directly to this myldsmail.net account. It's my first initial and my last name @ myldsmail.net.

Now then, who wants to find out what missionary life is like?

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It's hard. But not hard in the ways that I thought, and I'm certain (REALLY certain) that I'm only scratching the surface right now. I had thought that it would be physically taxing in that our throats would be sore from all the teaching and we'd be catching pneumonia from being in the baptismal water all the time (Holland's joke, bwa ha ha). Missions are more taxing in that you have to deal with mounds of rejection. AND a ton of walking, but we fixed that by biking. We do a lot of biking, but I enjoy it currently and I'll enjoy it more when I have my own bike.

But let's start from the beginning, shall we? It's a very good place to start.

Firstly, I was quarantined. This was very relaxing in some ways but mostly the dullest thing I have ever done. Good grief, I have never been so bored, and I became rather homesick for my little electronic devices that I usually use to get through the day. But I got over it, and I even got to meet two other roommates (sick people don't make the best conversationalists, but we made do), one the first day I was there and one the day before I left. It was good times. I was very grateful to get out of there, though.

I believe I discussed the food with my parents, but I'll make a note here. I don't mind putting up with cafeteria food, but it does get a little old. It's frustrating to not be able to choose what you put into your body. I become thoroughly sick of meat within 2 weeks, although I'm by no means vegetarian. I did survive on a diet of fruit and veggies so far as possible, though. I would still eat meat on the days when they had Teriyaki Stix or the BYU equivalent of Winger's Sticky Fingers (SO GOOD). The main issue I have with cafeteria food is the dishes. The dishes were frequently dirty. As in, globs of food stuck to the plate or fork. This is gross. What made it worse is you couldn't trust the dishes that look clean after a while--what if they weren't sanitary? The stress builds up and you find yourself hating the food. Sorry that I talk about food a lot, but it was something I noticed. Should you have any other friends or family in the MTC, send them some Cup of Ramen, or something! They will love you.

I certainly LOVED all the packages and letters I received. I fully expect that to wind down and stop now that I'm in another country, but let me tell you how much I appreciated your support. I've kept every letter and I read them more than once (to answer your question, Mom). I also LOVED those letters that included photos. I would love to have a picture of every single friend and family member, and we have little photo books that we show investigators. I feel rather naked without one.

Well, anyway, I get distracted easily. So, I got out of quarantine. The first piece of news I receive was that my VISA was cleared and I was free to leave Monday. Sweet! I spend most of that day (Friday) doing laundry as I was quarantined on Monday and we do laundry on Tuesdays, so my stuff was pretty dang gross. I don't think I have ever been so grateful for clean clothes, and I had a lot more sympathy for people that don't always have clean clothes with them...

Nothing else super amazing happened until Monday. Our zone (the missionaries going to Japan) had shrunk tremendously, and there were only 8 of us on Sunday. Weeeeeird.

Monday morning I woke up at 4:22 and got ready to get on to 5:00 am bus. What a blast that was! I had awesome suitcases so I was perfectly at 50 lbs on both and didn't have to repack at all. I just got my travel plans, got on the bus, and was off to the airport! A sister I met in the shower (Weston?) sat next to me. Her Uncle makes rich and amazing Canadian chocolate. I tried to set up a candy trade but couldn't get it underway fast enough, so she'll just get to enjoy all that sweet awesome chocolate while she's in Canada.

I made a lot of friends at the MTC ('The Pre-Existence'), and I suspect that I will maintain contact with 4 of them. They were all awesome peeps.

Well, I got to the airport and was a little jostled to find that people can be curt. Ah, right, I'd been spending 6 weeks in the MTC. Okay. I checked in without a hitch, got through security (he x-rayed my bag 7 times but never actually spoke to me. Bizarre) and was 3 hours early for my flight. I got to call Mumandad and had a lovely conversation while I hacked out my lungs. I was feeling great, but I STILL have a cough. I sat next to an older couple while I was waiting for my flight (I feel very uncomfortable sitting alone...I had no companion while traveling and it was rather odd feeling) and soon the time came and I clambered aboard. I always needed help with my carry-on; it had all my many books and was ridiculously heavy for its size. People are so nice when you are traveling!

