Hermana Daly~December 1, 2008..Hola from Chile!

Hola familia!!!
> I did make it to Chile!!! So crazy!! It was quite the long trip to get here...i don´t even know how long it was but it was fun to be with my district on the plane. My elders rock and we did some missionary work on the plane. One part of a flight I was sitting next to Elder Eddenfield and we talked to an Austrailian guy on and off for like 6-8 hours about the gospel. But he didn´t have any beliefs whatsoever but had fun talking to us. Him and his buddies got off the plane in Lima, Peru to go treking or something fun and wild. Then from Lima to Santiago the other Elders gave a Book of Mormon to a Chilean and then to a guy from Brazil. Pretty cool!!!
> We finally made it to Antofagasta after a bunch of flights and met President Urrak, his wife, and the assistants. They were all so nice! We took a few pics here and there, which I think are the ones he sent you. It was fun, but I was soo dead tired and gross haha. Then that night we had a fun little finding out who your companion was activity where random papers were picked. I was the last one and then met my comp Hermana Flores. She is so so nice!!! I was surprised that all the trainers except one hermana and one elder were nativos. Hermana Flores is from San Felipe, Chile and this is her last cambio before she goes home in january. That night we had a 12 hour bus ride to my new sector, Arica Centro B in the very north part of Chile...the fartherst city away from Antofagasta. Needless to say when we arrived the next morning to meet the zone leaders and other hermanas in my sector, I looked like death haha but everyone was so nice!!
> We went to our apartment, which is ummmm....of course way different than i am used to lol. My Hermana said it is one of the worst she has had, so that gives me hope for other apartments. Elders lived in it before, so it was really dirty and my hermana spent a few hours cleaning out the fridge and scrubbing the floors and bathroom and stuff as I unpacked and took a shower. We don´t have any gas right now, so we have the pleasure of taking cold showers...yessssss lol. The bathroom is pretty scary and our toilet doesn´t quite work properly – it doesn´t like to flush haha. And today I´m definitely planning on buying some plastic bowls and spoons for cereal bc we own like a few pieces of silverware and stuff that are rusty and probably 20 years old haha. But don´t worry mom, I´m not going to die haha. I am trying to embrace Chile, the people, and be grateful for what I am given .
> But oh my gosh....on to Spanish. I have definitely been humbled...the first day I didn´t understand anyone!! It´s getting a little better, but Spanish in Chile is for sure an entirely different language lol. They talk to fast and it just sounds like mumbles to me. I like when we run into someone from Peru (there are a lot here bc we are so close to the border and many work here) because their spanish is a little more easy to understand. Since this is a new area for both my companion and I, we don´t know anyone. So we spent this last week walking a lot, contacting, and meeting members. My companion makes me talk like every other door or person, but since I don´t understand them I just say my little part and then turn to her when they say something back haha. We have taught a few lessons, but definitely need to find investigators. So ya, lots of talking.
> The members are so so nice! A lot are happy to have more hermanas in the ward. The other two hermanas live close to us and help us a lot. One is from Chile and the other – Hermana Plauche is from Georgia so she helps me lots. Oh my companion does know quite a bit of English, so when I am completely lost and don´t understand when she tries to explain in spanish, she tries it in english. So that is good for me not to get completely overwhelmed. Back to the members...a bishop from another area, Hermana Dario, gives us lunch everyday and is way nice. All the nativos that know a few words in English like to say them to me to make me feel better lol. And the zone and district leaders to that too and are all so nice to me. I´m like a little child because I try not to get overwhelmed or frustrated by just laughing it off or smiling and saying ¨no entiendo.¨ They all have fun with that. Some teens in the ward love talking to me and hearing me try to speak spanish and understand...they are pretty funny. And i also gave introduced myself and said my testimony in sacrament meeting (smiling the whole time to make up for my spanish) and everyone liked that haha. I´ve found that smiling and laughing is they key .
> Well I think I have written enough lol. I hope everyone is doing well and enjoyed their Thanksgiving...they don´t celebrate it here so I kinda forgot it happened lol.
> Sean – sounds like you are doing so good!!!! My president is pretty cool to...except that he doesn´t speak english but no worries lol. Continue the good work in Poland. When i tell people here you are in poland....a lot of people don´t know where that is haha. Its pretty funny. Love you!
> Love you everyone!!!! Adios!
>
> -Hermana Daly