Time Flies When You're Having Fun!

I had a mini panic attack this week..So apparently there are some places in Madagascar kind of like America. There's this little place in Alarobia (Like 15 minutes from our house) called Shoprite. It's like a replica of the Provo Mall. Except it's like 1/20 of the size, and smells like.. Madagascar. But I was seriously tripping out, bad. I felt like I was back at home, but it was not in a good way, I was like, gonna cry. They have this little place kind of like a Starbucks (don't worry, I didn't get coffee, ha), and they had NUTELLA MILKSHAKES. I was dying, it was so good, best dessert I've had in country. I am for sure going back. The store is like a real shopping store back home, and they have a bakery! I got two donuts and the Nutella shake. The donuts weren't as good as back home, but I was feeling on top of the world. Best thing ever. I'm probably gonna break down and cry the first time I walk into a store when I get home..

Picnic with the Jazz (YSA) in Manazary

Another funny story, last Wednesday after teaching English, we all went to a hotely to grab dinner. A little background, Malagasies have this WAY hot sauce called sakay here. It's like salsa, with ghost peppers that tear you apart, depending on how strong it is. I usually put just a drop or two in my rice. Anyway, one of the YSA in our ward, Papoose, was there. We told her if she ate 2 spoonfuls of sakay, we would give her 13 packages of Bolo. Bolo is a little cookie they sell here, 200 Ar per pack. AKA, hardly any cost to us, but Malagasies love snacks. So she ate the whole thing. Funniest thing ever. I wish I had a video. She was dying. We all had a good laugh.



Let's see.. Thanksgiving is this week. I am so stoked. Our district and half of another (the one Mitchell is in) are all gathering to slay some turkeys and have a feast. We have a plan for so much good food. We made the list of food a few weeks ago, we're gonna be eating good on Thursday.



Oh, I hit 5 months out tomorrow! It went by so fast. I still feel like the MTC was the longest. I don't even feel like it was a part of my mission, it's all just some memory back in the past. This next month is gonna be so fast, Thanksgiving, Christmas, calling home, transfers, etc. By Christmas, I'm 1/4 of the way done. It definitely goes by quick out here, not always, but overall. Especially with a fun house.

Stake conference was yesterday. We had about as many people as would show up to a farewell back home haha, but that's a lot here ok!? It was in a huge gym in Ankorondrano. The echo was ridiculously bad in there. So needless to say, I didn't get a lot out of it.. But I read Jesus The Christ the whole time, and drew pictures with some of the kids sitting in front of me.





Stake Conference in Ankorondrano

Also, things here are very different than back home. Back home, if you saw a missionary running around a gym with like 12 kids, shooting each other with pretend guns and bows and arrows and grenades, you might think he's not serious and kind of a slacker. But here, people don't look twice. After the meeting, people started leaving, and our battle commenced in the back corner of the gym. I think I would've won, but the kids kept coming back to life somehow and overpowering me. Oh well.



Alrighty, that's all the news for now pretty much. Next weeks letter should have a lot of info about changes. So look forward to that!



Taylor

PS- Just a pic of one of Taylor's friends in Mada!