CHANGES!!

Well I feel like it is about time for an update!! If anyone out there is still worried about my deathly sore throat, no worries, I'm finally feeling better!! It was really bad all day Thursday, and I didn't start feeling better until Monday! My mom and I finally figured out it must of been an allergic reaction the the poison the fumigator sprayed in my room for the cockroaches. I'm just glad I'm over it, because I'm leaving tomorrow morning for USHUAIA!!!!!!!

Well I mentioned in my last post that I was looking forward to some big changes after my trip, well my big change happened before!! So last week after a little bit of drama where I was living I finally decided I was so over everything I had been putting up with!! Before this bit of drama I was putting up with a lot of little annoyances... but after what happened Monday night I was so over living where I was. So I immediately started looks for a new place to live! All last week I was wandering all around Buenos Aires to find the right apartment for me! After a lot of looking and weighing the pros and cons, I finally settled on one in the Congress area of Buenos Aires, it is a nice area, and it is fairly close to where I work and where I was living before. Even though I had drama with the family doesn't mean I don't want to stay friends, so it is nice to know I'm still close.

Well I wasn't going to move until after Ushuaia, I couldn't really justify paying for a week when I wouldn't even be there, but they guy I'm renting from offered me the place now for the same price, so I jumped at the chance to get all settled in before leaving, so I don't have to worry about doing it when I get home!!

So yesterday I told the family that I was moving and packed my things and left, Kevin helped me move all my stuff, he is awesome, he went shopping with me to get a few of the things that I needed and carried all my stuff and helped me with all my luggage, he was such a big help I couldn't have done it with out him!! Well after he left to go home I was left all alone in my little place. It was very exciting!! I watched tv which is something I haven't done in FOREVER!! And I talked to my mom, and cooked myself dinner, and went to bed at a decent hour (11:30) and was able to sleep so well and woke up at 8:30. This may not seem like a big deal to most of you, but it is huge to me!! I haven't had a good nights sleep since I left the States. The bed I was sleeping on before was so uncomfortable that I never slept well, and the schedules here are so different that I wasn't going to bed until way too late and waking up way too late. I'm so glad I can get back on a normal healthy schedule!!

So anyways that is what happened, I'm now living all by myself, for the first time ever, which is very exciting!! I'm going to put pics of my new place!! It is very green!!

Sick

So this morning I woke up feeling like my throat glands were 500lbs... which means I couldn't swallow or hardly breathe!!! It really isn't a very comfortable feeling! In fact I woke up a little panicked since I didn't know why I couldn't swallow or breathe, once I figured it out, I tried to think of ways to fix it, I took some Tylenol cold pills, but my only symptom is my throat, and well it was REALLY hard to swallow those 2 pills!! I talked to my sister in law, and she gave me some ideas such as gargling salt water, and drinking lemonade, with honey. Well I started with the salt water, which was GROSS!! Then because I live in Argentina, and everything is so close I just ran outside really quick and crossed the street where there is a small grocery store, and bought lemons and honey, then next door was a pharmacy where I bought throat drops. So today has been spent in bed drinking fresh squeezed lemonade sweetened with honey (really it isn't that great, it sort of makes me gag) and gargling salt water, and sucking on those throat drops!! I ate 2 rolls earlier, but it was so hard to eat, that I guess I'm just going to stick to liquids for now!! I hate being sick!

Other than being sick things are pretty good... I'm leaving for Ushuaia in a week from today!!! I'm so stinking EXCITED!!!! Then after Ushuaia, looks like there are going to be some big changes, I sure hope so anyways!!

Welp I'm gonna go back to gargling my warm salt water... yum!!

Park Drama

Well its been a little while since I've written in my blog. I've been really busy, but also its because I have been just plain lazy!!

Life is still pretty good, I'm really excited that in 2 weeks I will be in USHUAIA!!! I should be in Uruguay right now, but things didn't work out for Monica to go this weekend, so after a couple of miracles we were able to change our tickets for next month, so in March I will be going to the temple with Monica.

