Christmas Phone Call information

My  favorite parents,

Attached is the email about Christmas Phone calls. I think it's pretty easy to understand. My phone number is xxx-xxxx-xxxx. So you will call 011- xx-xx-xxxx-xxxx. I don't know if you've ever done an international call, besides to Canada, so good luck. So Christmas is P-day for us. I was thinking I would wake up Christmas morning and open presents and get ready, so maybe a phone call around 9am my time would be good. That would be 5pm your time on Christmas Eve. I hope that's okay, because there really isn't a way for you to tell me it's not okay. Ha ha. I'm glad Jay and John will be there. I get an occasional email from John about his life, but rarely from Jay - probably because there isn't much to it, eh?

(my favorite part is that we got this Christmas phone call letter in the mail too, and it says 2009 rules on it. This email is 2010 so they at least caught that rule. However, it seems a typo has escaped two years of APs. (Assistants to the Mission President) Can you find it? It's a punctuation error.)

I liked your story about the Christmas party in Utah. Christmas really isn't a big deal here. Two days before is the emperor's birthday, and that's the holiday everyone celebrates. So the branch Christmas Party is on the 23rd. There is still no snow in Miyazaki, and I often walk around without a coat. The nights get pretty cold though. I'll have pictures next week of the great Christmas Party that the ward is spending more than half of their budget for the year on. No joke.

I got my Christmas presents. That poor box was so full it was bursting, neh? The cookies were delicious. They were a little crumbly but for the most part they held together. I finally worked my way down to the chocolate peanut butter cup things this morning.

They're delicious too. (Using) the Green Stamps envelope was a good touch. I set up the Charlie Brown Christmas tree and laid out the presents on the small cabinet thing in our genkan. I'll send a picture. I read the Customs Declaration but that wasn't helpful at all, was it. It's like it's written in code, but it's still honest enough to make it through customs.

I wish I could tell you what I want for my birthday, but I don't know what's in the Christmas presents, right? I have a pretty good guess about two shirts and two tights, but after that I don't know. This is the problem about a birthday in January, right dad? 2 weeks after my birthday is transfers, so who knows what I'll need to get rid of if I transfer. My companion has close to no stuff. She fit everything in one big suitcase and then one medium sized (Japanese sized medium) box to herself. That's it. She has inspired me to purge. I feel like I need a good transfer to throw stuff away, you know. Oh, I didn't think of something for my birthday. I think I can buy nylons here in Japan.

But it would be easier if you just mailed me a few. All my nylons died. I wear black tights everyday. Sometimes when it's not freezing cold I like to have normal colored legs. Just 3 or so pairs would be good.

Before I forget, I sent your Christmas box, but it came back to me because I mailed the iPod. American rules are way strict right now.

And what else is new? So the iPod battery is potentially dangerous or something. Anyway, I don't think America is strict about what you mail out of the country. So maybe you can get John's old iPod or something and mail me that we a bunch of songs or something? I donno what else we could do. The post office worker told me if I wrote iPad that that battery would have been okay. If only I lied! Ha ha.

Mom, the picture you sent is a Facebook picture. I can't log into Facebook to see it! Ha ha, did you forget that? And Dad, is that picture of the Provo tabernacle real? It looks like it could be fake... and I wouldn't put that past you. I had Stake Conference at BYU in the tabernacle. I also sang in a choir there once (with a music director that didn't know what she was doing).

Until Christmas, well, your Christmas Eve.

Lemmon Shimai

Eikaiwa (English Conversation Class) last week. It was HUGE.  We aren't quite sure why, but it was.

 
Heiwa. I think that's what they're called. They are normally placed in tombs to keep dead kings company, but I found this little guy in a random garden.

Christmastime in Miyazaki

Christmas time in Miyazaki is a series of things that contradict each other. For example, we went home last night without a coat on. Don't worry, I still had a long sleeve shirt on. I heard from members that last year it snowed once for about 2 hours. All the neighborhood kids ran outside. Ha ha. There is Christmas music but where is the snow?


I would have mentioned the perfect weather to you earlier but I didn't want to rub it in your face. Ha ha. I do still get cold, but there's a slightly too big coat for that. It keeps me warm.

