Hola!

     Still haven't figured out the upside down exclamation point.  We live and I don't learn.  Ah well.

     I think CCM stands for the Centro de Capacidad Misional, but I'm not sure.

     So my new mission president started this week!  Unfortunately I'm not there yet, but we'll still all learn together.

     Story time.  In the evenings, our teacher is Hermano Fernandez, and there's another teacher who has been substituting, Hermano Nuñez.  They don't like each other.  It's complicated.  We kind of like Hermano Nuñez better.  But my companion and I were being coached by Hermano Fernandez, and in walks Hermano Nuñez, and he doesn't say anything, but writes on the board "Sectumsempra" and leaves.  Hermano Fernandez keeps asking us, "what does that mean," my companion starts dying of laughter, I'm next to her, hands pressed to my mouth, trying to suppress my own laughter while telling Hermano Fernandez, "Es un chiste!  Es un chiste!" (It's a joke!).  So Hermano Fernandez goes down to the next class to ask them, and we race after, screaming "DON'T TELL HIM!"  Eventually, Hermano Rodriguez told him, and so Hermano Fernandez walks back to class, and points at us, and says, "Crucio!  Crucio!"

     We went to the store this week!  I seriously doubt if there were any Oreos left in the DR after we went.  My companion got some hair dye, and so that's what we're going to be doing in about twenty minutes.  I'm excited, I haven't dyed anyone's hair since Aida.

     My Spanish is still good.  I almost was thinking in Spanish in one of the lessons we taught yesterday.  We all vastly prefer teaching to learning grammar, which just lets you know how boring grammar is.

     We got new people yesterday!  We are up to 38 new missionaries in the MTC.  18 Elders and 20 Sisters.  3 of the sisters only speak French, which is difficult.

     I haven't really noticed a Dominican accent, but our teachers all speak good Spanish to us.  Two things: "Entonces" becomes "tonces" or "tonce," and everyone says "Ay, mi madre" like we would say "oh my gosh" or "oh wow."  But one of our teachers described it to us, how they cut words.  "Estoy" and "estás" become "toy" and "tás" respectively.  I'm really glad I'm only going to Puerto Rico, where they just speak ridiculously fast.

     Gym time is really boring, so I've started playing basketball.  I'm am very grateful for my elementary school training so I don't embarrass myself in front of the other sisters.  Yes, I do actually make the occassional shot.

     Last P Day I took a three hour nap to recover from my flight (more than a week later!).  I'm really looking forward to that today.

     PS, a plantain is like a potato with a more banana-y flavor.  They're good if they're fried.

     My companion is crazy.  She was a dental hygienist and brushes her teeth five times a day.  It's ridiculous, but she'll still have hers when all of mine have fallen out.

    I drink massive amounts of water.  Like a gallon a day.  We all go to the bathroom practically on the hour, and Hermana Halling said one night, "I think they put something in the water that makes us have to go to the bathroom all the time," and Hermana Oborn said, "Like... water?"

     I'm so happy to be here!  The church is true.  I love you all!

Hermana Kirkland.