But since I didn't go to Uruguay this weekend I stayed home here with Joaquin and papa Feresin. I was told yesterday by mama Feresin that Joaquin wasn't allowed to go anywhere by himself, that if he wanted to go anywhere I would need to go with him, which I understand because he is young (only 12). Well this afternoon after eating lunch he said I want to go to the park, I'm gonna call my dad and see if he will let me, I told him what his mom told me and he said yeah I don't care I'm still going to call my dad. So he called his dad and his dad said he wanted to talk to me, Joaquin wasn't too happy about that. Anyways papa Feresin asked me to go with Joaquin to the park and stay there with him, which I was fine with... I thought about just taking my book and reading while Joaquin did whatever he wanted, no big deal. Well I went and got ready, and as we were walking out the door Joaquin asked what I was going to do, I told him I was going to stay at the park, he got mad and said he didn't want to go anymore, I told him I was just doing what both his parents asked me to do, and I wouldn't be near him, that I was just going to sit somewhere are read. He still got mad and called his friend, and told him he wasn't going anymore. All because I was going to be in the same open air vicinity as him!!

So here we both are sitting in the same house, he isn't talking to me, well he never really talks to me... he is the one I have the least of a relationship with, and I get the feeling he doesn't really like me... (even before this episode today). It doesn't really bother me... but it made me wonder, what was he planning on doing at the park with his friends that I couldn't even be any where near. Because trust me I wasn't planning on watching him, or "babysitting" him, I was going to just sit somewhere are read... no big deal, but whatever... 12 year old boys are so weird!!!

DREAMS COMING TRUE!!

I love where I am right now! Seriously I think I'm the luckiest girl EVER!!! I'm in a position to fulfill all my dreams, and well that is what I'm trying to do, even if it means I don't have a penny to my name!!

So on Sunday I had the most amazing experience to go with one of my converts to get her Patriarchal blessing, it was a sweet experience, although full of trials to get there!! We didn't really know how to get there, so we took the subway (I know my way around the subway a lot better than in busses) As we were getting on the subway I accidentally stepped on Monica's shoe, it immediately broke, no way to fix it or use it to walk!! I offered to just get a taxi so she wouldn't have to walk everywhere without a shoe, this city is pretty dirty. She refused to let me get a taxi so we went walking... 11 blocks!!! We got there everything was good, she received her blessing while I sat in the living room and chatted with the Patriarchs wife. Then the wife gave Monica a needle and some thread and Monica was able to sew her shoe enough to where she could use it to walk at least a little bit. Feeling much better we walked out of the Patriarchs house, and not even 2 steps outside the other shoe broke for no reason at all!!! So she had to walk with only one shoe AGAIN!! At least the second time wasn't my fault!! Then we ended up taking the wrong bus and having to take another one, then getting off at the wrong spot... after everything we finally made it home safely! But it was worth all the trials to see how happy and at peace she was when she came out from getting her blessing!! I can't wait because in a couple of weeks I'm going back to Uruguay, only this time with Monica and she is going to go to the temple for the first time! And yesterday they gave me the assignment to teach her the temple prep classes!! What a great privilege that is!!

So not only am I able to live my dream as a missionary to see my converts continue strong in the church (by the way Fernanda and Claudio who were just sealed gave FANTASTIC talks in church on the importance of temple work on Sunday!!) I'm also able to live my dreams of traveling, ever since I heard of Ushuaia, I have wanted to see it... I honestly can't remember how old I was, my mom says she thinks I was in 4th or 5th grade... whenever it was it has been a dream I've had for a LONG time!! It is also the southern most city in the world, one of my dreams/goals is to visit all 7 continents, I honestly don't have much desire to actually go to Antarctica, but being in the southern most city I feel will count... its as close as I can get to it without actually having to go to it!!!! I just bought my plane ticket, and I'm so happy! I'm going in about 3 1/2 weeks!! I don't really know people there, but one of my favorite mission comps will be there visiting families she knows, and has already told me I have a place to stay!! I'm so happy!!

