Week 12

Dear Family & Friends,

 

Well, I´ve just about completed my first week in Brazil. it´s been a crazy one! I found out on the 18th of December that my visa had been approved, and that I would be leaving on Monday morning (the 23rd) for Brazil. I arrived in Fortaleza on Christmas Eve about 10pm local time after about 27 hours of travel, give or take. Have you ever been disappointed about being invited to someones house for Christmas Eve dinner?  I have. My mission president, his wife, and the APs met me at the airport. I was wearing my sweaty disgusting travel clothes and I was dead tired, and the only thing I wanted in the world was to fall on my face and sleep for a couple days. But... President Fusco said that we were all having dinner at his house. So I didn't get to bed til about 3 that morning. haha - my first day in Brazil and I already broke the curfew rule! Don't worry, we got to sleep a few extra hours. It still wasn´t enough, but I might get over it someday. 

 

It's very very very hot. And humid. I´ve been sweating since I stepped off the plane!  There is usually wind blowing, and that makes it bearable. There are a lot of dogs wandering around....big dogs, little dogs, sick dogs, happy dogs, dead dogs, loud dogs, quiet dogs, you name it. Lots of dogs. No problems with them though! They leave us alone. 

 

My companion is elder Etchichury, from the Rio de Janeiro area. He speaks pretty good English, but with a very very heavy accent haha and sometimes i can't understand him anyway.  We get along pretty well.

 

I would tell you how our work is going, but I don´t really know whats going on. I think it's good.....not sure....i don't speak Portuguese yet. It´s pretty funny to hear Brazilians say my name though. I love how they pronounce it! So, at least I can know when people are talking about me.

 

My area right now is called Jardim União (Union Garden) and it´s about a 25 minute drive away from the mission office. It´s a pretty poor area, but the people are really great and seem happy for the most part. The members are really nice (i think....because usually I can't understand them). We´ve spent some time in the house of this one member family - I can't really understand them most of the time, but I can see that they have a lot of the same interactions as our family, its pretty funny! 

 

 

Well, that's all for this week.

 

Happy new year!

love, Elder Poulson

 

a "mico"

me and Élder Etchichury. and Jesus

Brazilian oreos