Culture shock is a real thing, I am still trying to settle in. Everyone here is very nice. Oh and it is SO HOT!!! The people are very nice and helpful and happy, which is a miracle considering how little they have. It is weird though, because I am on Tarawa and it is the nicest of all the islands. The houses are terrible- straw-thatched roof or corrugated metal sometimes with concrete walls, but there are also nice computers or TVs and they have movies- I saw some kids watching Power Rangers (the new movie) the other day. So it is split between poverty and material things, very weird. But it is good, there are some places with air conditioning and fans in most places, which is nice.
Just want to encourage all of us to look at the modern conveniences we enjoy, especially in America, and just have a spirit of gratitude. I know I took so much for granted, and that I never was thankful enough for what I had. But I hope that throughout my mission and after I get home I can be thankful for the life I have had so far and the little blessings every day.
Comp is good- his name is Elder Tuikolovatu, Tui for short (keep getting stuck with theses comps with impossible last names). He is from Cali (San Diego) and is half-tongan, 1/4 japanese and 1/4 white. He is pretty good at teaching lessons and the language. There are two others in my flat- Tomlinson (from Ogden, leaves in a few weeks), Ntiua (from the Marshall islands).
My bike is trash, every time I try to bike fast to catch up the chain skips so it makes a popping noise. And the chain has fallen off like 5 times. One of the members is going to try to fix it- he has already pumped the tire for me (all day Sunday my front tire was completely flat, I worked up a good sweat).
They have these giant vans that citizens drive back and forth and people hop on- pretty interesting experience, ridden it like 4 times so far.
Out of time, but there is much I have yet to learn, and therefore I don't feel qualified to speak much about Kiribati until I have experienced more.
Photos flying in:
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