Megan was scheduled to fly out on Monday, but she and her companion missed their flight. They ended up flying out on Tuesday. It was so wonderful that we were able to talk to her on Monday and Tuesday while she waited in the airport.
On Mon 2/14/2011 Megan wrote:
We made it to Salta finally on Wednesday. It was a great couple of days. I loved so much being able to talk to you over the phone. I really miss you, but everything is going well.
I am actually in Salta the city, our area is on the outer edge of Salta. It is a lot different here. There are a lot of old Spanish buildings. It is very beautiful, very green, it has been raining a lot. I really wish you would be able to see this place. It is really different but I already feel at home. My area is one of the poorer spots in Salta. The people that have money have tile, bigger homes and the smaller homes are really small, usually one maybe two rooms. The more well off also have windows with glass in them and meat to eat. A lot of the people have cellular phones but sometimes not enough on the table to eat. It is kind of really sad.
I am really excited already though. There are a lot of great people. I have already met so many wonderful people. I love it here. I am slowly getting used to the area. Being able to figure out where I am and all that. We do a lot of walking; we walk all over the place. There are no lines in the street, so it is really fun taking a remise which is what they call a taxi here in Salta or in Argentina. We also take a bus or what they call a collectivo as well. It has been a lot of fun.
Monday is our p-day. I am slowly learning Spanish. I really don’t understand a lot of the spanish. I get a lot of like the gist of the conversation but I miss a lot of the jokes and laughter, because well I really don’t understand but I have learned a lot and I am really excited to be here. I am able to understand a lot more than I am able to speak but that only takes time and practice. I am almost thinking in Spanish first and then having to translate into English. I still am trying to speak a lot more. I am not really that good yet at teaching but my companion is great and she really helps me. I am learning a lot. I am actually learning how to answer questions directed at me without looking to my companion to translate all that is being said. But that is alright I am still learning it is only my 5th day in Salta Argentina. There is a lot of work to do all the time but it is a very fulfilling work. I love it. We will be hopefully teaching two families tonight as well as a lot more tomorrow.
I already have my first of many sunburns to come, but that is alright. All is well though.
We have two other hermanas (sisters) in our apartment. One is from the US and the other is from Peru. I love them all so much already. We have a really nice apartment. We are really lucky. Hermana Guymon is my companion she is from Utah. She actually leaves at the end of this transfer. So I will just be going on my first transfer in the actual mission and she will be leaving it makes me a little sad. I also enjoy showers because I feel clean and also because they are usually warm.
Sending packages is really expensive, because you have to pay for them to be sent and also pay customs. It costs more to send then what is in the actual box. Time is going to fly by so fast. I really can´t believe it. It really flew by today. This last week has flown by I can only wonder how fast the rest of the time is going to fly.
Hermana Jorgensen
On Mon 2/21/2011 Megan wrote:
It has been a lot of fun here. It is truly beautiful. I have been really busy. It has gone by really fast it seems like just yesterday I was emailing you. If anyone wants to write me, tell them dear elder works best. For mail here I think what they do for missionaries is they allow us to put all our mail in pouches and then send the pouches to salt lake and from salt lake they mail them.
I love you all so much. I am learning a lot. Although I will say it is difficult to understand. I spend a lot of time just really listening and using what I understand. Although I will say my accent is horrible.
I hope all is well. We have been getting a lot of rain here, which they tell me is a little abnormal. It has been a little nice because I have only burnt once so far. I am so glad to be here. It is really hard but, I really am glad I choose to come and that I am where I am. It has truly been a blessing. I love it here.
Well is has been a little hard. We have a lot of investigators who are not progressing. We pray a lot. We have one who might be able to be baptized next week but she really has to come to church. Her name is Soledad. She loves the gospel and I really hope she gets baptized soon. Her mom Virginia is also an investigator but she is living with a man and in order to get baptized she has to move out or get married and either one is really difficult especially here. Marriage is almost frowned upon. It is seen as almost stupid to do. One, because it costs money and the paperwork takes a really long time. What if you don’t like them after a long time. Little things like. It is just not socially done that often.
We have a lot of younger teenagers and older children. Sometimes they are almost the only ones who will listen to us. There are these two girls named Maria and Estela that we found my first official day in the field. It was really cool although we have only taught them one more time since we first taught them and they have not come to church. We also have Rodrigo and his family. Milen, a little girl, Brisa, a little girl and Milen´s grandmother Maria. And a women named Erika. We have a couple more that we are teaching as well. I will hopefully be able to email pictures soon but I will have to ask my companion for help.
We have been working really hard. It has been a little hard as well. There has been a lot of rain the last couple of days and it will probably rain again tonight, but it has made everything green. Which from what I hear does not happen all that often usually it is brown just like Arizona. I love it here. It was a little bit of a culture shock but I am defiantly learning to love the people. Although if you can´t tell my spelling has gone down the drain. Which I guess is a really good thing because that probably means I am learning Spanish. I am slowly starting to be able to understand a lot of what they say, but it is still hard going. I miss all of you but I am really grateful to be here.
Hermana Jorgensen
