Sorry for the break in my writing. I am excited to catch you up on the life here in Argentina.
Normal
My mom recently asked me what the most interesting thing about the culture here was. After thinking a little, I've decided that the most interesting thing about the culture here is what is normal. There are crazy things that happen but I think the most interesting part of people here is what happens everyday that doesn't stick out. Things that just are.
Some examples include:
- constantly breathing smoke from cigarettes or fires on the side of the street
- garbage piles pretty much everywhere
- dump trucks full of meat driving down the street (yes, dump truck filled with nothing but meat)
- greeting every stranger you pass with "buen dia" or "buenas tardes"
- hearing explosions from somewhere down the street and not knowing if they're misfires from a motorcycle or a gun
- houses made completely of concrete and rebar
- drinking tasteless herbal water from the same cup as everyone else (it's called mate)
- waiting for the bus for 30 minutes to go anywhere
- building your own house
- giving a kiss on the cheek to salutate
Nothing here is to far fetched from the imagination. Life's just like that.
Elder Vega
Elder Vega and I have been companions for 6 weeks now. He is my "son." After flying from Honduras to Argentina, he spent 3 weeks in the MTC and then was miraculously entrusted to my training and care. E. Vega comes from a family of 10, 4 sisters, 3 brothers, 2 parents, and 1 of him. He is a crazy hard worker that has had his hand to the plow since he was 15 (he told me that he started selling vegetables alone when he was 7 years old but he doesn't consider that full time work because it was with his family's business).
The biggest desire I see in Elder Vega is obedience. He does everything he can to be obedient to every rule, standard, or commandment that he has heard of. Elder Vega was baptized when he was 14 years old and is a great example of being "all in." He loves the gospel and he loves the Lord.
Being comps with Elder Vega has brought a lot of challenges. In the first week, we really struggled with the language barrier. I am still learning Spanish. One day I felt overwhelmed by the fact that I couldn't communicate as effortlessly as I can in English. We were in the apartment and I went off expressing how I felt to Elder Vega in English. 5 minutes straight of a language that he does not understand. I felt a little bad afterward but I think it helped me recognize that I was stressed and it helped Elder Vega understand how I feel when I don't understand other people in Spanish.
Overall, the past 6 weeks has shown me that I have weaknesses. I have stress and imperfections and that's okay because I have a Savior. God has mercifully given me the chance to come here and improve and He has given me the help I need to do it. I know that we can improve. I know that I can improve.
I love you guys. My family is constantly in my prayers.
With hope for a better self to come!
Elder Smith
