Hey everybody!
So it's week two in the MTC and things have started to move a little faster. The days are long but this week went by ridiculously fast.
We are now teaching in 100% percent Romanian everyday and still learning all sorts of new grammar principles. I have two teachers, Fratele Jepsen and Fratele Irion and anybody who works with them will tell you they love them. They're great guys. We've learned a bit about the history of Romania -- mainly the communist era and the countries digression under the rule of Ceausescu. It's sad because Romania was once a wonderful place. It was called "little Paris" and was the place to go in Eastern Europe. Hopefully it can start making a move towards rebuilding.
One thing I forgot to mention last week was the many countries that are represented here just by those who entered the same day. There were missionaries from South Korea, Japan, Kenya, Chile, Brazil, Japan, Hong Kong, Canada, England, Austria, Australia, Samoa, Guatemala, Sri Lanka, and more. Also, they now have proselyting missionaries going to India. Which is pretty cool. It used to just be service missionaries.
My favorite missionaries here are the signing missionaries. There are four and two are deaf and the other two are not. They are incredibly friendly and watching them speak and sing and express themselves is more beautiful than any other language I have heard. They live just two doors down from me in the residence and I'm able to pick up new words in sign language every night.
Not much is different... oh except the gym is closed because they're refinishing the floor so we've been outside everyday playing softball. Don't laugh. The soccer field is too packed and we're pretty good. I dominate in the outfield and even caught one parallel with the ground the other day (i was horizontal and airborne). The first night we played we all got bit like twenty times by mosquitos... only on our legs though.
I am now the District leader which in the MTC doesn't require much other than a few lessons and meetings during the week but I get to pick up the mail. Thanks again for all the letters and packages. I try to eat well in the cafeteria but then I get these packages full of candy and delicious baked goods and i'm not gonna let them go to waste. That's selfish. So thanks.
Our teachers act as progressive investigators for us. They play roles of people they know from Romania and include questions and characteristics of themselves as well. It sounds strange and maybe even fake. That's what we all thought at first but it is incredibly real and helpful. I have stopped trying so hard to memorize sentences and paragraphs and instead have been studying words and conjugations. When I teach I am able to string together sentence after sentence and although it's broken and the grammar is probably horrendous the investigator understands. We also teach every monday to volunteers who come to the MTC. There are like fifteen in provo who speak Romanian, three of which are natives.
The district before us is getting ready to leave on Monday which will be awesome but sad because we're all friends now and it's going to get awfully quiet and focused... And we're going to lose Elder Friel for sports. Then we'll spend three weeks alone and then have three weeks with a new district.
I don't know what people want to know so this is difficult. It's also getting more difficult to think in correct english so bear with me. If you want to know something please ask! Me and my companion are still getting along, he's got great insights and he keeps us awake and smiling. My district consists of three surori (sisters) and eight elders. We all come from idaho, utah, california, and canada.
I get up at 5:45 every morning to run which was awful at first but It's getting better.
We learned what gestures romanians use including what they will do to let you know you are being pickpocketed. The Romanian people are very funny, due to communist culture, if they see a line they will simply stand in it until they reach the front and find out what its for. Even for hours. Many of them who live in the communist blocks do not even know their neighbour who lives ten feet away. They are very mistrusting due to the secret police and dishonesty that raged during ceausescu's rule. But, Fratele Irion said that once you show them you care and aren't there for money or food or whatever, they let you into their whole life and are very endearing.
Well please send me questions!
Love you all,
Elder Taylor
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