Hi Family!
Wow! I'm in portugal! I don't understand a thing that goes on! Haha it's so great here! This letter will probably be all over the place, so bear with me. I'm doing great! It's all really confusing so far. I never really know what's going on and it's SO different from america, but I haven't even been here for a week, so it's all good! I'll just kind of try to answer some questions that you guys have asked and I hope that that will be okay!
Dad - Food. So for breakfast the first day in the mission home, we had this bread with meat and cheese and fruit, and I've had some spaghetti type foods, and I had a françesinha or something along those lines, which was a sandwhich with a lot of meats and an egg with this yummy sauce, and some yummy pastries, and american food! Haha it's so funny - there is so much american stuff here! Food, songs, clothing lines, whatever! It's really interesting to see the american influence on such a different country! The language has been a struggle! Portuguese is very shushy if that makes any sense. every 's' is a 'sh' and it is a very used letter, so that's confusing, and everyone talks 100 miles an hour, and they use all of these phrases and sayings that I don't understand... but it is all good! I'm learning a lot and I'll get better in no time! (Oh P.S. it's like 5 in the afternoon (or 17h) here so it's like a 7 hour difference.) Culture - well, everyone smokes, which is like the biggest thing. A lot of people don't have work also - apparently the government covers for a lot here! People don't like pleasantries - talking is very to the point without any fluff. it kind of depends on where you are in the city, but lot's of people walk around, which makes contacting very nice! Oh yeah! I'm right in the middle of Porto! Dang! I forgot my camera - today has been crazy - so im sorry, but ill send pictures next week for sure! ANyway, i'm in the Porto 2º ward, which is the ward that the AP's attend. Why do I go there? Because my companion Elder LeBaron is not only the AP, but he's our district leader, zone leader,
AND he is training TWO elders, which I don't know if that has ever happened. So he's super awesome. He is like the best contacter, best teacher of lessons, best people person, which all makes him an amazing missionary! I'm SO grateful to have him as my trainer! Our apartment is on the second floor of this weird apartment building on a super long stretch of building on a one way cobblestone street. By the way, cobblestone in portuguese is paralalapipido (probably spelled that wrong, but whatever), which is my favorite word! We drive because the AP is with us, so we have a car. Portugal drivers are insane. Enough said. President Amorim is amazing and keeps his missionaries in line and effective, which is awesome. The flight was SO LONG! Everyone was watching movies around me so I just read scriptures like the whole time, which was nice! They had little mini food trays and hot towels and stuff which was cool! I am SO happy to be here. I am really confused a lot and am struggling with the language, but that will all pass in time, so I'm totally okay!
Mom - When I got to germany, it was crazy. The airport was SO HUGE. I walked for like twenty minutes to get to my gate but I was all confused because I was alone and didn't know what i was doing! haha! I had another flight to portugal from germany for about 2 hours. President Amorim and his wife picked us up (I met some elders in the germany airport who were coming from the MTC and are in my mission!) so that was cool! I have never really been scared here, but I have definitely been nervous.
I'm so sorry - I have to go, but I love you guys! Talk to you next week!
Love, Elder Valentine!
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