Hello!

I am in Argentina!  Its very much a foreign country and I am learning a lot very quickly, but the first few days were definitely a bit overwhelming.  Even though I got off to a rough start, missing my flight and arriving a day late, I have an absolutely wonderful companion.  Her name is Hermana Costa and she is from Brazil.  She speaks Spanish and Portugese. Hardly any English.  Yes, that means we speak Spanish allllllll the time.  Yes, it is hard.  Yes, I am learning a lot very quickly.

A few reflections on my first week in Argentina...

- no heaters.

- your shower can last approximately 3 minutes before the water goes ice cold.

- You kiss cheeks all the time.  I have kissed a lot of women.

- there are wild dogs EVERYWHERE (do NOT pet them).

- I cant read food labels, so I never know what on earth I am eating.

- I also dont really know how to use the money.

- The collectivos (buses) dont really like to come to a complete stop.

- Thank you, mom, for teaching me to look both ways before I cross the street.

- The castellano accent basically sounds lie ja ja ja ja ja ja ja.... and if its thick enough, I cannot understand a single word.

- The real shocker- I can actually handle eating the beef.

As you can tell, I am already having quite an interesting experience.  It might take a while to be completely accustombrado to everything here, but I am coming to love it.

I found out my first day here that it is very likely that I will be training another sister (I will have a brand new companion that I have show the ropes of missionary work to) at the next transfer, because of the huge influx of sister missionaries.  Almost everyone is training.  The second youre done with training, you train someone else.  I am only slightly terrified, but I have 5 more weeks to figure out how to get around here and speak a sufficient amount of Spanish that my companion and I can communicate with others.  We will see how that goes, but for now I am very happy to have an excellent companion to help me along the way.

We are also lucky to have an absolutely wonderful ward.  I do not know too many people yet, but they are wonderful, very hospitable and welcoming.

I love you all and hope you are well!  You are in my thoughts and prayers always.

-Hermana Walton