Greetings from Nicaragua!!!!!! Dec 6th 2010

Greetings from Nicaragua!!!!!!!

How the heck is everything going? IT seems like forever since I got to talk to you guys. Things are quite different then i had expected. I have a lot to write about! but first off I'll give you the mission homes address which is where you send everything including post mail. Elder Valentin Galvan
Nicaragua Managua Mission Sur
Apartado Postal 3527
Managua, Nicaragua C.A.

OK now that that is done well get to the good stuff. First off go ahead and give out this email instead of my address because I am allowed to email whoever I want just not any girls in nicaragua haha. ok, so when i first got here at 9 or so at night it was pretty nuts, first off we put all of our luggage on this little red truck that we had to push start haha that truck took all of our luggage to the mission home.

Then we went out to mcdonalds, yes mcdonalds, with the mission pres and his wife which was pretty cool. it really doesnt taste any different. Then we went back to the mission home and we all butt packed it in this tiny house and slept on straight mattress with no sheets haha then all 11 of us woke up to shower in one bathroom which took forever because some kids are just ding dongs. anyways after that we went to a chapel which all of the chapels here are pretty new so there all nice haha, but we ate there which was just bread and juice, then all day we sat and were talked to by our president and his assistants.

Then we went to lunch at this really suave place called The Place hahaha it was nice we had like a full on 3 course meal and it had to have been pretty spendy for the prez. after wards we went back then we did some more intro stuff and went back and slept in the mission home again then wednesday was the day of changes which is where we meet out trainers and go off to our areas.

My trainer is the only missionary here from Mexico! yep he's a mexican haha and only speaks spanish, well im trying to help him with English but he only wants to know the funny stufff haha. anyways his name is Elder Burgos and he is short and squatty like in the pictures you will hopefully see later in this email. Hes actually a great teacher though and i have a lot to learn from him.

OK so my first ever area in the field is........ THe great city of Managua!!! Yep im here in the city, my area is called Boer pronounced like BO AIR for you chelitos. Well to say a little bit about my area picture the worst slum of downtown phoenix times 30 and thats Boer haha. It is the straight up ghetto. All of my zone is like ´man you got born into the best area because from here it can only get better haha basically i am in the worst area of our mission and also in the second most sketchy area in all of both missions, the north has the first haha. It is a lot different than i expected, not a lot of people like me, but the people that do freaking love me they like send their kids to go buy us snacks and drinks at the pulperias which are like little stores all over the place in peoples houses and stuff haha. Any ways ive had gallo pinto about 8 times haha, the food here isnt bad but its very bland. i had cheese the other day which was a mistake its basically all salt and diarhea after hahaha but its all good. the drinks they make here are my favorite though. People we talk to just whip up some bebidas for us like Cacao con leche which is like horchata with chocolate, cevada which is pink haha um taborina all kinds of stuff, the gatorade here is a lot better too for some reason but hard to find.I havent had cold water since the mtc. we have these bottles that filter the water as it comes through the straw so we just put any water in the bottle which is nice but its never cold haha. most kids here end up just drinking the water and getting the sickness over with then theyre fine but i dont want to take my chances with that haha.

We visited this place called Devagon which was pretty bad. basically 10 years ago all these people worked in a factory then they all got cancer from the chemicals in the factory but the factory closed down and wouldnt pay them anything so in protest they moved to this park and they all have homemade tents out of trash basically and get water from a pipe that sticks out the dirt. It was pretty bad but there was a member there visiting her family so we went and talked a little.

Contacting here is hard because no one wants to listen to us. like i said no one really likes us here which i wasnt expecting at all so its been kind of difficult for me but ive been trying really hard to look on the bright side of things. i feel like all my spanish went away haha they have reaaaalllyyy bad spanish here because they slur words together and dont pronounce their S´s so it is very difficult but everyone in the mission says that the group i came with is the best at speaking spanish out of all the new group`s theyve ever seen which is a good sign.

We live in cement box basically hahaha theres some pictures of that too. Its 16 x22 with 4 cement walls and a shed roof haha one toilet and a shower which is a pipe coming out of the wall and the water turns off at 6 or 7 in the morning so we take bucket showers sometimes with water we reserve from the night before just in case haha. we live in the back of a members house and she also cooks meals and does our laundry as well which is very nice. theyre a great family and i love them alot im sad for them because her husband isnt around for her 2 daughters but its basically like that everywhere here. they all get married or pregnant at like 16 or 15 then the guy leaves later on its very common.

I hear american music all the time haha J Beibs is huge here!!!! hahahaha its nuts how bad they all try to be american like they all have knock off american eagle and abercrombie and fitch haha its funny. But yah, its been difficult for me, very difficult, but im trying my hardest to be happy! I actually kinda miss the mtc now hahahaha now i know what blake meant when he said that! anyways keep on doing what ya doing i love you all so very much and it was very good to hear your voices again im so glad i get to talk to you again they told us the 24th so il email next week with more details! I love you guys!!!

Elder Galvan