I have been in the MTC for a week now and i absolutely LOVE it! Well, besides the fact that it is cold and really DRY in Utah...and that we eat dinner SUUUUPPPPPER early (around 5:00) so I usually am hungry when it comes time to go to sleep. Also, they don't serve a whole lot of rice at the MTC and they always have the same fruits here; apples, green bananas and honeydew melon. Fruits here are not the same as fruits back home. BUT they DO have POG here,which i thought was funny, so I drink that every day. They also have Cookies and Cream flavored Milk. I am not a fan.
Anyway, let me give you a brief run through of my schedule here:
6:00am Wake up, pray, get ready for the day.
7:00am - 7:45am Breakfast
7:45am - 8:45am Exercise
9:00am - 12:50pm Personal/Companion Study
12:50pm - 1:30pm Lunch
1:30pm - 5:00pm Language Study
5:00pm - 5:45pm Dinner
5:45pm - 9:30pm Personal/Companion/Language Study
9:30pm Back to residencies, get ready for bed, read, pray.
10:30pm Lights out
The missionaries are kept busy here in the MTC. Everyday is like this. We study and learn and teach and then study some more. We literally spend all day in our classrooms. Sundays and P-days are different though. My P-days are on Wednesday. I don't have a specified time at which I email so just watch for my email throughout the day. Oh also, they changed the rule here at the MTC so that now missionaries, on P-days do not have a time limit for emailing. Sooo, if you get more than one email from me on Wednesdays but at different times of the day, just know that I am not breaking any rules and that I am allowed to do so :)
I have two companions, Sister Annie Brinkerhoff from Indiana and Sister Emma Miller from Lehi, Utah. They are the sweetest. They both took years of Mandarin in High school and College so they have been a tremendous help, helping me learn the language. In fact, all of the Elders in my District have taken years of Mandarin while in school so they all have been helping me catch up with the language.
What people say about being "immersed in the language" is not an exaggeration. The first day I got here, I dropped my suitcases off in my room, grabbed by book bag and headed to my class, only to realize that I had been dropped into the deep end of a pool of mandarin language without knowing how to swim. The teacher would ONLY SPEAK CHINESE and that we could only answer and talk in mandarin as well. As you probably may have guessed, my first day was so confusing and a bit overwhelming. I understood nothing that was spoken in class. All of my books were in pinyin and i didn't know how to pronounce the words correctly or say the different tones. BUT NOW I am able to introduce myself, say my prayers, read scriptures (slowly), share my testimony, and teach, in simple phrases, the lessons that are to be taught. I also know how to ask basic conversational questions such as, "Excuse me, where is the bathroom?" and "I am hungry. Where can i find some ice cream?". Mandarin is difficult, but it has definitely become a lot easier. I do not credit myself for that. I have prayed so much since I have been here. Not only for help and guidance, but for strength and to thank Heavenly Father for this incredible opportunity to be able to be a representative of Him.
Being here in the MTC has been a lot of work but it has also been a lot of fun! Meal time is always a buffet and we have dessert with EVERY meal! I have had donuts for breakfast every day and cookies with my lunch. I am hoping to lose all the weight that I gain here at the MTC while I am out in the field. I have also been assigned to play during our sacrament meetings and I joined the MTC choir! Yesterday evening (Tuesday) we had a special MTC devotional with Elder Anderson, from the Quorum of the Twelve, and I got to sing in the choir for that Devotional. We sang, "Joseph Smith's First Vision. It was beautiful! I also play Volleyball in the mornings. It is a great way to somewhat "take a break".
I feel like I have SOOO MUCH to say in this email, I dont even know WHAT to say. But I do want you guys to know that I LOVE YOU ALL SOOO MUCH! and I hope you all are doing well and having fun back at home. I miss you all and I want to thank you all for EVERYTHING! I will send pictures later!
WO AI NIMEN!!!!!!!!!! I LOVE YOU ALL!!!!
-Goo jie mei
Sister Stream Cheron Goo
MAR09 TAIW-TAI
2005 N 900 E Unit 148
Provo UT 84602
2005 N 900 E Unit 148
Provo UT 84602
(oh also, mom and dad, thank Aunty Leslie for me! She left me a package full of goodies yesterday. It was very much appreciated!)
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