...Cause I'm in Tahiti!!!
This place is nuts. The flights were great, everything was super unclear and we weren't actually sure our luggage was gonna get here, but it did! Merci Seigneur. Just walking through the airports was way cool cause there were actual people! Not just missionaries! I felt like a celebrity in the SLC airport and in the California airport I kept getting the weirdest glances haha! It's awesome.
Ok so as soon as we landed in the Tahiti airport stuff got real. EVERYONE SPEAKS FRENCH. I thought I was pretty decent at French from the MTC. That was a fallacy. (Also if you haven't noticed I can't spell. Also I'm typing this on a French keyboard so 90% of the words are red underlined.) So ya I can't understand anyone. It's great. Super fun trying to play charades with everyone I talk to. Whenever I meet someone from America it is such a treat because I get to have an actual conversation! I hope I'm not going crazy cause I just sit and think to myself a lot. Also side note- English is the worst. None of it makes sense. Trying to translate all the miscellaneous phrases is impossible, because they don't exist in French. Also English words have no consistency. Stop yourself every time you say the word "get" and realize there is no word for "get" in French. There are like 17 different meanings for that word and now I have to memorize all the corresponding words in francais.
LUCKILY my new companion speaks English! At least a little! His name is Elder Tekurio and is a native Tahitian. I live with 3 native Tahitians, the other two are the Mission President's assistants! They are all so cool. I can't understand everything, but I can understand what's generally going on and we tell each other funny stories in broken English/French. My companion is super cool. He plays the violin very well, he's super smart and speaks like 5 languages! or at least parts of 5 languages! And he's very patient with the fact I can't speak to anyone here which is very good!
I can do my part in teaching lessons, the hardest part for me is just comprehending what other people are saying. But it's alright I'll get it eventually!
So Tahiti is way cool. My area is Papeete 2, which is the biggest city in French Polynesia. So it's decently urbanized. It has about the vibe/quality as Kilby court, for those of you who have been there. And then some bigger buildings. Except much hotter and more trees! Also tons of wild animals. There are cats, dogs, and chickens literally all over the place. And millions of tiny tiny bugs that you can barely even see. Like everywhere. All over the floors. There aren't too many bugs, but I have seen a jumping spider, a cockroach, lots of little crabs and oh ya an eel. Just chillin in the gutter.
There are many times where I think to myself "what the heck am I doing here?" hahaha! Sitting in a dirty apartment with people speaking another language eating lots of raw fish. But it's a good time! And it's awesome to see people feel the spirit in lessons and the joy the Gospel brings to these people who don't have very much.
I taught an English class. Yep. Definitely not qualified for that. To a bunch of Tahitians. And I teach every Wednesday! So if you wanna learn English or Spanish head over to our chapel wed at 6! Also pretty sure I said something offensive in French whoops lol. But the members still seem to like me so I think I'm in the clear.
It's all super crazy, and there is beyond more to tell ya'll, but there's not too much time and I'll save some stuff to tell you in later weeks!
Thank you all so much for your prayers and letters! I miss you all sooooo much and I love ya!
All the loves,
Elderrrrrrrrrrrrrr JENKINSSSSSSSS
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