About that subect line... It's hilariously true, and somewhat entertaining for me. Anyway, today will be my attempt to lay out a lot more about what life is like here, and then maybe a little about what I've been up to.
First off, I've already talked about my companion, so that's been covered. Elder Tuarau and I have been assigned to the Ducos Ward. We're on foot and we serve the Tindu, N'du, Kaméré, and Logicoop neighborhoods. We also live in Logicoop, which is fairly central to our area, so it's nice. We're in the city of Noumea (I think) and the area we serve is like a small suburb, but it's all one big city. The ward is kind of small compared to some of the other wards here in the stake, so that's probably why it has 4 missionaries. Our area is actually new, but it's kind of like an area within an area, and the other two Elders in our ward, Elders Similai and Stubbs know the area and showed us around. I'm still kind of learning my way around, but my companion seems to know, so we're fine.
We already have a good number of investigators, and the majority of the people that we teach here are islanders of some kind, usually Walesian, Futunian, or Tahitian, with a few Kanaky (native New Caledonians) or Ni-Van's thrown in. Everyone here is super nice, we say "bonjour" to everyone we pass by and they always say hi back. Going door to door here is bascially impossible since everyone has a gate so you have to stand outside and yell at them and no one really ever comes out unless they're expecting you, but street contacting is really easy because people are always willing to talk if you just put forth the effort. We've had a lot of success just talking to people at the bus stops and on the street.
I really do love the islands. It's pretty hot almost all the time, but I seem to be handling it better than my companion ironically. I've been sunburned a couple times, but not bad. I love when it rains here; although it's a little weird because the rain is super quiet here not loud like at home. It's truly gorgeous here. I can't wait to be able to send some pictures home (hopefully Monday). The view from our apartment is amazing, and I can see the ocean from just about everywhere. I hope I can maybe bring some hibiscus flowers home too. It's a little sad because there's a lot of graffitti and litter around, but the natural beauty is just absolutley stunning.
The French is difficult to say the least. There's a lot of different accents that get tossed around, and understanding is probably the hardest thing, but I've definitely already improved since I got here, and my ability to speak has improved too. I can say a lot of things to people, it's just understanding what they say back that I'm working on. That's the advantage of a native speaking companion I guess, although it does make things difficult sometimes.
The French is difficult to say the least. There's a lot of different accents that get tossed around, and understanding is probably the hardest thing, but I've definitely already improved since I got here, and my ability to speak has improved too. I can say a lot of things to people, it's just understanding what they say back that I'm working on. That's the advantage of a native speaking companion I guess, although it does make things difficult sometimes.
The food here is well, hard to explain I guess. New Caledonia is really a study of blended culture. We eat a LOT of rice and a LOT of chicken, usually together. I've also been fed Tahitian food by members, and we ate out at a Chinese place for zone conference on Monday, so there's basically everything islander, French, and Chinese, with a little American thrown in for fun. Also baguettes. Always baguettes. Always.
It really is fantastic out here. Some things are harder than I expected, but I pray a lot and I'm doing great. I hope I was able to answer a lot of questions about life out here, and I'll do my best in the coming weeks to keep answering questions and providing insights in to the life of an island missionary.
See you all soon,
Elder Miner
No comments:
Post a Comment