Well i was just informed there are tortas fritas, I'm starving since I haven't eaten anything in a long time!! Chau all!!!

SLEEP

So my new fan has been my life saver!!! I basically never leave my room!! This week has been the hottest since getting to Argentina, it makes me remember why I never wanted to come back to Argentina during the summer!! This week has been kind of a boring one, I've just gone to work, and done homework! I was going to go a modern art museum and then walk around san telmo, a really cool neighborhood, well I made it to the museum, but I started feeling really sick, I'll spare you all the details! I decided to just go home, I'm sad cause modern art really isn't my thing, I thought the little bit of the museum I did see was kind of weird! I was more looking forward to seeing San Telmo, oh well I'll go back another day!

I got home and basically just went to sleep, I slept all day, and would have slept through the night, but my lovely brother Nico came and woke me up when he got home around 11, and then they had me come eat dinner... I was awake for a little while, but then I just went back to sleep, and I slept until about 12:30... I'm def getting caught up on my sleep!! I'm wanting to do something fun this weekend, so hopefully I can think of something!!

HOT HOT HOT

So the past month I have been just MELTING from the heat here!! Most people have fans in their home, and coming here I just assumed that there would be a fans here in the Feresin home too. Almost nobody has air conditioning here, so I wasn't expecting that! Well I got here, and to my biggest surprise, there wasn't even one fan! When they had moved they forgot to bring their fans!!! Usually during the day it isn't too bad because they have lots of windows that when there is a little bit of wind it blows right through the house, in fact sometimes I forgot there wasn't any fans!! That is until I would go to sleep at night, I sleep in a room that has no ventilation, no windows, and gets really really hot!! Every morning I wake up just drenched in sweat, not really that fun trust me!!

The family kept telling me they were going to buy me a fan and stuff like that, I felt bad because they don't have the money for it, so finally last week I just told them I'm buying myself a fan, and today! Well I ended up not being able to buy it that day, so I had to wait until yesterday to buy it... but it was the happiest moment of my life!!
I went with Kevin and we bought it together, and he being the man he is carried it home for me, and I had to leave to go visit Monica, so I just left it at home still in the box and everything, when I got home from visiting Monica it was all put together and running... I almost wanted to cry! I was sooo happy! It is nice to be loved, the Feresin's would do anything for me!!

This morning I woke up nice and cool, it was the nicest feeling EVER!!! I love my fan!!!

Finally I have begun!!

Well Wednesday I finally started my volunteer program, it was a lot of fun, we had a birthday party for all the kids who had birthdays in January, and it happened to be my brothers birthday that day too!! We played with the kids, and then sang happy birthday and gave them all a piece of cake. I had a ton of fun because I love working with kids, and these kids are all just really sweet. The other volunteers are a lot of fun too, even though almost none of them speak Spanish, on Wednesday I was the only one who actually speaks Spanish well, and yesterday there was one other volunteer that spoke Spanish really well! So I get a big headache because all the volunteers are speaking English and I'm thinking in Spanish. Also I have to really pay attention when they are speaking in English because none of them are from the states, they are all from different countries so have really thick accents, for example here are a few of the countries the other volunteers are from: England, Wales, Australia, Germany, Norway, and Estonia. I'm sure there are other countries I just can't think of them right now!

I'm loving my time here!! Also yesterday my Argentine brother got his mission call, he wanted to go anywhere except Bolivia, Peru or Chile... his mission call is Chile, Santiago North!! He is still pretty excited, the only thing he is upset about is he doesn't leave until almost the end of May!!

Welp other than the heat, I'm loving my life here in Argentina!! Can life get any better than this? I submit that it cannot!!