Kiribati: November 1st 2014 12:38 pm
American Time: October 31, 2014 5:38 pm
Hey guys,
What's up? I'm sitting here having just finished my studies and Matiare fell asleep because he and Takaio (YA prepping for his mission) stayed up until 12:30 last night talking apparently. Looks like today's going to be another hard one. It's good for me because I'm learning patience which I need haha and I'm also developing an eternal dislike for laziness, which happends to be a major characteristic of the Kiribati people cause there's just not much for them to do. It's chill though. I love Matiare. He's way great and so are this people. It would just be nice to go out and do what I came to do. Spread this stinkin gospel. I'm having a hard time keeping the thought that I'll regret my time here, and I should tell Matiare he's lazy and I'm in charge and we're going to work cause I'm tired of him. Hahaha that's not very Christlike though huh? which probably means it's the wrong thing to do ; )
Anywho, enough of that, don't want to create the impresson that I'm actually having a hard time out here huh? Cause it's really way fun and my language is coming along. Especially seeing as it's the only one I can speak haha?
Oh by the way, forgot to mention I'm writing this letter cause the internet's out and sounds like it won't be back this next Monday either. So just FYI I'm still alive although my strep throat spread all over my mouth. Didn't know it could do that haha? But seriously I'm smiling way big right now and I hope Halloween and Beth's birthday went way well. Out here the "koro n ririki" is like a 3 to7 day nonstop sleepover party with only their closest friends, or in other words, everyone in that village attends and anyone else who wants to as well. Do you think we should start up that tradition when I get back, Mom? If you do the math, that means life out here is one constant "bootaki" (party). Guess that's what happens when your only job is fishing once a week for food and collecting "bin" (coconut) for money.
Other big events: hit 150 days out on the mish. Weird that one more month and I'm 1/4 of the way through my whole mish and I haven't even left my first area. But maybe that's just me.
I climbed my first coconut tree. Haha sorry sorry Mom, but I was way thirsty and our "karau" (rain) was running out and I wanted a "moimoito" (immature coconut) which are way good. Well at least they are now. I used to hate them. Don't worry, it was a way small tree, so we're chill, right? If not, I'll just lie and say this never happened haha. Also my first journal got all the way filled up so on to the next, which should last a lot longer cause it's pretty sweet. Found it in the MTC.
Matiare, Takaio and I hit up the beach cause Matiare had to "beka" (poo). Turns out we found this way beautiful spot where you could see the whole coast. So we took pics. Haha pretty sweet. Oh also we saw a group of clear little fish jumping in the water so it looked like a huge sea serpent was going through. So again, pretty sweet. Taught a family how to play poker the other night with rocks for our money. I don't know if that is unmissionary-like behavior but it was way fun! I think that's enough for now. I'm going to go back to trying to leave the house now.
Last note though. If you ever meet a Bekah, know that her name means poop in Kiribati and you can tell her that! Just put that together. Love you all!
Elder/Castaway Pettingill (the younger)
This was the back page of the letter