So yes, I'm still in Miyazaki. My new companion is Sister Harada. We had the same trainer! We're sisters. Ha ha. Sorry, mission joke. I have decided that my companions are always the exact opposite from the companion I had before. Harada shimai is no different. She actually wants to go out and do finding. She is happy to cook for me as long as I keep her company. She doesn't have to do things her way and no one else's way, like my past companion. I see a happy future here in Miyazaki.

On transfer day Takahama Shimai left at 8am and Harada Shimai didn't make it here until 3pm. So I hung out for over 6 hours with the Elders.

We headed to the Sister's apartment. 3 elders ago, the elders threw away a futon. It was way gross. But the garbage men didn't take it.

Crazy huh? It wasn't placed in the correct garbage bag. Gosh! I don't know what to do with all of these garbage rules. So we attacked the futon with scissors to fit it in the garbage bag. Anyway, when I pulled the futon out of the small gated garbage area I unearthed the biggest cockroach I've ever seen. And it was alive. I dropped everything and literally had the creeps. At least the bugs in Jay's Murray house were small! One of the Elders was like "ahhh, come here little guy". I was so grossed out. I took a picture though. I will be the next email of pictures. Then the Elder picked it up with his hand and threw it over the fence. He said he was a plumber for 6 months so no bugs like that phase him anymore.

(Montes Choro with his friend, the giant cockroach.  The cockroach was found under the futon we were cutting up to fit in a bag to throw away following all the Japanese trash rules.  After this picture he picked up the little bug by his hands and threw it over the fence.)

As I mentioned in my email to daddy, I sent you all a Christmas present today. It cost 7000 yen to mail (US $70). The lady said that America suddenly got more 厳しい or strict, so it might take longer than 10 days to get there. Go figure America! I hope the presents get there in time. I also mailed you both birthday presents. I was sick of transferring with them. Ha ha. I think I'm done mailing things to America. It's a pain in the butt. I had to be honest on the customs declaration without letting you know what it was. Ha ha. No peeking!

I also mailed the iPod if you could put some stuff on it. I'm really really really tired of the same 3 CDs. Plus, all the missionaries have the exact same 3 CDs.

About your emails- Dad, if you use my external HD be careful. If you delete all of it I would be very sad. That's my life! But good luck.  I don't think they even make FAT 32 cables anymore. Also, you joked about me being AP (Assistant to the mission president). Well, we heard that up in Sapporo, the most north Japanese mission, that there are sister APs. The Sapporo mission is the most liberal mission in Japan by far. All the funny stories come from there.

As for the phone call, I haven't gotten information on it yet. But how it worked last year was you will actually call me. That way it costs you money and not the church. They encourage 30-40 minute phone calls to not put a financial strain on my family. Well, I'll leave it up to you how long. Though I don't think I'll have much to say. I either need 3 weeks to explain my mission in detail, or it's so vague that it's short. I don't know if there is anything in between.

Last thing. I wasn't sure if I wanted to tell you this or not, but right now I am fasting for dad to find a job. Yep. I have zero, ZERO testimony of fasting, but I do have a testimony of following the commandments of God to see blessings. So it hit me yesterday in church that it's the last thing I can do to help. It's frustrating because there is nothing I can do. And I HATE fasting. I mean who likes to go without food for 24 hours? It's not like my body likes being hungry. But it's the last thing I can do. After this I'm out of ideas. Anyway, because fasting is the biggest sacrifice I can make I bet you are going to find a job this week. Yep. Salina? Ha ha.  Middle of nowhere, but equal distance between Utah and Kentucky. Ha ha.

Okay, we're going to head home now with our basket full of shopping today. We got new bike breaks, and a really cheap sweater. Yay!

 
The Elders have this investigator family, the Hayashi family.  They teach them family English once a week. We go too. This picture is where the kids are jumping up and down with their hands in the hair waiting to be called on. The sister is my new companion, Sister Harada. The adult in the picture is the dad of these crazy little kids.
 
 

 My Miyazaki district.  Well, only half of us are left.  (the other half were transferred to other areas).
 
Until next week,

Your favorite daughter

New phone, sick in Japan, fixing computers...

My email time today started with fixing the two computers. There are two computers here in the copy room for Family Search, but we use it for emails. The computers have been sick the last few days. The one on the left has an incompatible monitor so sometimes it doesn't realize the computer is actually sending information. Yep, so I played around with that one. The other computer was taken and reformatted, so it was supposed to be working. But the user name I used to log in didn't have Internet privileges, which took me a while to figure out since everything is in Japanese. I told my computer to read it, and then I clicked on things. We were a good team. I ended up figuring out the other user name. These passwords aren't very secure if I could do it all in Japanese. Actually, there is a post-it with the user name and password right on the printer next to the monitor. My college teachers would have had a fit. But it was good to see that I can still fix computers even in Japanese.


