Crazy Bus!

I think I only have a few minutes to e-mail...we'll see.

Today we get to go to Xela (Quetzaltenango) to go shopping. We go roughly once a transfer. HOORAY!!! This means we get to recieve our pouch mail. Yay yay! Hopefully my packages have arrived well. If not, we'll go again next month.

Why do I only have a few minutes to e-mail? Every Monday we e-mail as a zone. This is a new-ish mission rule. but has been in place my entire mission. We ride a bus from San Fransico to Momostango to meet up for e-mailing. Oh man, the bus rides are crazy!!! I wish I could video tape them for you. It's really truly like a rollercoaster - dodging pot holes, cars, dogs and people. They play really loud music and the busses are super crouded. Everything's smaller here. The knees of my companion and I touch the bench in front of us. Sometimes we just laugh on the bus because it's such a funny sight. Somtimes we feel car sick and are anxious for the ride to end.

The Elders let us know what time we're supposed to get to Momos to e-mail. This morning they didn't call us until 8:10ish and told us to be there by nine. But, the buses only come every thirty minutes and it's a long drive. After quickly eating breakfast (delicious fresh fruit smoothy) and putting on our shoes, we waled very quickly up steep, stone roads to the bus stop. Here we waited with about fifteen other people - the women all dressed in typical clothing. The typical clothing for the women is pretty. They wear colorful skirts and sometimes matching aprons, sometimes very not matching approns. The skirts are really eight yards of thick fabric that they wrap and fold around their waists and then tie very tightly. The typical blouses are very pretty as well - but I don't really love them. They are growing on me.

As people walk by, they often say the one or two words of English they know to us - we are two Gringas and my blonde hair gets A LOT of attention. "Hello." "Excuse me." "What is your name" "I love you" "I'm sorry." Most of the time, I think they don't know that they're saying. There's a fascination with English here. People often ask if we can teach them English. They're also really fascinated with the American culture. The members have so many questions about how my life is different from theres.

After waiting for thirty minutes, a bus finally headed the right direction pulls to a stop. The busses are opporated by two or three men; one drives, and one or two collect money. This bus had two men.

The one collecting the money jumps of the bus while it slows to a stop and yells "Momos! Momos! Momos!" Everyone who's headed that direction scrambles on and squeezes in. My companion and I sit three to our seat and are squashed on all directions. This time we thought it was funny and laughed.

After swirling through mountains, around put holes and cars, we arrive in Momostango where we walk to the internet center. The internet center is a family opporated business like all the business here ... oh pause, to be continues in a minute, hopefully...

Sorry, I just had to write my mission president really quickly. I always forget to...oops.

And so here we are as a zone e-mailing in a cement room with several different computers. Mine this week is actaully fairly nice. It runs fast and the key board works. Yay! ...but we arrives late, and so time is about spent.

CONGRATULATIONS LISA!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I want to see a photo of your art. I'm not the least but surprised! You are incredible talented.

Yes, my streak is still going. I am also making progress feeling more like myself more often. I really am a little bit better all the time.

Mom, can you e-mail me a few recipes? Blender pancakes, Black Bean dip (both types) bread, brownies, cake (brownies and cakle for baptisms) and anything else you think of. We're high alltitde and humid.

Also, can you e-mail me a copy of my patriarchal blessing? I lost mine in one of the moves.

I love you all!!!
Have a very splendid week!

Hna Finch.