Hi Mom, Dad and everyone else!
So I'm here! It's my first P-Day in Korea (Monday) and I am at a post office in Daegu using the free internet! And that's where I live- Daegu! My areas are Daemyong and Sangin and I live in Shin-jeon We were so tired when we arrived in Korea last Tuesday night. The next day they put us to work doing a proselyting activity in Pusan. It was kind of intimidating- I'm not going to lie! Especially when you realize how FAST the people talk. They made me soapbox a couple of times (get up on a planter box and shout (in my case :) ) to the people walking down the street. It's not a very typical missionary practice but more of a greenie initiation tactic. But while a Korean sister missionary and I were up there, a woman and her son stopped to talk to other missionaries. So that was exciting. Before that activity, we went to a bathhouse (at 6:00 in the morning!) Before we came to Korea, my district had wondered whether that would be allowed or not. But as it turns out, President Jennings really wants us to learn about the culture. It was definitely a new cultural experience. The one we went to was really nice.
That evening, they assigned us to our senior companions. I'm with Sister Jensen. She is a lot of fun. She is from Hawaii and has a Masters from Stanford in Ethnic Studies. I've been around all these college grad sisters lately- sometimes I forget that I still have a year (plus more!) of school to look forward to! My housemates are Sister Lee and Sister Matthews. We have a pretty diverse apartment- there's Sis. Jensen from Hawaii, Sis. Lee from Korea, Sis. Matthews from New Zealand (she is Maori), and then me, the girl from Utah. Haha. But actually, pretty much everyone knows I'm originally from California. I haven't been able to let go yet!
Our apartment is tiny. There is a little kitchen, two little rooms, and a little bathroom. We sleep on mats on the floor, which is not as bad as I thought. It's like a mattress! We're hardly ever home though, because we don't live in either of our areas. So basically we just eat breakfast there.
So much has happened in the past 5 days! Two people we're teaching are Yay-jin and Jung-min. They are really nice girls- about 14 years old. Yay-jin's sister joined the church last year and that's when she became interested. We set a baptismal date with her a couple of days ago! Her friend, Jung-min, is not quite ready for that yet, but she is making a lot of progress. I don't do a lot of teaching during our appointments (that's an understatement!) but I'll testify a little bit here and there. On Sunday after church, we taught them with Say-un, another investigator, about the Plan of Salvation. Say-un's uncle's family are members and she comes with them every week. She knows a ton about the gospel! So we're excited about her. My Korean is not great (at all!) but I'm trying! When people ask how long I've been here, they think I'm trying to say 5 months when really I'm trying to say 5 days! It's pretty funny. My first day proselyting, we were in the subway station and I turned around and saw these two cute old ladies on the bench and said hello. They smiled back and moved to one side to make a spot for me- and both motioned to it! And then they decided they wanted me to sit in between them so they moved again and patted the spot in the middle (all while smiling up at me). It was really funny! I've gotten used to the people looking at me all the time- because I'm a blond foreigner! Many times, we pass teenagers or little kids and exchange hellos (in English). It's a lot of fun. Middle school girls are really funny. They're so shy! It's a challenge trying to talk to people, but getting their attention is not a problem AT ALL. That part has been built into me. So that's convenient! People also want to feed us all the time. Last night, it was Fast Sunday and Sis. Jensen and I were STARVING after spending the whole afternoon/evening visiting members and teaching investigators. When we were right next to our house, a man started talking to us and then he insisted on buying us dinner. We refused, several times- it was Sunday! But he wouldn't let up, so finally we let him buy us kimbop. And he also got us these huge soups- you should've seen me try to eat the huge noodles!
The other night, we went to a new member's house to have her sign her baptism form. She is really old and so cute, but also pretty poor. I felt bad because she insisted that we take spam and fruit with us. And then she had to make sure it was packed JUST right in my backpack! So now I'm eating spam whether I like it or not! It's been a lot of fun getting to know the people we teach, people in both our wards, and the other missionaries. I have SO much motivation to learn as much Korean as possible- so I can communicate with everyone! Tragically, I left my Korean binder packed full of notes on the plane in Seoul. Don't put things under your seat! But I told the AP's about it and they're going to try to look on Lost and Found. But you know what? I have no lack of Korean help here, and it wouldn't be a real travel experience without me losing at least one thing!
Today we are going to see a big Buddhist temple. I am going to do a ton of fun things on my P-days because it is Sister Jensen's last transfer. So I'm excited! I have so much to learn about missionary work but I'm getting a good start. I am so thankful for the Lord's word and I'm excited to watch General Conference on Easter next Sunday. I love you all and hope all is going well! And Ruby gets blessed soon, right? That's awesome! And tell Newel and Marlowe congratulations for their new baby!
Love,
Alyssa