Happy 4th and everything else!

Hi!

The third week has flown by and I'm still alive! I've been coughing my head off all week and it's finally getting better. It's so hard to learn anything when you're feeling sick. I'm not the only one though. I think my companion spread her disease throughout the whole district LOL!

The fourth of July was so fun! All the missionaries were anxiously waiting for an announcement giving us permission to watch the fireworks. Around 8:40 p.m. during language study, it came! Well first we all piled into the gym to have a special fireside thing. We sang so many patriotic songs (to the dismay of Sister Mander, who is Australian hahaha!). Then, we did this really awesome thing where we played chimes to the tunes of all these songs. The MTC collected like 50 sets of chimes throughout the community so that the missionaries could play them. Each chime is a note and we clanked them with knives haha. They put up this screen so we could play them in a certain order wow I'm really bad at describing this so basically, it was like DDR with chimes. Ok? Oh well hahaha! It was lots of fun till we played Called to Serve three times and after about 40 minutes, we were all sick of it and wanted to see the fireworks. As soon as they freed us, we sprinted outside, yelled JEUNG LOUH (elders!) till we found our district, and had a merry time sweating in the dark and taking pictures of the Stadium of Fire fireworks.

So what else happened? I did my first companionship inventory with my Sister Bostwick and it was really good cause we really got to talk for the first time. Well I thought so anyway! She is really a private kind of person when it comes to feelings and stuff and likes to have a good time. It puzzles me sometimes cause she doesn't really express emotion like I do so it's harder for me to read her. Like I hug and bounce around etc. and she's very dignified. Well there's probably a better word but I can't think of one now. When I'm with her, I know that I can trust her. I love how there are so many Tongans around here! I get along with them really well and we yell and hug and have a good time. My camera didn't work till last week cause I was really dumb and didn't realize that my rechargeable batteries were dead. Good grief! And I've just read the manual and it says that my camera can only use 1 GB cards. So the ones Dad got me won't work! Sorry Dad (do you want me to send them back to you?).

So I have to say that I LOVE speaking Canto! I study really hard every day. It's usually easier to study on my own cause I'm sure my comp would kill me if I studied with her. Once I get started, I just don't wanna stop and she needs a break I think. I think it used to exasperate her that I would walk around with my head buried in the Canto dictionary but I learn so many new words that way! I think it's really starting to pay off. I wonder what would have happened if I had moved up with the older Canto-speaking district. They're leaving in TWO WEEKS for HONG KONG!!! I am soo soo excited for them! I think I would have been fine with the language if I'd moved up because I know my Cantonese is better. I'm glad I didn't because I know without a doubt that I am supposed to be with my district. I love these elders so much and think of them as my brothers. I've decided to give you a bio of at least one in each email since I have several more to write in the MTC. So here it is:

Elder Lindsey is from the big island of Hawaii! We ALMOST met because his girlfriend Leka was in my BYUH ward, but then it didn't happen cause she got sick. We are really good friends and speak pidgeon and say "da kine!" all the time LOL! He is 22 so is a bit older than the rest of the elders with the exception of Elder Ling, who is 24. He is in a threesome with Elder Dahl and Elder Nelson and sometimes pleads if he can join my companionship with Sister Bostwick instead hahaha! Sometimes these 19 year olds act very much like 19 year olds, but that's why I love them!

My teachers are Brother Burby (Bui Hing Daih) and Sister Slade (Sa Ji Muih). Love them so much! Brother Burby is a small guy but knows how to keep everyone in line. He served in HK and is obsessed with anything Chinese. His Cantonese is amazing and if I close my eyes, I would mistake him for a native speaker. He served three years ago and has taught about a billion districts in the MTC. His wife is from HK too. Sister Slade served in HK as well and is so sweet! I love sisters and they are RARE. At least we don't have to wait in line for the bathroom haha!

AHHH my time is running out AGAIN! I love you all so much! Don't forget to write!

Love,

Sister Chu :)