This Weekend

So after I posted my last blog, there was a celebration at the church for Nicaragua's Mother's Day. The program was actually a talent show. And since everyone in the branch loves to share their talents, everyone participated. One of these numbers was a dance number, and a bunch of women got up and started doing some type of salsa dancing. I leaned over to Annie and said, "Wow, I will NEVER be able to dance like that". Because it's true, they just move their hips in a way that I will never be able to understand. But right as I said that, one of the women danced over to me and held out her hands. I didn't need to speak Spanish to know what she wanted. At first I said no, because I was really embarrassed. Then, the worst possible thing happened--- the branch got on their feet and started CHEERING! I wanted to die, but I got up and started dancing with them. I was definitely the worst dancer on the floor, with the slowest moving hips by far... even more than the 65+ year old woman next to me. But Wes got it on video, and I was laughing the entire time. I said to the woman holding my hands, "No puedo bailar!" But she just laughed and told me to dance. I was also the tallest person there, most people only went up to my shoulders, if that. Then, Wes volunteered Annie and I to do Musical Chairs with some women in the branch. They take that game SERIOUSLY. There were some major elbows being thrown around there!

Today, we went to a different meeting from what the Sines normally go to. We went out to where a family meets for church every Sunday. They live far far away from the branch building. Seriously. It's 1 1/2 hour bus ride, THEN an hour long walk. So they don't always come to the branch, but they are faithful members of the Church. We were literally RIGHT on the Pacific Ocean (see above). And as there weren't many people there, they wanted all the "visitors" (aka us) to get up and speak. Of course, that included me. I panicked at first, but when Annie asked if I wanted Wes to translate for me my pride got in the way. So up I went, with my little friend in tow:

(Yes, he got up on my shoulder when I went to go speak. He squawked when anyone else tried to take him.)
All I knew about bearing my testimony in Spanish was from one text from Brandon, and for some reason I was able to remember it. So I got up and started with "No hablo Espanol, pero voy a tratar" (I don't speak Spanish, but I'm going to try) And then I got really choked up. That, more than anything, was amazing for me. I'm in Nicaragua, speaking a language I don't really understand in front of complete strangers, and the Church is STILL true. Awesome.
And then the father of the family (i didn't catch his name) was talking to me, and I was able to understand him! And he understood me most of the time. It wasn't perfect communication, but it was bastante. He asked me how I liked Nicaragua, and I said it was muy bonita. Then he started asking me about the number of members in my ciudad (sounded like Grandpa Myres, but in Spanish), and was so surprised when I said around a thousand. Then he asked me how often I go to the temple, and I got kind of ashamed of myself. Sometimes I just don't want to go, so I don't take advantage of the opportunities I have. (In my defense, the last time I really had a conflict in my schedule, CPR class that was the only time I could do it. But still.) I said we had the Newport Beach temple about 10 minutes from our house, and I go when I can. He said he has only gone to the temple once in his life, and that was on the trip that our family helped sponsor with the clay angels. I didn't even know what to say. That was humility beyond anything I've ever encountered. That family's definitely going to get exalted before I do.
Other than that? Nada. I'm getting eaten alive by mosquitos (i'm not sure of the word in Spanish, but I'm pretty sure it's Molestaros... makes sense), and tomorrow I'm supposed to be teaching in preschool? Shoot.

My first real cultural experience

Ok so here are some pictures and videos from the last little while:

Claira's "room"... the short side of Annie and Wes' L-shaped closet. Since there's a door from the closet to the bathroom in addition to a door from the bedroom to the bathroom, Claira told Annie, "I share a bathroom with you."

