Day Twenty-Three February 3, 2008 Sunday

Erin and I woke up to another beautiful day this morning. We each quickly took showers and I started my morning with a very focused fast, which was nice, as I haven’t done that in a while. Church was really nice. Despite the short sleep I got last night, I didn’t get sleepy in church at all, which was doubly amazing as it was fast Sunday! I considered bearing my testimony, but I think what I have to say needs to stew for a while longer, next month or the next should be good. In Sunday school sister Jenny (her last name is impossible to pronounce but it is something like Naewhooroo) told the most hilarious story about how she and her husband, the branch president, got together. Basically they went on one date and he proposed, and she didn’t even like him! Despite the fact that I would really like to marry for love, I think I would be all for an arranged marriage, I HATE DATING!!!!! Anyway, when church was over the Duncans picked us up and we changed clothes. Erin decided to take a nap, but I went with everyone else to Vicki’s nephew’s boarding school initiation. This was one of the most amazing experiences I have ever seen. I sat in a room full of eleven year-old boys who were scared to death and their families who were about to say goodbye to each other for the school semester. I cannot imagine going away to school at eleven! It was hard enough at 18! The whole experience was really neat, school is so different here that I just want to immerse myself in it. As pretty much everyone knows, school is just about my favorite thing in the world, and being here makes me kind of want to start all over again and experience it the Kiwi way! When we said goodbye to Ben after the light tea they served we came home and started fixing our own tea. The Duncans had to move the cows, so Vicki put me to work peeling, cutting, and seasoning the potatoes. I must say they make amazing potatoes down here, and I am going to come home with some rocking recipes! After tea we watched a bit of tv as a family and I colored in Erin’s coloring book. I know it doesn’t seem like I did much today, but I felt like I learned a lot. Now I am exhausted and am ready for my first day of school tomorrow (my first official day with an SIT instructor). The good new is, it is supposed to be beautiful weather through Friday, knock on wood!