In the Land of Hardships

Hi everyone,

I am doing well. I still do not have Jared's or Rachelle's address. Oh and by the way, Rachelle is a common name in Jamaica, along with Shaunakay. The MTC was good. I am going to really miss some of the guys. I took the midnight flight out. I met an Elder coming home from NYC, the same mission that Clark is in. They were in the same district for a while and they know each other really well. After that one of my traveling buddies going to Costa Rica knew Clark, West and Carol Cassady and had been to Los Alamos. Weird.

So when I got to Jamaica the first thing I thought was wow, it is humid. I thought that I would get used to it. It still literally feels like I am in a sauna. I have been sweating since I got to the Island.

Ok, Jamaicans are very hard to understand. Some know how to speak English well but most speak a mixture of English and Patois, that is the "language" or accent. Really all it is is very very bad English. At the moment, for me, it is almost impossible to understand. Example, "wah gwan." Guess what that means???

Well, say it out loud... it means what's up or what's going on. If you say it right, it sounds nothing like either.

The children here like to touch us and think we are magic men. I really don't think they do but some call us that. I plan to show them some magic. Thank you for the fake thumb Paul. The kids here are so cute. They have so much enthusiasm. A girl asked me if I was Chinese. Ha ha. I promptly said, "no" and asked her if she was. She yelled " NOOOOOO, I'm Jaaaamaicaaan." I really like to say hi to the children because they seem to be the only ones who are excited to see me. My companion is not as favorable to children.

The bikes the missionaries ride are ironically brand-named "temptation."

The police here are in full swat gear and carry huge guns.

My companion is quiet and does not like to lead. It is hard on me when I am trying to learn. He also does not have my kind of sense of humor. It has been really hard. I am good now. Your emails have really helped me. I have been on the verge of breakdown for a while now. Mentally, this is really hard. Physically, I am fine. Thank you so much for giving me those chocolates, Heather. They keep me awake. Last night I grabbed one and started to tear up. This place is hard on me.

I want to thank you mom and dad for giving my such a good environment and paying for everything. Most of the people I have seen have very little and have very bad family problems. I don't know anyone. Some guys in my district are cool but I do not see them often. This is really tough and I am mentally drained. Thank you for the emails.

If you send a package that has anything valuable hide it. I love you all.