Before we went to the Mother's Day celebration at the Colegio Calasanz (the elementary school Emily and David go to)... Note how happy Claira is here:

as opposed to here. Figures. It's not a muumuu by the way, just un vestido.
Yesterday we went to the Mother's Day celebration at the school, and it was a BIG deal. Annie said it's because Nicaragua is predominantly Catholic, and in Catholicism they really revere Santa Maria. So they had a HUGE celebration. It starts with Euchrist(?), which is a Mass that takes a really long time if you don't understand a word that they're saying. Which was my case. I did understand the Lord's Prayer, but that was it. They also stood up for most of the time, but I wasn't feeling like it, so I sat down. Although that could be considered disrespectful. When he pulled out the Communion wafers and wine, I couldn't help but groan. I did NOT want to be in the Sun anymore, and it was humid, and I could complain for days. But it actually only lasted for like an hour or so. Then we went to the kid's classrooms, and they fed us bocadillas y pan dulces y arroz con pollo, until I was way stuffed. I went to meet the school psychologist, and Wes said he didn't know why I needed to talk to her. But I knew why-- it's because I'm going to have an inferiority complex by the time I'm done with interning there from not being able to communicate with anyone. Every time she would rapid-fire a question at me, Wes would have to save my skin and answer it for me. She said, "Es muy dificil para comunicar". You're telling me, lady!
Then the dancing started. And the first few dances were in traditional dress and traditional moves, which I liked. But then there were some dances and outfits that were... shocking, to say the least. I wouldn't have wanted my elementary age kids dancing and dressing like that. But Emily was covered up more, and she didn't seem to enjoy herself. So I was fine with that. I'm trying to figure out a way to upload the video of Claira shaking her hips to the music... help?
the other highlight of yesterday was definitely either swimming in a rainstorm (in a pool that used to be used to wash coffee beans when the school Wes teaches at was a coffee plantation), and dinnertime. Another Claira moment-- she was asked to say the prayer, and bless Robert Coleman and one of their other friends. She said, "and Sheeshish? (Jesus) and Heanly Fatzher (Heavenly Father) and Sheeshish yovezh me (Jesus loves me)." From the mouth of babes.
Last night I got my first real encounter with the little "friends" that live on the Sines' roof. Iguanas, foxes, armadillos, rats.. they all have one thing in common. They sound like full-grown men when they're walking on a roof. SO scary... and it was while I was babysitting. I'm just glad they had warned me about it beforehand.
Well, today I'm going to make my  dermotologist happy and wear my big sun hat while out in the Sun swimming with everyone. Hasta luego, everyone!

ESTOY AQUI!!!!

