Blog

Hello from Mexico, 
Or as my district likes to say “Que pasa calabaza.” This week was pretty normal. The people of Mexico City have started to shoot off fireworks that sound like someone is shooting a cannon. They are really big BOOMs and not so much light. Fireworks must not be illegal here like they are in the US. They go off every night. The Mexicans drive like lunatics and they communicate through honking their horns. So when everyone packs up and heads home at ten thirty they start to beep at each other. And the trucks that have big horns like to give some long honks. It makes it easier to fall asleep here though because the only other sound is the sound of your roommates shifting in bed. The quiet makes it harder. It’s darker in the morning now and it is a little chilly, so I can tell that fall is coming. But it’s still not too bad. 

On Friday or Saturday last week we were doing our practice teaching in the TSM and were getting feedback and instruction as a whole. The windows to the room were open and while no one was looking a great big moth flew in and landed on the wall. This moth was huge. When we finally noticed it, class stopped for a little bit. One of the elders held his hand up to the moth and spread out his fingers. That was almost as big as the moth was. Another elder poked it and it flew away before I could get a picture, but the thing was big and black and while it was flying around I could see it. It was probably as big as one of the green parrots around here.
Yesterday on our way back from service, the elders in my district were walking to class from the Casa, and we almost stepped on a snake. It was pretty decent sized probably three or four feet long, pretty skinny though. Apparently it was a rare occurrence. We have security on bikes that patrol around, and we told one of them that there was a snake. We asked him if it was poisonous and he said he didn’t know. By this time the snake is across the road and slithering towards the sidewalk. The security guard calls for back up and the snake starts to slither up the side of the tree. Like it was defying gravity. It just lifted the front half onto the trunk and climbed up the tree. It was ridiculous. It followed a branch up and then it slithered onto the leaves and jumped from one branch to the next. By the time we left there were six security guards gathered around the tree taking pictures and trying to figure out what to do about the snake.
The sidewalks here are all awful do to the earthquakes they get I suppose. One of the squares will be about level with the other one and the next one is like you stepped of the side of the world. There is at least a two inch gain or drop in any of the sidewalk squares. Then when they are level there is a two inch gap between the two blocks of cement. It’s annoying to walk on and roll your suitcases on. Nobody drives around here though so you can walk on the road.
It rains every day here, sometimes after we’re asleep but it rains every day. In the mornings the puddles become like mirrors. It is super cool. I tried to take a picture of one. It didn’t turn out so great though because I was hurrying to breakfast. Everything here is super short. The chairs, the desks, everything. It is ridiculous. The only place where things are tall enough are the classrooms. I mentioned how short everything was to my teacher Hermana Solis and she said it was because they were built for Latinos.
I went to choir on Sunday and they don’t actually have real music. They have the elders sing the tenor melody the whole time. It’s pretty boring. I’ve been working on memorizing scriptures in Spanish and I’ve been doing it. I’ve never memorized so fast in my life. I’m trying to get sixteen in before I leave the CCM. I’ve got seven. Memorizing in Spanish is pretty easy because a lot of the verses sound like the scene from the Court Jester. The chalice with the palace and the flagon with a dragon part. Moroni 7:33 especially. It’s a good scripture too. I’ve been studying in English too, and I’ve been putting those pens to good use. My scriptures are becoming very colorful.
On Saturday I got to teach real people. They were members already and it was just some practice with someone other than our teachers. This is called TRC. We taught a high school senior, captain of her basketball team and a fourteen year old freshman who had been a member for for less time than Brimley has been alive. It was pretty cool. They weren’t acting like investigators they were just there to help  us bear our testimony to someone who knew Spanish.
Elder Smith gave me a talk called The Meaning of the Atonement by W. Cleon Skousen. It was really cool and explained a lot. the talk mentioned why the Savior could atone for our sins. I’m glad that I have the opportunity to serve the Lord and help others come unto Him. I know that it is all true and that we have great blessings and great responsibility.
Love your son, friend, cousin, grandson, nephew, or acquaintance,
Elder Rees