Dear
America,
It's so fun to see all
of the big changes at home! Sorry that I can't reply to every email that comes,
but I had fun reading all of them. I laughed about leaving the mats at the
dump. I arrived at the MTC after a day-long flight from SLC to NY and then to
Accra. I only slept about two hours on the whole ride, but today was so
exciting that I was able to keep going. Ghana is so green and red, with all of
the tropical trees that I can't name and the red dirt. It's muggy here. Kind of
like taking a hot, steamy shower. Except I don't take hot showers. The heat
feels nice at first but you overheat after a while.
The native elders are
so friendly and fun. They have it when I give them their snap handshake (it's a
real thing). You shake and then slide off their middle fingers and snap as you
go. The elders always greet you like an old friend, even when you've never met
before. The portion sizes at meals here are huge. Little breakfast, HUGE lunch,
and little dinner. Fruit is amazing in the extreme. So sweet and full of
flavor.
My companion is Elder
Peterson. He's nice and easy to get along with. He's also committed to keeping
the rules, which is great. Traffic is crazy here. So crazy. Everyone is like
Dad times ten but with no common sense and all in a hurry to get somewhere. If
I die, it won't be from malaria. It'll be if I have to drive. The native elders
are really good at soccer (football). Pdays are fun. Ghana is way less
organized than the US. It'll definitely take some getting used to.
I got Elder Neville's
letter in the MTC. I'm still looking for Elder Hepworth's. Dr. Bronner's mint
soap is the best, when combined with a cold shower. The MTC here definitely
isn't as structured as the one in Provo. It's more... basic. Everything is. The
food is very good. They feed us so much food. Lots of rice, chicken, and bread.
It's like white bread with some nutmeg in it. It's all very good. The rice is
always flavored with a drumstick or something on the side. And there's a lot of
it. It isn't too different than some of the flavored rice that mom makes,
there's just more. Some of the Americans are having a hard time getting used to
it, but I feel like I've been specially prepared to be here.
Elder Peterson and I
are in charge of the music for the whole MTC because we're the only two who
play the piano. It isn't too bad. But we sing like six times every day. It's
actually fun because they sing so enthusiastically. Like yelling. And all down
the halls, people will just burst into hymns. English and French are the only
two languages taught here, but we also mix Twi, Fante, American slang, and
movie references (the last two because the Americans felt left out without our
own secret language). Being in charge of the music also means that we are
lead the "doxy song" at dinnertime. Doxycyclin is the pill we all
have to take every day to prevent malaria. It goes to the tune of "If
you're happy and you know it": "If you've taken your doxycyclin, clap
your hands!..." and so on. Just so everyone remembers.
The temple in Accra is
the most beautiful building I've ever seen. And I've been to a lot of temples.
The inside is by far the most beautiful out of any temple I've ever been in.
I'm coming back to Ghana, if only to visit the temple here.
I'm so happy to be
here! I really am loving the MTC. A lot. I could stay here for two years. But I
only have a week left! I'll tell you about all the crazy things in the outside
world when I get there. I feel pretty sheltered here in the MTC.
Love from Africa,
Elder Nelson
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