Ok I'm just glad to be here in one piece, with all of my luggage. It was kind of a hectic traveling day yesterday. I was in LAX about ready to board, and realized that I couldn't find my bag. I called my mom while on the verge of tears, and she told me to run to the airport police and tell them... Because they can do something if a bag gets stolen at LAX. But that was also my idea, and on the way there I passed where I had been sitting and found it. Ohhhhh my gosh. I think it was one of the scariest moments of my life. But the flight was uneventful. I forgot to pack my headphones, and I decided if there was a good movie I'd buy them. But the movie was "Tooth Fairy", so I decided to forgo paying $3.00 for headphones for that.
Houston was also pretty stressful. I got to my gate an hour ahead of time, and decided to go buy some Wendy's (healthy eating) before getting ready to board. When I got back from Wendy's, there was nobody there. I freaked out again, because if I was stuck in Houston without any relatives living there I was NOT going to be happy. Maybe they had boarded early? So I went and asked the agent at the gate next door (going to Liberia, Costa Rica... good times), and she said it moved down the hall. Phew!
On the flight to Managua, I made friends with a girl named Delilah. She was 2 years old (of course) and told her dad I was her "mama". At first I found it kind of awkward, until she pulled out the magazine from the seatback pocket, and pointed to a picture of Kristen Chenoweth and said "Es tu!"I'll take it. She was the only person whose Spanish I could understand right off, and that was only some of the time. Trust me, the feeling of inadequacy is something I'm probably going to get used to over this month. The fact that everyone else can speak a different language makes me feel like I'm not that smart... Especially when Caroline acts so surprised when I know what a word is in Spanish. She's 5, for those who don't know. Anyway, I landed safely (the airplane fishtailed a little bit because it was raining), and got through customs just fine. Then the craziest thing happened. We had to scan our bag AGAIN. And it took more than half an hour, because 3 international flights came in at the SAME TIME. I was soooo mad. But Annie was there waiting for me, and I got to their house safely.
I don't think I'm going to get used to the feeling of everything being slightly damp from the humidity any time soon. I'll definitely hug my air-conditioning unit when I get home... It's actually not that hot. But it's like living in a comfortably-heated sauna. And that makes it really hard to stay awake all day long. One thing I won't be able to get used to? Not flushing toilet paper down the toilet. Seriously. They put it in a trash can next to the toilet!!! Ew. I'll just embrace it I guess, I did want a cultural experience. Today I've been amazed with everyone's Spanish. Annie speaks so well with all their help (they hired people from the branch, to help support their families), and even though her accent isnt perfect, she is able to keep up with them. Which is more than I can say for myself. I did manage to have a somewhat broken conversation with one of the housekeepers (Joelca?) and she knew who my mom and dad were (mi padre es alto, y mi mama es "Deena"). So I'm actually really proud of myself, because that's the first time I've had a conversation with someone in Spanish where I couldn't say "Oh you know what I mean", and I think she understood me and everything! Go me.
Well, tonight we're having a legitimate (as opposed to illegitimate) Nicaraguan feast! Jugo de Calala (maracuya), aka passionfruit juice; arroz con coco, aka rice with coconut; shish kabobs con camarones, aka shish kabobs with shrimp; torta de zanaorias, aka carrot cake; y tostones, or fried plantains (which are SO good!). So I'm going to go help in the kitchen (even though they've got two housekeepers on it) so I don't feel like a bum. But I'm keeping a good journal in addition to this! And I'll put pictures up soon, once I have more pictures. Hasta luego, todo!
Mom, can you give my blog link to Claudia? I'm sure she wants to read about this since she helped so much with my going.

La Primera Boda del Verano (AKA Lauren's wedding)

Ok my Spanish is still a little bit shaky... I have no idea if that is correct.
At any rate, last weekend (Thursday) was Lauren's wedding. So my dad and I flew up early Thursday morning, to Bountiful Utah for the wedding. I wish I had gotten a picture of the temple, because it's a gorgeous one. However, I was there for about 3 hours before the wedding, because my dad wanted to do a session there. So I explored downtown Bountiful (took less than an hour), and sat in the lobby of the temple for a while, writing and feeling the peace that is always at the temple. Then the wedding happened, and I hung out with Lauren's cousins on her other side (Sarah Jorgenson and Annette Hogge). I did get pictures of them walking out of the temple, and she looked gorgeous!

Then we took the family pictures... Note how well I like to pay attention to the camera in the first picture.

Then my dad wanted a picture of just us with the blissful newlyweds:

After the wedding was the dinner, and there were many toasts. I dont think Lincoln wanted me to give a toast because he knew I had so many stories haha. Then the reception was a lot of fun, because I got to see lots of people that I knew. Many of my cousins were there, and it was amazing to see them (as usual). To see Alyse and Tommy is always fun, and I ended up staying at their house that night. We got In-N-Out on the way home (of course), and I got to spend the next day with Alyse, Tommy, Dad, Grandma and Grandpa Murphy.

So that's all... I'm going to Nicaragua tomorrow. I'm kind of nervous, hopefully my Spanish helps me out right now. But I know I can get through the airport by myself just fine, and after that I won't be alone for the rest of the trip! Which I"m totally fine with. All the wishes of "be safe" make me a little bit nervous... but I'll be fine. And safe. And I'll keep this updated! Probably more than my Facebook, I"ll probably just update that when I get home. Ciao!

