Calmati (or super sorry I might have broken your hearts)

We had interviews yesterday!  (On Wednesday - her regular Pday)  I told presidente that he was going to kill my mother (because we didn't hear from her as expected)... but he didn't seem to think it was funny. 

extra mail

Happy P-Day on Thursday!  

I actually liked it because then I got extra emails from people yelling at me from not writing back & emails from people who forgot to write me Tuesday night.  sorry mom.  

I didn't mean to stress you out on purpose.   We could pick if we wanted to take Pday on Tuesday or Thursday & we picked Thursday because we were selfish.  I knew you wrote Tuesday nights and I wouldn't have gotten my mail!  sooo, my bad. 

no figs for you

This week was crazy.  We were eating lunch and the other sisters brought back figs from a member's house (because I live in Italy).  

Sister Lemos is going on and on anndd onnnnn about how good figs are (because none of the Americans have actually haadd figs before) and she was telling a story about how her grandma make the beesstt fig jam & she couldn't remember why she hadn't had it in forever.   She was like, "I need to ask for the recipe."  

Then she took a baby-sized bite and remembered why:  SHE'S SUPER ALLERGIC!!!  Her throat started closing up and she couldn't breath.   All I could think about was that super sad movie with the little boy and the little girl and the boy gets stung by the bees and dies.. you know what movie I'm talking about? 
  

"My Girl"

It's really, really sad... ANYWAYS I thought my companion was going to die.  

Good thing she had Benadryl and then she took two and was okay.. but then she got super sleepy took a 30 minute nap and then we went to our appointment.. I'm telling you, she's a trooper. 

Also, I gave a talk in church on Sunday--without Sister Pearce to help me!  But it's okay because Sister Lemos taught me how to write my own, hahahah.  It was fine. 

I had the worst & best food of my life this week.    It also smells really bad here. 

two summers one winter

It's starting to get cold.  Sister Lemos loves cold weather and always says, "I'm in love with this daayy" which means she likes the weather, hahah.  ma ha ragione (but she's right). 

In Argentina the seasons are opposite, so she went from summer in Argentina to the beginning of summer in Italy when she got here.. so she's literally had like a year of summer.  I reminded her that when she goes home she'll have just finished a summer in Italy to start another summer in Argentina and she may or may not have cried, hahahahah oops. 

the answer

Recently, our investigators/members have been going through literally the craziest situations and come to us to solve their problems.  I'm like.. "I'm only 20 years old!  How the heck am I supposed to give you the answers to your marriage problems?  I've never even been in love before!"  

&&  then I remember I'm a missionary & I actually DO have the answer to your problems or your illnesses or whatever is going on (the gospel is the answer) ... so that's comforting.. 

but sometimes I do feel really young to be here..

write it down

I have so much to say but I don't really remember at this moment.. I need to start writing things down when I think about it.  We are going to the aquarium today!! yayyyy (= 

Oh yeah, see if you can find me a mate straw & cup & thermos.  

early morning scripture study

They don't have them here and I'm afraid I'll be too sad when Sister Lemos leaves...

Are you making a playlist of all the good music that comes out while I'm gone? (Yes...)

3 months till Christmas!!!! (When we get to Skype with her and Kaitlin)

Seriously, love you long time, xx, your daughter, Paige

(Email Sent - September 26, 2013)

Six Month Mark!

Mom,

I'M SORRY YOU'RE SICK!  It sucks, right? I was fine though.

I'm sooooo homesick this week!  Genova is soo hard!  but in a way different way than I thought!  We teach SO MUCH! & it's so good, but super taxing on my body & my brain, but it's finnee.

I miss my couch

There was a bus strike yesterday that made me want to kill someone.  I can't wait to drive a car again. and sit on a couch.  

I live with a sister missionary who's "dying" (going home) after this transfer and she makes me trunky. danng ittt

My favorite Scott quote from this week is the one about paper plates hahahah cause it's true!  (I wasn't feeling well, so the menfolk were on their own for dinner and ate on paper plates so they wouldn't have to do dishes. He apologized to me cause he thought I would be mad. ha) 

visitors

Oh gosh, I'm so embarrasseddd about the picture that lady sent.. I was on my way to the bathroom and we had to teach Gospel Principles (Is that what it's called in English?) that second and she was allllll "Let me take a picture of you for your parents."  

I was so frantic & gross.  (A tourist couple visiting Genova went to Paige's ward and sent pictures to me on Sunday.  I was happy to get them.  fun surprise.)

Genova is so old.

I'm a dog person but.. dogs don't belong on the bus!