The flight to LA took longer than I wanted it to, but soon I arrived. I had another couple hours to kill before my next flight, so I chatted with some older Japanese people returning home to Osaka, and met a gentleman who was headed to Manila (sp?) for the umpteenth time to chase the gal he fancied. He taught me a lot about airplanes--he makes airplane parts. I got super excited for the new airplanes coming out; smaller and more fuel efficient. That should be nice.

And finally, the flight to Tokyo! For those of you who aren't aware, we weren't allowed any music or movies in the MTC. Well, duh on the movies, but the music thing was sad. (Future missionaries: MTC rules do NOT equal mission rules. You may still be able to bring a music player. Tokyo allows music that is 'Sunday appropriate and by an LDS artist') Since I had not arrived at my mission yet, these rules still applied. This meant no movies on the plane. Well, if we each had our own screen this would not have been an issue, but unfortunately the plane only had one screen, and it was RIGHT IN FRONT OF ME. I watched scenes of movies (my neck is still stiff so I couldn't really look down) whenever I wasn't writing, reading, or sleeping.

That flight was long and miserable, but totally worth it. I was so excited when we touched down. I said quick farewells to the wonderfully cheerful Vietnamese couple sitting next to me, waved goodbye to the two Utahns that recognized my badge and wished them luck in China for the arts festival, grabbed my sickeningly heavy bag and dashed off the plane.

The first thing I did in the airport was adjust my face and brush my teeth. First impressions, you know? I grabbed my bags and headed out to meet my cheerful mission president.

I went through customs and headed out to meet my cheerful mission president.

I arrived at the arrival lounge and looked for my cheerful mission president.

There was no cheerful mission president.

I would have settled for a mission president, but I got no one at all. I wandered around the airport for a bit, idly wondering if the MTC even told them I was coming. Well, there was no point in sitting around, so I headed for the payphones. On the way there a Japanese woman stopped me and asked, 'Are you coming or going?' I didn't understand her at first, but then replied that I had just arrived. I asked if she needed help or anything (honestly I thought she was about to sell me something) when she responded that she was a member, and she was wondering why there was a missionary all alone.

A member! I explained my situation to her and she took me over to two other members, who were actually Americans, and her family. I explained my situation again. They gave me a cell phone and I called the Honbu (Mission Office/HQ). I think it went something like this:

'Moshi moshi Tokyo Honbu desu.' -Hello, this is the Tokyo HQ.

'Moshi moshi. Ano, Watashi wa C desu kedo.' -Hello, this is -my name-.

'Oh, Sister C! How are you?'

'I'm doing great. I'm actually at the Tokyo airport, and--'

'You are WHERE?!'

So, one heart attack, two transfers and a mission president later, some Elders were sent to pick me up. ...yeah, so, the MTC forgot to tell my mission I was coming.

I thought it was pretty funny, but they certainly didn't. It did mean a few problems, but by the time I got to the HQ I had a companion and a proselytizing area and everything. Good times.

My first day was mostly training, but the local sisters took me with them for some fun times. I thought I'd go housing, but they actually had 3 teaching appointments that day, so I got to invite someone to baptism, teach the first lesson, and teach the second lesson in Japanese. Good times, good times. It was such a blast!

My second day I met my companion: Sister Campos. She is from Las Vegas, and she sings Opera. She is AWESOME. I was a little scared that she'd be wanpaku (I don't think there's a translation for this, but it basically means bad missionary, disobedient, trunkie, etc.), or that she'd be super strict, but she turned out to be a little like me and Shana mixed up and turned into an awesome trainer. She was really nervous about being a trainer, but after our second day she told me that I acted just like all her other companions, and she didn't feel like I was a bean-chan ('Green Bean,' new missionary) at all. Best compliment ever.

My bike is on its way, and I've taught two lessons with Sister Campos thus far. It's a little less teaching than I'd hoped for, but we're working hard and doing our best here.