The things I'm realizing this Summer

- Most of the people I hang out with are 2 years old and younger
-Learning Spanish has taught me how much I am capable of learning... If I am able to speak in Spanish to some level of fluency by the end of the summer, I am certainly capable of getting a 4.0
-No matter how much I may have to do in a day, I feel like I'm unproductive if I don't have a set time schedule
-My new least favorite feeling is lactic acid burning
-The lectures I get from my boyfriend sound very similar to the lectures I get from my mom........ (one is well intended and for my well being, and one just tries to get my goat... I'll let you figure that one out.)
-Sometimes, and just SOMETIMES, your parents might be right.
-I have more patience than I thought I did.
-I sleep so so so so much, and it never seems like it's enough.
-When people are tired, it's just better to excuse what they say, because chances are you'll be cranky too.
-I spend a lot of time video chatting
-Spending the last 6 months of my school year in snow was worth it to be out of school at least 6 weeks before everyone else...
-My texting number has gone up exponentially since leaving Rexburg, probably from leaving all my friends.
-My little siblings are pretty much hilarious (especially Bethany and Cole)
-Along those lines, sharing a room with an 11-year-old-turning-12-in-13-days girl is pretty fun... we have pillow talk when I go to bed the same time as her.
-I can, despite popular opinion, run without throwing up... I was beginning to doubt myself for a while there.
-I can survive long periods of time without putting makeup on (or shave my legs, for that matter... but that's another story)
-I get to go to Nicaragua in 9 days!!!!!!!!! Time to cram in the Spanish!

Happy Mother's Day!

So this weekend was "Mother's Day Weekend"... my mom decided that the next few years Mother's Day will expand until it encompasses the entire year. Pretty genius plan, if you ask me. But that means that it will take 363 more years... so good luck.
Alyse and Tommy flew down on Wednesday, which was nice of them. We got to watch Austin's volleyball game, and they almost won too!
Saturday we took some of our bikes (and rented some) down to Balboa Island. I was the designated photographer, and did my best to take pictures. However, it is hard to take pictures while riding my bike, so they turned out like this:

(I had to.)

This is my favorite picture... Tommy's face makes it.

Last Little While

So I finally uploaded all my pictures, and here are a few highlights of the very few things I've done over this summer.

Tommy dropped me off at Jared and Amy's house to stay there for a few days before I flew home, and immediately the girls jumped at the chance to dress him up. This is how it ended up.

You know I can't resist a face like that... Baby Heath.

These are two of the 5 kids I babysit for regularly, two almost-2-year-old twins...

Maverick, and

Magnum. (Their older sibling's names are Macy, Milan, and Maximilian) They are just soooooo cute!

This is my favorite picture from babysitting them. It's hard to get a good picture of the kids, because they're always running around. Love this face though.

Post tonight about Mother's Day/having Alyse and Tommy come home for a few days!

Positive Perspective

So i was thinking about what to blog today (yes i do that, and I'm sure you people who are more avid bloggers do too), and I thought I could do a really whiny post on what's going wrong with my life. But instead, i've decided to have a more positive outlook. Sometimes things don't go as well as you want them to. Sometimes, no matter how hard you try in a class, and how positive you are that your grade is secure, it isn't reflected on your transcript. No matter how hard you try to take care of your face, it breaks out faster than Justin Bieber onto the pop culture scene. Even if you try to eliminate greasy foods and soda from your diet, and exercise daily, you gain more weight than you did the entire semester when those habits were basically reversed.
But, I have a lot to be grateful for this summer. I'm going to Nicaragua on May 26th (keep posted for regular blogs while I'm there), which will be an awesome experience. I have a job waiting for me after that, which will help me not have to work a ton in the school year. I get a visit from Brandon July 1 to the 4 (not THAT kind of visit, 5 months is just a long time to go without seeing each other when you're not planning on dating anyone else). My friends are going on missions, which is good and sad at the same time... and I have plenty of weddings to crash this summer! So I can just keep exercising, washing my face, and preparing for future semesters (which includes a dance class with Brandon... umm yes?)