3 Feb 2009
Dear Family:
Did you get my package? I sent a picture CD and other stuff.
My new companion's name is Nagase Shimai. She is a Nihonjin and speaks only a little English. I am excited because I know my language will improve tenfold from talking only in Japanese.
I heard you just sent me a valentine's package so I feel bad asking for stuff but whenever it's convenient I need:
Oil of Olay lotion for sensitive skin with SPF 15-- Oil of Olay dake (dake means only in japanese) and not Equate version
Gloves for rain. The pairs I have get soaked all the way through. I need some that are 100 percent water resistant and insulated. They don't have to have a fold for the fingers or look cute. I need something that blocks all water.
8 packs of Jello for the mothers at Kid's English class and the recipe for making a poke cake (where you make the cake and poke holes and pour the hot Jello on). We teach on Fridays.
So...
Did you know that Japanese people gargle at the end of the day because they think it promotes good health? We went to a lady's house who had a small baby. Miku Shimai had a bad cold so the lady told her to gargle and wash her hands.
Did you know that Japanese people ask about each other's blood types? A is for organized, perfectionist, sort of thing. B is for odd, different, individual. O is for lazy, chill, laid back
AB is for two-faced between A and B.
If I applied it to the color code book I might say: A blue, B ? wasareta (I forgot), O white.
Apparently you can get a horoscope sort of thing based on your blood type. Horoscope, but instead of a sign, it is your blood type.
Photo: Msaiyo RestaurantI went to the COOLEST place. It was all you can eat sushi. There is a conveyor belt with plates of different kinds of sushi and sometimes a plate of dessert. Each plate is 105 yen or about 1 USD. You take off what you want when it comes around and pay for what you eat. Elders have upwards of 20 plates I hear. Just Miku Shimai and I went as a mission finale for her. They have a website http://msaiyo.jp/sushiro/. I took some pictures. It was so good.
We ate at a member's house. They speak Portuguese and are from Brazil but they live in Japan. Their Japanese sounds Portuguese. Apparently I ate pig tail while I was at their house. Funny, huh?
About the Jello. We had one pack in our apartment from America. The Japanese don't have it here. So we brought it and split it with the mothers at Eikaiwa (English class) . I told them about the cake. I thought it would be thoughtful to give them Jello and the recipe because they are so nice. One of the mom buys a sack dinner and brings it to us every time so we can eat when we go home.
Three sisters "died" (went back to America because they ended their missions). Their respective companions were my MTC Senpai, Sister Shipp and Sister Campos. So I went to the Honbu (Mission Office) with Miku Shimai and I picked up Sis. Ship and Campos. We came back to Kanagawa by ourselves. They stayed with me two nights. We could only do street dendo (contacting) because we didn't have 3 bikes.
Then we went to Kichijouji to meet all the sisters for transfers. All the sisters meet at one place and the elders meet at another. There we got our new companions. We went to Shakey's, an all you can eat pizza place. Then I came here to Yokohama Eki (train station) to email.
I couldn't believe I was getting around Japan on the trains. I never thought I would do that!
I noticed we drink out of small glasses here. You don't see tall glasses very much in Japan.
Missions are stressful because of the amount of responsibility that falls on you. Always you need to keep the Area Book up to date and know when appointments are. Then you always need to remember the people you meet. Sister Miku said that she thinks it is only possible to serve a mission for two years because it is so draining. I think that is very true.
Do you have any ideas for the children's Eikaiwa class. They know the hokey pokey and head shoulders knees and toes. They know how to write A through G. This week we will teach the days of the week. I think kid's Eikeiwa is unique to where I am serving so don't go all out but I would be interested in hearing some ideas for songs or what we can teach in an email next week.
We are changing as a district because of transfers. So the new deal is:
Zone leaders (kohoku)
Clark and Bradley
Me and Nagase
District Leader (Kanagawa)
Japanese elder transferred from Kawasaki ward and some Gaijin (foreign) elder
(Me and Nagase)
Kawasaki Ward
Japanese elder from before and Elder Mumford
So that's 4 new missionaries. Clark and the one in Kawasaki are the only ones who truly stayed. Whoa!
That is all. We go back to our apartment now and tonight we have sports night. So much change and I love my companion!!!
Maku Shimai
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