¿¡Carnaval!? (Monday, February 9)

Well, first things first: I'm not going to be able to write this next week. Instead, I'll be locked up in the house because of something called Carnaval. Not sure if ya'll have heard of it, but (from what I understand) it's more or less like 3 days of free-for-all water gun/ balloon fights in the street, but with paint. So, from Saturday in the afternoon until Wednesday in the afternoon, we're not allowed to leave our house. To make things even better, cambios (transfers) are this week right before Carnaval, so things are probably going to change a little. It's bound to be loads of fun...

 

Ok, on with the more fun things. This week, while visiting with a family, un palta (an avocado) fell from a tree and broke open. It wasn't anywhere near ripe, but I was allowed to take it anyway. So, for the rest of the day, we walked around and I clapped the two ends together like in Monty Python with the coconuts (on a side note, we have a few coconuts as well) and I was pretty entertained. It's amazing how simple things are so thrilling as you walk around.

 

We also got the chance to do some more service with the ever-so-fun machetes >=). Everything went well, up untill the last few minutes, where my flawless 19year streak finally came to and end: Elder Fleming and I encountered a little bee's nest as we were hacking away as the tall grass near a tree. I was lucky enough to get away with only a sting or two, but pobrecito E' Fleming got a few more. Oh well. It was a little painful I guess, and it lingered for a while, but we forged ahead.

 

We saw the movie Conozca a los Mormones (Meet the Mormons) last week, which as a video was pretty good. However, it was lacking a little in a few movie aspects. Por ejemplo (for example), it had outstanding character development, but then it just kind of moved on. There was no real plot, no climax, no resolution. There was some action however. In all, it was pretty nice to watch (in Spanish of course) and a little break from the movie-less missionary life in Bolivia.

 

Sunday in the morning we actually made breakfast. Granted it was hamburgers with toasted buns and Ramen, but Mother would be proud of me for actually cooking something, right? I also figured out how to eat the treats sent from Christmas, as I just added a little water and cooked it like pancakes. They turned out super well, proving that we hard-core missionaries don't need to follow the norms of others, and forge our own paths.

 

With love for this week and the next,

Elder Yates