WEEK 2: Life is swell here in Sao Paulo!

Campinas Temple pictures!

Hey everyone! This week was great. I'm getting pretty used to the MTC. Starting to really like the most (Well most of it). Here's a lil week-rundown. (Sorry its sorta long haha)

TUESDAY

Today was GREAT because I got to write home. Sorry if I didn't respond to some emails I didn't have like any time. We only have 50 minutes to go through all our emails and write home so I didn't get to some of them. I love all the messages!Checking email is definitely my favorite part of the day.

When I meet people here they think I'm Brazilian. They think I look like a native. I guess I'm flattered haha. I can't wait til I'm fluent and I can fully convince people. Apparently when I speak Port I sound like I'm from Portugal. My teacher says I have some kind of Spanish accent.

Tomorrow we finally get to leave the MTC. It's P-day so we get to walk around the streets and do a little shopping. We are going to the Campinas temple to do a session I'm so pumped. I love the MTC and all but I NEED to get out of the building for a bit haha. I need more mental stimuli. We sit in class all day and I see the exact same things every day. I gotta have some variety. It'll be great.

WEDNESDAY

TODAY WAS P-DAY. It was so so so great.

We ate at a quasi-American burger place for dinner and it was sooo good. I ate like 75 reals worth of food (Which is somewhere around 35 American dollars).

I saw one of my instructors there and spoke to him in Portuguese & he was like, "Young how did you manage to become fluent in Portuguese after one week?". Of course I'm not fluent yet but I was flattered haha. I love learning languages. My roommate Elder Batista and I are able to speak to each other now. I'm learning a lot about him. Such an incredible guy.

I bought some knock off Neymar soccer jersey cuz it was like 4 bucks. I actually love it lol.

Other than that we had a devotional from the mission president. Oh also the temple was incredible. Super nice session. I took a bunch of pictures and funny videos I wish I could send.

THURSDAY

Today was interesting. We drove for forever to register with the Brazilian police. Reminded me how much I hate American DMV's haha.

I wrote a poem today. I guess I'll include it. It's just a rough draft right now, I'll probably change it around a bit. It's a poem about how children are born with so much imaginative ability and creative power that they ultimately grow out and are taught not to use. Adults try to make them 'adapt' to adult life, when really sometimes its adults that should become more child-like and imaginative. It's kind of an ode to "troublemakers". Rambunctious kids are often scolded for being too off-topic during class or for talking too much. I feel like they're too often labeled as "troublemakers" when really they are just filled with energy and ideas and curiosity. This idea really hits home to me because I was kind of that kid growing up, getting in trouble because I was always just looking for something new to do or trying to solve problems in uncommon ways that were just interpreted as me just trying to cause trouble. I used colors as a metaphor for the boundless imagination of children.

Haha that kinda turned into a rant but here's my poem so far:

He was born in color

He knew every kind of hue

Green and red and pink and gold

And every shade of blue

He lived in a world of light

And thought it nothing strange

He saw things differently, yes

But he never wanted to change

His parents thought him trouble;

He couldn't quite sit still

The vibrant shades and lively colors

Were just too much a thrill

The colors they consumed him,

His mind a constant buzz

He was commanded to behave

As every child should, and does

The colors called his name

Into the deep green wood

He heard the call of speckled birds,

Found every bug he could

And when the sun was setting

He gazed up at the sky

Brilliant shades of orangey-red

Brought wonder to his eye

There he dreamt he was a bird

Soaring high with grace

It made him wonder what might be

Beyond in outer space

Next day at school he couldn't wait

To tell teacher what he saw

Excitedly, he ran to class

And spoke to her in awe

The teacher, rather unamused,

Said, "Humans cannot fly...

You're late to class, now get to work"

She said in stiff reply

The child sat confused and still

"Why didn't teacher see?

Humans can do anything,

If they just believe,"

That afternoon he wandered home

He didn't look up at the sky

He didn't look at outer space

He didn't even try

The sky was grayer than before

The woods, a bit more brown

The teacher's voice rang in his head

As he walked around:

"There is no need for color

This world is black and gray

There is no need for color

Mind your business and obey

Black and white have order

They make this world go 'round

Some day you'll mature and see,

There's beauty in their sound,"

The orange and red began to fade

The green, turquoise and blue

The very final flame of color...

He stamped out with his shoe

The world no longer awed him

No longer called his name

His "childish" wonder had gone

But at least he behaved himself...

FRIDAY

Last night I gave the hallway prayer entirely in Portuguese. The natives all congratulated me "Parabens parabens!!"

In class we have this wooden coat-hanger knob that came loose from the wall a few days ago. It's kinda become our lil' class pet. We gave it a name and everything. Anyways Elder Shumway and I were playing catch with it and I missed Shum. It bounced off his shoulder, onto the windowsill, and proceeded to fall out the three-story high window. Yeah we haven't seen him since.

SATURDAY

Our teacher is amazing. His name is Irmao Vianna and he's seriously one of the most effective teachers I've had. I'm learning portuguese and gospel principles so fast. I'm grateful for him.

Tonight is daylight savings so we gain an hour of sleep overnight because we are in the southern hemisphere. Hope yall in the north are able to cope with your shortened sleep haha.

SUNDAY

Today was shweeeeet. They announced that missionaries are allowed to video chat home each week now. I already knew from a friend who told me about it a while back but it was so neat when they announced it haha. We had a big devotional and they first read it in portuguese then Spanish then English. So each nationality stood up and cheered once they heard it in their language and the rest of us were just sitting around super confused until it was translated.

This is huge news! I'm so excited. (Before this missionaries only Skyped home twice a year.)

Other than that we had a super good lesson about teaching with the Book of Mormon in sunday school. I've been drawing a lot more now and my journal is filled with a bunch of random sketches.

Also I've gained 8 pounds already loool. I'm gonna be so chunky when I get home. Brazilian food is good and it's so hard not to overeat.

Anyways life is swell here in Sao Paulo!