SI PUES

No mas Si mon...SOLO SI PUES. Porque? It's the Chiapan way!!

I knew I was in for it the very first day when I waved and smiled at the car full of scary looking Mexican men that honked at me..... 

 Hermana Martinez & Hansen

NAH CHISTE.  (only joking)

This is not a horror story where the dumb, white girl gets kidnapped because she's literally the only white girl in Tuxtla Central. But seriously. I really am the only white girl here. The only other white people are albinos.

I'm the first gringa in my area in a looooong time. And I think the only blond girl ever. So cada dia, cada dia, (every day) people stare. Everyone.

It's hilarious, and great for contacting people. People will listen because the white girl speaks Spanish!... well.... bad Spanish.

Everywhere I go, Mexican men shout things at me. Mostly in Spanish, sometimes in very bad English. I understand some of it....but not most of it.

Hermana Martinez says she's glad I don't understand a lot of it... hahahhaha but don't worry! I'm fine. They just literally have never seen blonde hair before and think it's like the most beautiful thing in the world.

Ah I love my companion!! She's awesome! She's from Puebla. And so loving and awesome. She speaks a little bit of English...but not much. So it's Spanish all day every day! (But she usually understands my Spanglish!)

  They seem like perfect missionary companions for each other!

Mexico is so different... AND I LOVE IT. I LOVE EVERY FREAKING MINUTE OF IT.

But yeah, the first couple of days were a culture shock for me. Kids running around the streets washing cars windows for money, trying to sell stuff... anything to get by for that day.

Sometimes people just live in like these cave like structures. Others live in cement and cardboard apartments with aluminum roofs.

We live in a pretty nice apartment and there's still bugs everywhere. Every. Where. No joke.

 Creepy little bugs...everywhere!

We live across the street from a bar so LOUD MUSIC ALL NIGHT LONG. Everything's loud and colorful here: the people, the music, the buildings, everything!

 Looks like Hermana Hansen has found heaven in a Mexican style pizza.

I love it. My type of people. And most people are super friendly. But yeah, totally different from America. But, I totally love it . 

Laundry time

I'm wet all the time. Literally, it's so humid here. And hot. And green and humid. I'm always sticky. I usually never had my hair down because its too hot (and it attracts more attention to me).

Yeah, people have nothing here. It's humbling! But, I love everything about the city and Tuxtla and Chiapas.

It's hard to understand the Chiapan accent a lot of times, because its like... a wave. Up and down, up and down. Haha! It's so cool. 

 Study time 

I love being a missionary!! I'll have more time next week to tell more.

 Mexican cats (for her sister Savannah...now Sav wants to know if they meow with accents).

Lo siento for the short and scrambled letter!!

Love you and miss you all!!!

Hermana Hansen

Hermana Hansen's Apartment Tour

 

 Study area and kitchen

 Stairwell to their apartment

  Bathroom & Laundry room

 This is the sink where they wash their clothing. What a culture shock this must've been for Hermana Hansen...as she just barely figured out the settings on the washing machine at her home in Draper.

tuxtlllaaaaaaaa

Hola Familia!

Entonces.... apparatlement yo fue supposed a escribir ustedes cuando yo arrivar en mexico... pero yo no intendo eso!! LO SIENTO. Pero yo soy aqui! Mi compañera es Hna Martinez y ella es la mejor!!!!!!! Im in tuxtla gutierrez central. my pday is on monday! so ill talk to you then.... love you! bye!!

(Well.......apparently I was supposed to write you when I arrived in Mexico.... but I didn't understand this!!  I'M SORRY.  But I am here!  My companion is Hermana Martinez and she is the best!!!!!!.......)

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Note from parents:  We intentionally left her 'spanglish' exactly as she e-mailed (sic) -- so she will have a good laugh someday after her mission when she reads this.   Anyone who has served a foreign mission can relate to those first weeks when you're just learning the basics of the language and don't understand anything going on around you... and apparently she missed out on the instructions to let us know she had arrived :-)  ......and now having a Latin companion speaking Spanish 24/7 will be such a blessing in the long run.  We're so excited for her! (and not obsessed at all if you can't tell by the screens shots - ha ha)  Thanks to everyone who is sending prayers her way.



She landed safely in Tuxtla Gutierrez on Monday afternoon after spending about 18 hours in transit including layovers in Atlanta and Mexico City.  She arrived along with a total of 29 new missionaries (24 elders and 5 sisters).   She likely arrived to parades, fiestas and fireworks smack in the middle of the two day celebration of Independence Day in Mexico.

We were able to speak with her briefly at the Salt Lake and Atlanta airports while she was in transit.

We had purchased her a pre-paid calling card which ended up not getting used.  For some reason she couldn't get it to work from the pay-phone in Salt Lake so she finally deposited some coins and we were able to call her back at the pay-phone (yes, they still exist!).


In Atlanta the pay-phones were actually all out of service in the terminal she was in.  They are converting to a different type of phone where you can make 5 minute courtesy calls.  Some of the missionaries had 'throw-away' cell phones they used to call home while in transit.  But the calling cards we bought did not work as intended - so fortunately she was able to borrow her companion's 'throw-away' phone in Atlanta and we were still able to talk.

She sounded great and was excited to arrive in Mexico!