We had district meeting this week and I hated it because we were the only sisters in the district and it was missing all my friends! 

I MISS SISTER HUNTER  (Sister Hunter's mom sent me emails from her daughter who was serving with Paige in Pordenone.  She told a story about how the girls heard gun shots outside their window and that "Sorella O'Connor hit the floor" and lay down flat and they were all screaming until their realized it was fireworks. haha)

gunfire and earthquakes

It's funny Sister Hunter told that story about the gun shots because when those fireworks were going off Sorella Astel was on the phone with Anz. Memmott and he was like, "WHATS GOING ONN!!?" and she was like, "WE ARE GETTING SHOT!" and then we figured out it was fireworks and it was embarrassing.   

(An alternative reaction to when you hear fireworks.

Plus, Paige looked just like this when she was little.)

So yesterday Sorella Lemos was on the phone with Anz. Memmott giving him a referral, and then the ground started shaking.   She was screaming (in her broken English), "Anziano, do you feel?  What is that?!  la terrrraaaa!" (the ground)  He just kept saying, "Do you feel what? What is that?!"  (There was a metro underneath us) and poor Anziano Memmott... he was so concerned for us hahahah.   

Anziano Memmott was like, "No, we are in church" and she just kept saying, "Well it's because its you on the terza piano (third floor), ma, we are on the terra" "it's a terramoto (earthquake) anziano, are you ok?!"  It was endearing.  So cute, the Sorella Lemos

makeovers

My Argentine companion thinks I'm ugly I think.. 

She has asked this week to: cut my hair, color my hair, do my make-up, braid my hair and PIERCE MY EARS... I mean I like my hair.. It's not ugly, right?!   I'm sleeping with one eye open.

See, remember when I said I hate cardigans.. I need some, but I hate shopping with companions.   Can you try and send some to my apartment?   It's getting chilly!  but reminds me of the beach house, so I don't hate it..  lovvveeee yoouuuuu 

un ano piu!!!!

one year left

(Email Sent - September 18, 2013)

Hello Genova!

THIS WEEK HAS BEEN SO LONG!!!!!!!!!!!!! 

First off, I'm starting to forget English. not good. bear with me. 

train spotting
So I got to ride on the train with Sorella Pearce back to Milan, which was cute and sentimental because that's how we came to Pordenone.. aww.  

waving goodbye at the Pordenone train station

I forgot to tell you she got transferred to Milan with.. SORELLA LOFLEY hahaha---that's who trained Sorella Astel.  Interesting, huh?  

Then we all met in the Milan train station, found our travel companions, got lunch and left for GENOVA..  

Genova is soooo beautiful, Mom. seriously.  There are probably a ton of pictures on the internet, whatever,  I promise they don't do it justice.  

straight to work
When I got there, we set down our luggage and went straight to an appointment.  It was kinda late at night in a kinda sketchy area, so we had to walk realllyy fast and you'll never guess what Sorella Lemos did...

She grabbed my hand. 

At that moment, I started to repent for all the times I made fun of you for your companions linking arms with you (she did that to me too). 

living la vida argentina
So we teach in Spanish anche (also), so I'm learning a little Spanish!  I had a moment this week where I was just like,

"Whheerree am I and what am I doinnggg?!"  

We were in the house of a less active and she packed a huge bowl of mate with the silver bowl and weird metal straw and we were just passing it around, sipping mate and teaching the gospel in Italian/Spanish.  It was soooo weiirrdddd

you had me at "hello"
I miss English so much!  I almost cried when Anz. Memmott and Gibbons called the other night just because they said "hello." 

Dad:  yes, he's from Utah, but I don't remember where. I'll ask. 

There are 3 copie of missionaries in our WARD! and we have two wards in Genova.   It's so fun running into other missionaries.  We are the only sorelle and then Capi Zona and two other missionari who were in the MTC con me. 

kiss kiss
Also another weird thing:  when we baci other people, I have to know if they are from South America or Italy because Italians baci the right cheek and South Americans the left.. 

We went to an appointment this week and this person lives on the mara (ocean) and I wanted to cryyyy.  I closed my eyes and imagined I was at the beach house.. 

Oh, Sorella Lemos is from CORDOBA (gasp from Mom).  She lives in actual city of Cordoba and said we can come visit her there.  (Paige's mom served in Cordoba, Argentina mission)

pajama time

She is so cuutteeeee. and super spunky hahah she knows literally like not a lot of English except, 
"I'm going to kill you." and  
"Do you want to die? Because I can help you."  

It's suppeerrrr endearing.. 

Hey Mom, yeah, you could send me some mate, but the real stuff-- Sorella Lemos has a cup and straw. 

