February 13, 2012

So transfers are super trunky. Everyone that is getting transferred or has a companion that is getting transferred meets up at a giant bus terminal. Everyone has their bags packed and some people are actually going home. It's cool though because you get to see and talk to alot of people that you don't see very often. It was super cool. I work in Eldorado, a neighborhood in Diadema. It's a little hilly here. But not too bad. It's also wayyyy cooler here. I wake up in the morning cold. That's a sensation I haven't felt in a little while. People complain of the heat still but I think it's great. It does rain almost every day for an hour. And it rains hard. The work is also progressing here a lot more. The people are a lot humbler. It definitely is a poorer area. My companion, Elder Larusso, is great. He actually passed in Embaré where I was. So we talk about the families and stuff there a lot. I will try and get my address for you next week so that you can look at our house. We live on the third floor of what is a mix between a house and an apartment. It has a kitchen, then our bedroom, the bathroom, then another bedroom, and a veranda after that. It's all in a straight line, one room to the next. Well not really the bathroom is to the side and there is a hallway to pass through. Elder Larusso has 9 months on the mission and is a really good teacher. I'm learning a lot from him now. He is from Espirito Santo, a state just north of Rio. He has been in this area since I arrived in the field so he knows it pretty well. It's actually a really small area. Which is nice. 

The chapel here is being reformed so we are meeting in a rented space above a super market. It's actually pretty cool. I'll take some pictures so you can see. The chapel should be done in a month or so I should be here for sure when it's dedicated. We will be giving tours and holding lots of events to try and get people to come see. It's in a rather prominent place in the city.

I was going to ask if you got the photos. If you have any questions about them just ask I'll do my best to respond. Quick request. Could you send a camera memory card? An SD card is what they're called. As big as you can find 16 GB or something like that. I am going to just save my memory cards and bring them back with me. Speaking of which I think I'm going to send a package home here in a little bit. After I get to go to Vinte Cinco de Março, a super cheap shopping street. The package will have some presents and some things that I don't need here that you can hold on to for me.

The Elder that talked for 5 hours is Elder _______. He actually passed here in Eldorado, the people here don't remember him too fondly.... The name of the aquarium is just the aquarium of Santos. It's in Ponta da Praia in Santos.

We should be going to the temple in March, the missionaries in the Baixada, the area by Santos, only go every 6 months but all the areas closer to the temple, like the ABC and Sao Paulo areas, go every 3 months, but March will have the whole mission going. I'm excited to go through in Portugues for the first time, in the CTM I went but it was with all Americans and they have the session in English.

I was talking with a member and was wondering if Mardi Gras and Carnaval are related somehow? Just a thought. They seem kind of similar and they are almost at the same time.

Tell Lindy and Travis congratulations for me!

I did not get a package on transfer day, but tomorrow I should because we have a training with President Mazzigardi again. 

I still don't know what the rules for Carnaval will be. Some elders say we can't leave others say we just have an early curfew. I should find out in that meeting with President tomorrow. And I did know Tom Brady's wife is Brazilian. She is all over the place here.

By the way, about flights and related things here in Brazil, Brazilians are taught that the first person to fly was a Brazilian called Santos Dumon or something like that, and that it wasn't the Wright Brothers. I would love to do some research on this but obviously I can't. I've already had a few discussions about this topic with Brazilians.

As far as the language goes, I already have got the question if I was from Brazil a few times. The accent is starting to fade away. I still have some troubles especially when the Bishop randomly calls on you to bare testimony in Sacrament Meeting, it was a little nerve racking for me, but it went fine. I feel pretty comfortable with the language. I live with two other Brazilians. Elder J. Santos, and Elder Souza. Us four together make up our entire district. It's kind of funny we all live together.

Well that's all the news so far here in Eldorado. Até mais. Te amo.

Elder Cameron Bruce