Donde aprendiste ingles???

Alohaaaaaa!!!

How wonderful to hear all about your anniversary. I can´t imagine either being home next year eating in our house with you all....but really I do miss the food. I always think of what I want to eat first when I do get home. It has to be pandas or laie chop suey or just any of mom´s cooking. I ate chuño yesterday again...and I think I am just going to burst. Its a type of potato that is black and prepared under the ground. Something like that. If I understood correctly.

So this week my companion was in the hospital for 2 nights and 2 days. I slept the first night with her and the second night we have intercambios or how do you say in english, companion exchanges? She was hurting bad in her body that we went to the hospital and had her get checked. It turns out that she has a tumor in her uterus..and a throat infection. They told her that she has to wait a month to come back to see if the tumor grows or not.....but as of now they gave her pain meds and antibiotics. I feel so bad for her. She has so much fear of the hospital but she was willing to stick out and be so positive the whole time. Every time I go to the hospital, I swear I go every month, I think of grandma and grandpa...but mostly of grandma when she was in Hawaii and how we would eat poke at night with Uncle PJ. Oh good times. I miss poke so much. We were lucky to get out and back to work. But because she has been having pain from her tumor, she has been having a hard time sleeping too. Sometimes she doesn´t sleep at all...she couldn´t sleep for 3 days before we knew what she had. And last night she woke me up at 4 in the morning to tell me that she couldn´t sleep...and asked me if she could take a shower.....I didn´t really understand why she asked me if she could take a shower....but I was like...uhh if you want to....then I kinda knocked out back to sleep. She was up the whole time. She got up and turned on the light....and I was like...uhhh...........I know you can´t sleep...but I need to sleep too... -_____- hahaha...the life of training. At times I feel so inadequate to help her. You know me, I am not an affectionate person and that I can get uptight. I get uptight at times...like really. When you are with someone for so long and you just don´t naturally get a long with them, its a challenge. But you got to do it. I had an interview with President Hansen this week and he was checking on how we were doing. We are really improving in our companionship and other days, I am just pooped out tired. Mom....I have never felt so much like a mother to her...I never had to take care of someone in a foreign country and as well as myself and the people in this area. Its a lot of pressure, but I am learning to deal with it. I always receive revelation or I just learn things of how the mission can prepare you for your future. Every week I will share what I have learned. This week I have learned that there is a huge importance in having an eternal companion that you can completely be yourself with, because if you aren´t with someone like that....its depressing...you aren´t completely happy with yourself or enjoying yourself. There is no spirit. I am learning that....I need to casarme con un hombre digno y con aguien que yo puedo ser mi misma....The secretaries talk with my past companion and always tell her how they just know that I will really grow so quickly in regards of levels of autority? I don´t know how to explain it in english...to be honest. But the secretaries know a lot...when it comes to cambios and all the things which will happen in the mission. I just don´t know...more responsibilities? What a priviledge, but so tan rapido.

This week was hilarious. I was with the elders and two other sisters last week on PDay and one of the elders cooked peruvian food again. I love peruvian food...I am going to bring some recipes home. One of the north american elders asked me where I learned english in front of everyone...and the other elder said to him, dude...shes from the states too...she speaks english. He was so embarassed...and everything. It was sooooo funny. And now every time he sees me, he makes sure to speak english. When he asked me, I was like, I learned english in my house??? Then the next day Presidente Hansen came to visit us in the hospital and he asked me the same. Where did you learn english? and in the interview the day after with presidente...the same. Where did you learn english????? I was cracking uppppp. Its really a blessing to be who I am...thank you mom and dad for bringing me into this world. Thank you Heavenly Father for the gift of tongues.

This morning we went to Punata which is 2 horas away from our zone. It was far but it was nice to get to know different parts of Cochabamba. We honestly just went there to buy bread because there is actually not a lot to do here..........we are searching hard for something to do. There´s volleyball...there was bowling but that closed down. They want me to teach them how to dance hula as a zone activity...but we´ll see. I had asked president Hansen if I could teach hula here to our ward maybe but he hasn´t gotten back to me yet....so as far as my pareo...I will let you know. 

We have 3 weeks left in this cambio. The time goes by so fast. Hermana Donoso is in Cochabamba again. I was able to spend some time with her. We are close to having a baptism. Really close. And so we are working hard. 

Hey Gabriel can you send me the recipe to the onion rings? I wanna make some here. And Marvy can you send maybe two or three of my best photos I took before the mish..maybe of zynfia and dallin. There is an elder that wants to see my work. Email it to me please :). 

Hey mom and dad, I miss you. I always think of you and have you as my motivation. I constantly pray for our grandparents who are on the other side of the veil to accept the gospel in the spirit world....I can´t imagine life without being with our family forever.

I really hope all is well. Enjoy each day in Hawaii. Oh Jesse you are going to middle school! Enjoy your week. Oh and one of the past days we woke up to snow in the mountains! Its beautiful....it was raining hard all night that day. And now there is snow! 

I love you all so much. Know that les amo mucho y siempre van a estar en mi corazon para siempre. 

Hermana Santeco

PS: 5 months in the mish this saturday!!!! whooooohoooo!!

I forgot to add that my intercambio was with a north american. It was the first time I was companions with a north american. It was actually really nice but the thing was that we didnt plan to have intercambios...but it was necessary because our companions were sick and my companion was in the hospital and so I went to her area without any of my stuff...I was dying to brush my teeth... We luckily found one for me to use....oh and I didnt buy it...we disinfected it...it was an emergency....i needed to brush my teeth. I had to call the elders to figure out when we could go to our area to get my things and I told them "All i want to do is brush my teeth!!!!" lol.....