Also I was really bad at budgeting for transfers, so I have no more money on my mission card.  Sooooo I was really good and spent 12 euro on food for the week.  Also, I lied; don't take out my birthday money on my card because Genova has reallllyyyy good shopping. like reallly good.

I can see Christopher Columbus' castle outside the church window.  

Genova has realllllllyyy good foccacia (really good bread) and a member of the ward counsel owns a bakery.  I'm in troubbllleee, Mom. 

Also, there is amazing pesto pizza.  Pesto was founded in Genova.. they are obsessed.

(Email Sent - September 11, 2013)

Goodbye Pordenone

"hi"
So we were at a member's house on Monday and Patrizia says, 

"Your sister says 'Hi!' and that she's going to Rome!!"  

I was just likkee, "Whhaatttt?  You talked to my sister?!"  

She didn't, but she was talking to a member in Cagliari who was with Kate at the same time... tender moment!  So Kate got transferred to Rome, yes or no? (yes!)

drumroll please....

Well I can't hold it in much longer, buuuttttt (hold your breath) I'm leaving Pordenone. && I'm sad about it!!!!  

This is Sara and Andrea (members) at the "nice McDonalds." 

Sara is very dear to my heart! 

She got baptized the week after I got transferred over to Sorella Astel. loovveeee her

Andrea served his mission in Georgia (the state, not the country)

But I'm also happy because I'm going to GENOVA!!!  

Everyone is telling me that it's flooded and windy and the people are mean, but I'm not listening to them, hahah.   

Genova is suuppeerrr pretty & our DL, Anz. Memmott got transfered to Genova to be a ZL, so I'll have a friendly face!  

Sorella Astel is getting Sorella Pond, who was Sorella Hunter's companion in the MTC, and Sorella Pearce got transferred to Milano to be a Sister Training Leader (kinda like a Zone Leader, but only for sorelle) and Sorella Hunter is getting a solid sister from Albania!

Sorella Pearce and Sorella Hunter

nueva companera

My companion is Sorella Lemos.. from ARGENTINA.  She speaks veerryyy little English & has been out the same amount of time as me. How ya feeling Mom & Dad? crazy right?!  

I'm kinda freaking ouutttt, but it's fine hahaha. 

Mom, I'm all ears to your advice on when you were in Argentina (sorry about that) WHAT DO I DO? (When Paige was preparing for her mission, she would mock me whenever I would try and give her advice about my missionary service in Argentina. karma.) 

Genova Zone - Sorella Lemos is on the far left

bus-ted

But this week was sooo long!  

Bus #1- We got lost on a bus & the bus driver dropped us off in the middle of nowhere and told us to flag down the next bus that was coming from the opposite direction and take it to some other city.   

Bus #2 - So we did & then thaatt bbus driver took us somewhere else and stopped the bus on the highway. 

 (At the same time, I have a member on the phone asking me where I am and when I'm gonna get to her house.)  So I just handed over the phone to the bus driver to figure it out.  

He made some calls, flagged down another bus and escorted us ACROSS THE HIGHWAY.  

Bus #3 - He told the other bus driver where we needed to go but thhaatt bus driver took us too far. 

Then I had to call the member again and give the phone to the bus driver so he could explain where the heck we were.  

Rescued:  She had to come pick us up.. but it's fine I'm alliivveee, hahaha, & I love being a missionary. 

birthday girl

For my birthday we sang American songs and had pizza and gelato & the other sorelle were sneaky and scored me some Hot Cheetos from the base.  

Birthdays are fun on the mission because it doesn't really feel like your birthday.. also I feel old. 

birthday twister pizza in green & kitty

Italia Vouggeee I'm stoked on it!  It'll be a big change from the Liahona haha  (She asked me to get her an Italian Vogue for a birthday present to save for her. for after.)

per piaccere- Because I'm leaving my dear Sorella Astel, can you send her a CD with the Like Crazy songs & the Mo Tab Andrea Bocelli song on the Italiano cd.. she likes those ones.  

Also print off some pictures of the two of us and send them to her.. that woullddd be sooo nice of you<3

So I'm totes sad about leaving Pordenone but also excited to serve in a big city with a lot of other missionaries.. even though I'm gonna have a really hard time communicating with my new companion.. 

I'm excited to meet her! 8 hour train ride across the country here I commeee!  Also I can go to Cinque Terra on pdays!  sono felice

Cinque Terre is a series of five coastal cities

that can only be reached by hiking or ferry

With love for the last time in Pordenone, 

Sorella Paige O'Connor 

(Email Sent - September 4, 2013)