Oh! Isshi-kun is probably gonna freak out at this, but I want to rub it in. Guess where my first area is?

Shibuya.

The busiest area in Tokyo, arguably. This is where Scramble Crossing is. In fact, we go through Scramble Crossing on the way to our apartment--which is HUGE. Please look up Scramble Crossing, or just believe me when I say that I think it's the biggest/busiest intersection in the world, or something. Editor's note: Click here to watch a YouTube clip of Scramble Crossing in Shibuya.

I am loving my mission, and I love the members here. They are unbelievable nice to missionaries.

Go invite the missionaries over to your house! Give them food! They need food, both in their bellies and in canned/packaged form. But most importantly, invite any friends you might have that aren't members, and make sure they know that missionaries will be there. I crave opportunities to teach, and I bet they do too!

This post has become obscenely long, so I am gonna close it here, for now. I haven't given too many details about my apartment (it's big), the other two Sisters I'm living with (they are interesting), Sister Disney (she plays Disney Princesses in the parades and sings a lot, I could write a whole post about her but I want pictures for it) or my daily routine, but there are other weeks and other times.

I'm loving my mission and learning why Japanese people hate the rain. Try riding a bike in the rain in a skirt and you'll understand too.

I love you all, and I hope you won't totally forget about me! Letters make joy!

Thought of the Week

I'm a great believer in luck, and I find the harder I work the more I have of it.
Thomas Jefferson (1743 - 1826)

Excerpts from C's letter to Mom

Mom,

I have no e-mail because I have no computer. I have no computer because I can't leave this motel-like room. I can't leave because I've been quarantined. I've been quarantined because I have somehow contracted swine flu.

Sigh.

Basically, I have the only legitimate excuse to skip class and sleep all day. As this will most likely not come up for another 18 months, I am making the most of it. I am free and welcome to do whatever I like so long as I do not leave the room. As this is the MTC, that means I can either watch church videos, read the scriptures or write to my dear parents.

We get four visitors daily. Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner and the Doctor. Security brings the meals. If we need anything we ask; otherwise we wait until the next visitor.

What follows is a rant about the MTC food. The meal plans are clearly aimed at getting 19 year-old boys to clean their plates. With rare exceptions, I've been eating a vegetarian diet since coming here. Since every single choice has meat in it, this can be tricky, but is well worth it. Fruit, salads, water and milk have gotten me through. However, in quarantine you don't have choices. They bring you your meal. It is always something hot, a drink, and a dessert, with the occasional side. Now remember I said these meals are aimed at 19-year-old boys? We get fruit, bacon, sausage, and donuts (five! (5!) Who eats that many!) for breakfast, with soda and chocolate milk.

Lunch was cheese steak, nacho cheese chips, and feta cheese salad. Dinner looks good tonight, actually. Stir-fry, rice, egg-rolls. Again, soda to drink. And juice.

If I wasn't careful. this is what I'd eat every day. Can you imagine? Yuck.

This room is nice though. It's like a very cheap but clean motel room.

Mom's Note: Breaking news - C. is out of quarantine. She was allowed to call her family last night. She will be leaving for Japan on Monday morning at some ridiculously early hour.

Thought of the Week

To know all is to understand all. To understand all is to love everybody.

Thought of the Week

I'll be more enthusiastic about encouraging thinking outside the box when there's evidence of any thinking going on inside it.
Terry Pratchett

I'm ALIVE!

Wasn't General Conference simply awesome? I can't believe how much I was missing out before. Seriously, that was possibly the single coolest spiritual experience I've had thus far. I took 26 pages of notes for all 5 sessions (we watched Relief Society at the same time the Elders watched Priesthood). It was so fascinating, spiritual, and almost totally worth sitting in hard plastic seats without being allowed to stand up.

