Happy Ferragosto!

This week was so so so so good. 

Kait can tell you what Ferragosto means in the missionary world...  (I love that I don't have to explain all my references now because Kaitlin can just tell you.)

but usually it sucks.

This year.   We had an all-day ward activity at a member's house up in the cutest little city filled with vineyards and rolling hills. 

It was so much fun.

We got there at 10am all 6 missionaries rode in the member's car up to their house and helped them set up. (P.S.  I saw the craziest music video and I can't get it out of my head... What does the fox say? weird.) 

where we chit chatted about everything I like. 

Our elders are so much fun.  One has been in Pavia 5 transfers now and he's training this tiny elder who is American but lived in Wales for 5 years so he teaches us proper mint British slang.  The other is really dry in the funniest way and his companion just compliments all the others so well. 

We showed the members how to play baseball, which just turned into the missionaries playing baseball.

They built a crazy swing which I fell off of twice. 

We ate sooooo many figs.

and they bbq'd so much meat. 

We had a water ballon fight>=) where somehow it turned into a war between me and this old member and I won and now he's making us food Saturday (arancini and pizza and some other Sicilian food that I've never heard of but everyone says he's the best cook in the ward and for members to ADMIT that is saying alot).

I got sunburnt!  It's raining today (Pavia is moody) 

and then all 6 of the missionaries left early because we had an appointment at 8 (yeah, thats early) with Valentina and we get to wear hospital masks and it's always so much fun.  

They only speak Spanish.  NO ITALIAN!  So I'm getting mucho bueno. 

I'm not sad about leaving Italy, but I'm not excited to come home and counting the days. I think I'm in denial.  It hasn't hit me that I'll come home sometime, you know? 

Me and Condie are just living the life:  being happy and having fun and doing missionary work. 

We started teaching a Chinese girl who sings opera.  I think we'll baptize her before we "die." 

Best thing of the week:  Anziano Salmon only wants to do the invitations for his wedding.  Everything else he doesn't care about.  But he's reallllyy picky about invitations, so for district meeting we made EVERYONE bring all the wedding invites they've received on their mission and then we rated them. 

I took so many good pictures this week; I just have no time to send them all. 

Just wait a couple of weeks, va bene?

I love you too much. 

I want to go to New York sooooooo bad when I get back! Little Italy!!!!!!!!

(Email Sent - August 20, 2014) 

With Love from Italy....still

Hey I have one million mosquito bites everywhere.  Blisters that have blisters on top of them.

But I'm seriously the happiest I've ever been... ever. 

I love Pavia.  Not because of its heat and insect population, but because I love my companion & the elders I'm working with here.  We have people to teach, I have my io viaggio charged and ready to go anywhere in Lombardia I please, Sorella McCann left some skirts I can use until I "die," & I get to go back to Milano for pday, aka today. 

Soooooo many things happened this week & I didn't write it down.  Well, I did, but I forgot to bring it with me.  

First things first:  I was reunited with Ronald and Mariuxi.  I love them with my whole heart & I think they love me back.  

We saw each other at a baptism in Cimiano, but we had to leave right after the ordinance because it takes like an hour to get back to Pavia.  

But they took Killpack and Warnke (Vanka, she's German) OUT OF MUGGIò and PINK WASHED THEM WITH A TRAINEE!  So now Sorella Gross is trying to figure out the city with a trainee... it's fun because I get to call them and tell them about everything and chit chat about all my friends there and what buses to take etc.. 

& guess who is in my district? Sorella Gillespie! & Anziano Tanner! 

I went on a scambio yesterday in Cimiano (Milano) with Sorella Haslem and Sorella Carter & it was so fun! 

We forced the anziani to watch Charly. enough said. 

We've gotten gelato almost every day. 

I had pizza twice this week.

I'm being naughty, but it's like... just let me.

An African gave me a fan from his pocket on the train.

Everyone looks so American... I... do not. 

Sorella Condie and I don't really think about home often, which is nice because we're both just working our hardest our last couple weeks. 

omg I FORGOT TO WEAR MY NAMETAG LAST SUNDAY!!!! & so did Sorella Condie.  Good first impressions.  So we had to wear the elders' suitjacket name tags... I was Anziano Taylor for the day & Sorella Condie was known as Anziano Johnson.. there was much confusion.  I was embarrassed. It was awful & funny.  Who does that? 

Love you all long time.

from Lomabrdia,

Paige O'Connor

(Email Sent - August 13, 2014)

Final Transfer

omg omg omg I'm flipping.  For some reason I thought Kait wasn't getting home until tomorrow.. so I'm freaking out. 

Also, I got transferred.

I know, right?  Is it weird that I knew it was happening.. but I'm still surprised? 

I'll be spending the next 6 weeks in PAVIA.  I know, I've never heard of it either.. jk  I've been there on scambio with the capi sorelle but I know nobody else has ever heard of it..  It's super hot there and has a ton of mosquitos. 

stl

But the plus side is that I'll be a Sister Training Leader (I know, I seriously don't know how tthhaattt happened) so I get to go back to Muggiò for exchanges! #hopefully 

STLs in Milano are different than in Roma.. We're a companionship of STLs, so we just go around to the other companionships kind of like zone leaders with less responsibilities

But I get to go to consiglio this September and all my friends will be there! #theonlyplus

first to go home

Umm, Kaitlin looks smokin and skinny. What the heck? I thought we had an unspoken agreement that we would both just come home chubby.. fratellanza? I guess not.  

