Nihon!

After two months of boring everyone with stuff that was happening in the good but bland town of Provo, Utah, everyone can finally read the good stuff of about being in Japan!  

My journey started in Provo at two a.m. when we woke up and left for the Salt Lake City airport at three thirty a.m.  Then we went through security and they confiscated two tubes of toothpaste I forgot to take out of my carry-on and we got on the plane to Detroit.  We had a three hour lay-over there and after visiting Tim the Toolman Taylor`s backyard, we embarked all twelve of us to the Nagoya airport.  We got to Japan thirteen hours later [2:25 a.m. Utah time] and were greeted by the mission president and Sister Yamashita.  We slept the night over there, filled out some paper work, had orientation and then went to the chapel next door to the Yamashita`s house and met our trainers.

Mine happens to be Elder Siedschalg (you prounce it `Zeed`schlag) and he is from Brazil so I guess no Nihongen trainer for me.  He is pretty fun and has been out for a few months and speaks all of the Nihongo because I can pretty much only bow, say thank you, and teach the first discussion so that was very helpful when I went and got my sturdy bike.  Our first week or half a week I guess since I got out to my area has been trying to get everything set up since we just converted our apartment from two people living in it to four of us.  It might be a bit cramped but I think that it is funner with more people around to talk to.

My area is called Numazu in the Shizuoka zone and it is in the corner of the mission in the southeast area.  So I am basically as close to home as I will ever be in the next two years where I am at now.  Mount Fuji is in the area over and we can see it on a clear day but won`t be able to hike it because it is too long and not that safe but we can maybe go to a certain point with our district on a P-day.

In our district there is Axthelm Choro who was my dai senpai at the MTC but I haven`t been able to see him yet and in my zone there is Dickenson Choro who was also my dai senpai and Orellana Choro who was my Chilean friend in my district.  So I have plenty of friends around me.

The weirdest thing I have experienced so far is the toilets.  First the seat is heated which was a shock the first time I sat down and you can also choose to have it spray water at you.  I finally got the courage to have it spray my butt and it was kind of refreshing but then my butt was still wet afterwards so I don`t think I will continue to do that!

Another weird thing was that we taught English class my first full day out in the field and they were having a good-bye party for someone`s grand-daughter in the ward who had spent the summer there and was leaving to go to Dixie State.  So I got to talk English for a little bit which was a bit weird.  But if anyone in the St. George area or at Dixie State sees a Mia Hart tell her Elder Hall says hi.  And speaking of English, we have a Polish investigator who speaks English but he canceled this week`s appointment so I wasn't able to teach in my native langauge.

Anyways, things are good over in Nihon.    Have a great and safe week everyone!

Learning to use chopsticks

Selfie with Elder Siedschalg