And one of the coolest parts was when they announced the Sapporo, Japan Temple. I'm pretty sure our entire district (District: The group of missionaries who entered the MTC at the same time who are going to the same place or speaking the same language) shouted more than a little irreverently, although we tried to be quiet. The entire Zone (Zone: A group of districts all headed to the same country/mission. Often made up of missionaries who came in within 3 weeks of each other, but some districts in the zone can be 6 weeks behind the others) was jumping for joy afterward. It was just so great! We'd been talking and in a meeting the day before where we talked about prophecies that have been made about Japan, and one of the ones emphasized was that there would be many temples. Then a temple was announced. We all whispered after shouting loudly, "The Gospel is MAJI DE true!"

I have to keep a little more time to write e-mails than I did last week, so the rest of this post may seem a little rushed. I was actually going to say that it would be better next week because next week I'm in Japan and there isn't a stupid little timer in the upper right corner that shuts down the computer after my 30 minutes of provided e-mail time, but that's part of the news I have:

I'm not going to Japan next Monday.

I thought I was. The zone thought I was, but apparently we forgot to tell the MTC that some of the missionaries were skipping a grade. I have no VISA, no flight plans, nothing. They are now trying to remedy the situation, but they have told us that there is no way we'll be ready in time for Monday. If our Mission Presidents will take us late, we can go a few days later, otherwise we'll be in the MTC for another 6 weeks.

I have now begun to experience Cabin Fever. I'm still hoping that they are wrong and things get fixed so that I will go on Monday, but I think it would seriously kill my mood to be here for another 6 weeks. I want to go out and TEACH, dangit! Send me to California! Send me to Texas! Send me AWAY, and let me get to work!

All well. The good news is this means you may still hear from me one last time while I'm on American soil. This also gives you another chance to send me any packages you may feel prompted to provide.

Nah, I'm kidding.

I really appreciate everyone who has been writing me, though. Days go by much faster when there is a letter waiting to be read that evening. It may sound depressing, but I do actually read your letters multiple times. I love them!

Oh, the other news was going to be a health update. My neck is fine. I went to the Physical Therapist again on Monday (I hate going, it feels so selfishly wonderfully wasteful) and I got a clean bill of health, as long as I don't jerk my neck, look down, or do anything else that might lock it up.

Oh, by the way, to those of you who do not have my mission address, hopefully someone who does know will leave it as a comment or something, because I don't have it with me. To those of you who don't want to pay for the postage, please don't hesitate to e-mail me. I can READ your e-mails, I just can't REPLY in an e-mail, so if you do e-mail me be sure to give me your mailing address if you want a reply.

YES EVEN IF YOU ARE MY BEST FRIEND GIVE ME YOUR ADDRESS. Just because I know where you live doesn't mean I can write it down.

Ugh...the news that I may be here another 6 weeks has kinda got me down. Bleah.

That's okay. Life here in the MTC is awesome. We have two really great teachers. One, Brother Porter, is a super nice, HUGE guy. He tells great stories and he's really good at getting along with the class. The other, Brother Lee, looks Japanese but was raised in California, I think. He's really fluent, though...maybe I'm wrong? He's very intimidating, but it's because he expects a lot from us and isn't happy when we don't live up to our potential. He's a great teacher. I learn a lot from both of them.

Both teachers don't really include me in the class discussions because they've worked out I already know the answers. This suits me just as well, while the other missionaries review bunpou (grammar patterns) I study kanji. It works rather well.

The MTC food is delicious, and it is ironically hard to eat healthy food, but it's certainly possible. I've been a little more lax lately, which is a shame, since I actually slimmed down right after coming in here. Back to the old grinding wheel, I guess.

A few other disctricts have continued to meet with us each Gym period. We usually play softball or soccer, but with the cold front here in Provo we've taken up Capture the Flag. As this is my favorite field game (short of Ultimate Frisbee, which we can't play) I won't complain.

But augh, I want to go to Japan! Nooooo! Stupid whoever didn't tell the MTC we moved up!

I better go write those other e-mails. Love you all, and despite what I may say, I love my mission! (Just not the MTC so much)

Thought of the Week

Art is making something out of nothing and selling it.
Frank Zappa (1940 - 1993)