The big news of the week is that we all got new phones! Yes, I think I mentioned it before. It's way cool looking. Then a few days later we got a text from the Japan Area office that told us to download this application. It's a GPS map for our phones. Well, we found out a few days after that that we aren't allowed to use it, until they can work it all out and stuff, but before that I spent two language studies and
1 1/2 lunches translating it all into English. It really brushed up on my Japanese Kanji writing skills. Good think my electronic dictionary has a kanji pad, huh? That is a good 200 dollars right there. Anyway, now all my work is for naught, but I plan on still giving it to the mission president when I see him next transfer at Zone Conference.

Speaking of, Transfer calls is Wednesday, so please send my Christmas package to the mission office. I have a feeling I will transfer.  Here's my thinking, which isn't really based on much. My companion and I have learned how to get along with each other but it's still really hard. We need a change I think. This past transfer pushed Takahama Shimai into depression, so I don't think she can handle another transfer. Therefore I think I will transfer. Anyway, if I'm with her for a whole other 6 weeks I will have to re-humble myself and start praying for more charity. Phew. We'll see if my personal revelation is true or not the day after tomorrow.

In other news, I would like to know world news. I heard that North Korea shot a missile. But that's all I know. How's the American economy? Anymore car companies die? Are there still troops in the Middle East? I honestly think that the 2nd coming could happen and I would be totally oblivious. No joke. Also, could you log into my Facebook and make it so people can search for me. Still block that other people can't read my wall and stuff, but I want to be searchable so these Japanese people can find me. Okay, thanks.

Mom, here are my measurements. Please don't put them on the web.  That would be embarrassing, even for me.

(redacted for national security and personal embarrassment issues)

let me know if I forgot to measure something. Ha ha.

Dad, I can't believe you took over someone's practice. (editor's note:  only for about 3 minutes) But then again I'm not surprised. Yesterday after church there was a music practice for the ward Christmas party. We are singing some song I've never heard of before. The lady in charge doesn't really know what she's doing, but she does it with a smile and with love. Then there is this one sister who was visiting from some other ward way up north. She walked into the room and claimed privilege that she is the stake music chairman back from where ever she is from. Then she just kinda took over, in the Japanese way that I wish I could explain. After the short rehearsal I gave the sister that was supposed to be in charge a big hug and just said, I just wanted to tell you that you're wonderful. I hope you at least took over with more tact than this sister who was visiting. It was ridiculous.

This week I caught a cold. Which isn't a huge deal if you're in America, but is like the end of the world in Japan. Everyone is like 'Are you okay?' in the most concerned face. It's flattering the first hundred times, it's the second hundred I have a problem with. Anyway, I wasn't feeling well on Saturday, so I laid down for a nap. When I woke up an hour later my throat was so tight I could hardly swallow.

So we went to the nearby drug store to get some medicine. I told them my symptoms and they recommended me some drugs. I read the ingredients the best I could (it's weird Japanese). It's ibuprofen, and vitamin B1, vitamin C, and such. So I bought it. Later in the apartment I translated the other 7 ingredients. Japanese people really have a magic pill complex. And here I thought American was bad. As I was translating I stumbled across 'Dihyro codiene'. Yes, there is codeine in their cold medication! No wonder it made me a little bit drowsy. Ha ha. I also wore a sanitary mask around the apartment since my companion thought I was contagious. But since I'm American and think the sanitary mask is a little bit silly, I drew a face on it. Ha ha. I will send a picture soon.

Okay, I think that's it for now. I plan on buying Christmas stuff today. We're going to Daiso. Yay! I wonder if they take credit card at the dollar store.

Other pictures...

the smallest apple I've ever seen.  Try not to focus on me in that picture.  I was not having a pretty day.

Saiya-chan.  Or should I say Lemmon Shimai.  She's the daughter of our new investigator.

The random structure at Heiwadai park.  I couldn't find any information on what the building was, but maybe a tomb for some old emperor or something?  Anyway, we went with our new investigator.

Love,

Your favorite daughter