Week 2 in Cusco

Hey guys, I´m going to apologize in advance for the lack of pictures this week. Today has been a lot of walking because we didnt have too many appointments except for yesterday. Im going to make a video sometime this week of our house from outside.

Today was our second pday. We played soccer for almost 3 hours, it was way fun. Im really sunburnt now though i can feel it.

After this, we plan on going to Real Plaza ( a mall) and shop for stuff.

The picture that i sent is just our internet cafe, where we email every week. I took it right outside.

[We asked if he had received the package we sent.]

Yes, I received my package, the same day you said actually. Right after emailing i went to the office and it was there.  I was confused because I had a package and my companion did not. His parents said his package arrived nearly 2 weeks ago. It must just be lost in the office. The coat is awesome, thanks! I usually dont need it, at least here, but i heard that later in the year, its going to start to rain a lot.

I actually dont have a lot of people to email this week, a lot more last week, so its okay, ill try to sum up something though in my next email

Okay here we go

So this was my second week in the field, it actually went by really quick. This week was really a ton of walking, but sometimes it pays off.

This week we went to visit a member who lives out in the middle of the hills. Its a shame I didnt have my camera with me, but it was really really far out from the city. We were literally like climbing for almost 30 minutes.

Our pension is super awesome, they are willing to make anything we want. The only real problem I have is with the drinks. Apparently they love hot drinks here, so literally everything is hot. A hot cup of Chicha doesnt really hit the spot after walking and climbing all day.

[We asked him how he was doing with the altitude -- since Cusco is at 11,000 feet -- and he appears to be doing a lot of walking!]

I didnt think it really hit me until we started doing the climb up to that guys house.
Today, when we played soccer for almost 3 hours, you can really feel it.

I think im doing pretty good, we speak a lot of english but also spanish. Spanish is still going to be a struggle for a while, ive just heard it comes with time. It seems like everyone speaks spanish a little bit different!

[We asked him if he was nervous not speaking solely English, given his next companion might be a Latino Elder who only speaks Spanish.]

No, im not really nervous because I feel like i can communicate sufficiently. Something i didnt know was, apparently we are supposed to teach all of our latino companions english, because it will like help them a lot later in life with their jobs and stuff. Not quite sure how thats going to work out, but we will have to see! I expect a latino companion after these two changes, thats what usually happens i heard.! Transfers are 6 weeks long, you get two while training. So we go until the start of november!

[We asked him generally how he was doing and if he had seen any Llama's yet]

The first day we arrived, this kid holding 3 of them walked up to us!

Yeah, everything is going okay, its just seems like a lot of rules sometimes, and definitely a lot of work! Im going to make a video this week!

Its definitely a lot of work sometimes, but the experience is really awesome too.

I hope I can get in better shape on my mission, but our pension here is truly awesome in her cooking.
Also, one family gives us food every time we go over there! I am somewhat hoping that my next pension wont feed me that much, because I want to take this time to try to shape up both spiritually and physically!

Thanks a lot for the package, the coat and the ties are awesome.
I know its really expensive to send packages, so thanks!
After this internet session, we are going to go to the Mall and shop.
I am hoping to find:

1. A stain remover marker that my companion has, its really handy for removing stains in like ties and white shirts.
2. Me and my companion are considering buying a soccer ball, so we could have a decent one to use when we want to play
3. Perhaps more ties, I really like the look of ties called "Paisley". Im not sure if i can find them here though, im going to try!

That is a picture of what one looks like

[Note:  Although Connor might not be aware of this -- but Mom and I in fact lived through the 70's and 80's and know what a paisley tie looks like! :)]

Im not sure why, but I love ties now, I guess its because thats about the most exciting thing we get to change from day to day, ties and watches.

Anyways, our time is done, i am off! Love you guys! Will make a video this week!