Some Like it Hot

Hello from the MTC! I'm alive and well!

After tears and hugs from my loving family on Wednesday, I was escorted to my living quarters (17M) where I was assigned a Host missionary to help me find my room and get to class on time. I had a little trouble finding my things on account of Mom ending up doing most of my final packing, but I'm finding everything in time. On that first day I couldn't even find my scriptures. Yep, I sure felt dumb.

I was lead to class where I met my district. My district is six people. We're all going to the Philippines on our missions, and we spend all day together in the classroom learning Tagalog. We're all in companion pairs too. My companion and only other female in our group is Sister Arnold. She's from Las Vegas. She is related to the Arnolds from Montgomery Village back in Maryland. They were actually my "parents" during the 2007 Youth Conference to Kirtland, Ohio. I also was a Youth Camp Leader to her cousin, Amanda. Small world. We also have Elder Taukei (Fijian), Elder Partsch (Samoan-born, but lives in New Zealand), Elder Saaid (Iraqi-born, Australian) and Elder Knowles (Layton, Utah). It's pretty diverse. I think sending Pacific Islanders to the Philippines is common. I guess this because of the six sister missionaries who live in my dorm, 3 of them are from the Marshall Islands, and we're all going to different parts of the Philippines.

Classes are kind of hard. My favorite day of learning so far was definitely yesterday (Friday). We learned to pray and bear our testimony in Tagalog. For those of you who don't know, Tagalog looks a lot like English or Spanish. No funky symbols. The vowells are all simple like in Spanish, but where the emphasis is in the words is the hardest thing to learn I thing. The word "ng" is a common word, and it's promounced like "nung." "Mga" is another word pronounced like "munga." Mga is how you make words plural. For example "anak" means child. "mga anak" means children. Fun stuff.

The cafeteria here is fun. As some of you may know, I worked in the MTC cafeterian last year as a server. It's definitely interesting to be on the other side. I've been several people that I know there. I've seen some missionaries that I know too!

Days pass sort of like this: wake up, get ready, eat, workout, study, eat, study, eat, study, go to bed. We wake up at 6:30 in the morning, except if the sisters want to go to the special sister workout at 6. Every morning they have a workout class like pilates or kick-boxing. No elders allowed. On my first morning Sister Arnold and I went to yoga class. In addition, we have exercise time written into our schedules everyday. Everything is planned for us. I eat when they say to, I sleep when they say to (and that's at 10:30 at night). Everyday here so far, I've been SLEEPY. Hopefully I'll get used to this schedule, but from what other missionaries have said, it doesn't sound like the sleepiness really goes away. My first night was really hard for me. It was probably a combination of 1) New bed 2) Holy Moley I'm a missionary now 3) It's 10:30, and last night I went to bed at two, 4) IT'S HOT. I mentioned my Marshalese roommates? Well, they keep the thermostat as high as possible, so I was sweating. Our classroom is hot too. Oh well. I'll adjust. In the Philippines, I doubt there will be much air conditioning anywhere.

Here's how the accelerated language track goes. Instead of being ehre for a normal 9 weeks, we are only studying for 6 weeks, but we'll be good enough, because they've improved the emphasis and lessons. My companion, Sister Arnold has been in the MTC for 3 weeks already, but she wasn't learning Tagalog. She was in here studying as if she was going to an English speaking mission. She basically had to wait around until all the other Philippine-bound missionaries such as myself came in so we could all start the 6 week program together. That's what I would have done too, if I had entered the MTC on February 22, like originally planned.

In the MTC we only get 30 minites of email time, so I need to wrap up. This week had a special schedule since it was my first week. My regular Preparation Day (day in which I do laundry and check email and go to the temple) will be Fridays. I may or may not be at the temple at 7 a.m. on those days.

Love you all so much! I'll write to you next Friday!

Everyone should write to me using DearElder.com! Those get sent to me daily, not just once a week!

Love,

Sister Kelli King