1500 hours: the snowiest city over 300,000 people in the world.
I
wish I could send you pictures, but this cafe doesn’t let you. ごめん
Culture
point:
Language.
So Japanese can be a kind of hard language sometimes everyone has heard that. There
are a lot of reasons for that. When I first came it was the grammar and the
polite Japanese that really took me a long time to understand better (I am
still working a lot on both). Now it’s the kanji and the katakana that are
making me especially humble. (This is the most fun language ever to learn because
it is so pretty and clean and i recommend it anyone who wants to learn a
language!) Kanji everyone has kind of heard of. Katakana is the alphabet they
use to take foreign words and make them sound Japanese. For example, we call
tortilla a "tortia" because it’s easier for us. They do the same
thing, but they are suck a nice country that a TON of words especially things that
are just the English or German words put into Japanese sounds. For example, computer
is konputa. Or camera is kamura. Some words sound the exact same but
like McDonalds is makudonarudo. Sometimes you are searching your
vocabulary bank for that word they just said and searching and then you realize
it’s English! It’s good when you don’t know the word and you just try the English
and it turns out steering wheel is suteringu wuiru. :-)
Fun
food fact:
It’s
fun to have a new companion, because he points out how different something’s
are that I had never really thought about. For example, today
for lunch we had sushi and they served us a hot egg custard with vegetable
soup. It’s warm and really nice. Before you eat sushi you normally get
something like soup or that egg custard before.
Spiritual
thought:
This thought
is from church this week, but something was said to the effect that, wouldn’t
it be nice if we has a mysterious little compass that we could look at every
day and it would tell us what we need to do to be happy, what job would be best
for us, what school to go to, how to help our kids that are having a hard time.
How sweet would that be? Then the point was all those that enter into the covenant
of baptism with God receive that very gift in the form of the Holy Ghost. And
that is one of the reasons why it is so important to try and keep the
commandments, so we can hear his voice. I thought that was easy to understand. I
need the guidance, so, I am going to work harder to hear his voice.
Funny
story:
This
one goes a bit back but we were driving on a 5 hour road trip with three of us
and so we were desperate for things to talk about, and so, Elder Ito (Japanese)
asked Elder Fox (American) about what Mormon kids did at college for fun? (They
don’t drink and do follow the law of chastity) so elder fox thought about it
and answered they have dance parties sometimes that are fun. (This is all
happening in Japanese and dance party is kind of a hard word so he throws it
out in his best katakana "Datsu pati" and Elder Ito understands. He
says, “Really!? We actually have those in Japan too, but I didn’t think
you guys would have them.”
“Oh
we have tons of them!”
“Do
you like them?”
“They
are all right. I don’t like dancing a ton, but there are a ton of girls, so it’s
fun I guess.”
“There
are girls there?!”
“Yeah,
I would say there are more girls than boys by a good shot.”
“What?!
(And this is where I started dying) “nihon no bai de kowai onisantachi bakari”.
So onisan means older brother or in this context a nice way of saying 18-30
year old single guys and kowai means scary. So he says, “In japan there
is just a bunch of scary men.”
So
then this whole conversation comes about (Why, in japan, at dance parties,
there are tons of scary men.)
But
on the other hand, elder Ito was talking about dansu pati... datsu means dart
party. So he was having a big discussion about why there was a bunch of college
LDS girls that loved dart parties...
Once
we figured it out I was nearly driving off the road I was crying so hard!
We
had interviews with President and Sister Smith yesterday. The snow just keeps
getting deeper and the missionary work just keeps getting busier. We are
starting to get to know the area which makes us a bit more effective and teach
more. Elder Macnab is the best, he is teaching me tons about realism and the
power of experiences in a lesson. Sister Johnson from my group in the MTC
(there were two Johnsons, this was the one who served with me for 3 months in
Kamisugi) sent me a picture of the missionary she met in her home ward and it
was Seth, my cousin!! It made my day!
I am
working out hard in the mornings. We are the master planners. I don’t forget
anything now! (All three of my companions in the home office gave me the improvement
point, which I need to write things down better, so I don’t forget. I am trying
to do better)
We
eat way to good. Elder Nishiie is 25 and worked for 5 years, so he is more
generous, so he is always buying good ingredients that we make yummy stuff
from. Yesterday was pot stickers.
(I am
up on how far I can run in the snow, because we are always late and running in
the snow. ha-ha)
I
have a new goal this year to go to a private place and pray out loud every
morning and night and it has really been strengthening my relationship with the
Lord. Life is just too good. I am waiting for the stress to come. I am at a
good point in my mission I think. I always heard people talk about this period
and I like it. It’s like state for track. You know the most so far, the weather
is the best, and you have the most desire to serve. Elder Macnab is my friend. Companions
are one of my biggest blessings I think, so far, in the mission.
I am
stoked about the Seattle choice Nick and Christine made! I was hoping that way
the whole time. (I hear there are many Japanese stores over there).
I
have a goal to read the New Testament and Book of Mormon both in 12 weeks. So
far, I am about a fourth through both of them and really
loving it.
Love
each other for me!
Law Choro
No comments:
Post a Comment