Also Grandma looks good & Mom is way too cute & I like Shaila's hair. 

No one is coming home with me so if something bad happens to my flight I'll literally die.  I still have phone cards Mom sent with me to Italy.. but I'm trying not to think about the future.. 

Way to go Scott on making it around Catalina in a canoe... I don't know how you did it.. I was kinda nervous for you.

just pretend

I know Kait is in America but I still like to pretend that we're both here being missionaries and that we'll never stop.  I know it's not healthy, but I just don't want to go home yet. #justletme

normal for a minute

This week because I'm leaving, Ma Hui made us Chinese food in her dorm & it was so much fun. 

We felt normal for a minute.. Ma Hui is the cutest.  She wrote in my dedica the sweetest nothings. 

top champ

We played our last round of foosball last night and O'Pagannors is still standing top champ. 

I'm sad that I'm leaving my own bathroom.. but you can't win them all.  

I just feel like I didn't get enough time to really love Torino and I won't have enough time to really love Pavia.. & my companion is also finishing with me.  Sorella Condie!  

She's cool though.  I just hope we don't make each other trunky.. it's fun being with young people in the mission because you get to pretend like you have all the time in the world.. you know? 

help a sister out

I called everyone to see if anyone could drive us to the train station because there is no way I will ever do buses with suitcases again.  You just get tired hahah but everyone was super willing to help an old sister out.. 

Ohhh speaking of old.. Kaitlin is turning 23 =0 & when I get back dad can take me to the nice movie theatre in Thousand Oaks with the comfy chairs & gourmet popcorn.. because I'll be 21. & I can test drive le Ferrari>=) whhaadduppp 

I hate that I have to pack my bags with missionary clothes AGAIN!  I stopped by all the essential stores here in Torino because who knows what there is to choose from in Pavia.. but also I had to be careful because suitcase room is... tight. 

Love you all long time. 

ok keep the homecoming pictures coming! It doesn't make me trunky. just happy (=

p.s.  I heard about iPhone 6 coming in September? dibbbbsssss! 

(Email Sent - August 6, 2014)

Welp

speaking english

I've been losing sleep over all these talks I have to do.  (as her dad's high councilman speaking partner).  

I don't think anyone realizes how bad I am at speaking in English about Gesù.  I don't make sense.  & I know I don't make sense because whenever we teach Ma Hui in English, I freak myself out and blubber weird translated Italian.  

I probably feel the most comfortable about the Nuevo Ward talk.. I'm actually okay in Spanish.  Just don't get your expectations up and tell me I did a good job even if I don't >=) 

champs

This week was good because O'Pagannors (mine and Anziano Pagano's fuseball celebrity name) beat Lawrine (Sorella Lawrence and Anziano Marine) so hard for Family Home Evening (no one showed.. it was rough). 

buckets

The weather has been crazy.  We went to an appointment and it was sunny then after we went to the bus stop and it literally POURED, like buckets of rain.  

The bus didn't come for 30 minutes and there was nooooo shelter, so we got super wet.. we were grumpy. Then these dumb raggazzi started making fun of us & started taking pictures on their phones!

I was just way fed up with the human race that day. 

so cool

Ma Hui is doing great!  She got a calling and a haircut!  She's so cool.

We just got back from Superga! which is super cool.  I'll take you back there!  It's one of those things you have to see in person to believe it exists.

holding down the fort

I can't believe Kait has one week left!  I sent her a letter home because I didn't think it could get to her in time.  Feels weird that I'll be holding down the fort here by myself for a while.  

birthday

Also sometimes I get sad I'll be here for our birthdays and she'll be there.. but it's cool. don't worry about me.. just a continent away.. don't do anything drastic while I'm gone, va bene? 

President changed the way he's been doing transfers, so we get the call on Saturday now!  I like this better.  Sometimes we think we're staying and sometimes we think there is change in the air.. che serà serà. 

Aimee looks super fine and don't get your expectations up for me because I'm chubby and I'll probably be in a top knot #lezbehonest.

With love from Torino, 

paigepajine

Superga

Dolce & Gabbana pistachio Magnum Bar... how could I not?

Mole Antonelliana

Me and my compy

(Email Sent July 30, 2014)

I'm Just a Diva

"I don't even know what to say anymore in my letters. 

We did missionary work. It was great. I love it. I am a range of emotions all the time." 

ditto Kait.

I got your letter yesterday! Also the one from BP (mom) which I always love.

I'm racking my brain trying to think of anything cool that happened. Everything is just normal.

We ate pizza and gelato, 

got hit on by lots of Romanians, 

danced in our huge apartment, 

laughed hard, cried a little, 

played pranks on the elders, got pranked on by the elders, 

taught lessons, comforted some sad hearts, 

prayed, 

burnt a pizza in the oven, 

broke into palazzi to leave sweet nothings in a mailbox, 

read my scriptures, went to church, 

chased after buses, 

taught the law of chastity, 

brushed my hair, 

walked the cobblestone that hurts my feet, 

got rained on, 

sweat badly while wearing grey (the worst), 

lead the music at a baptism (I'm so bad at it), 

our Piemonte pet Nick fanned me off with his Chinese fan, 

bought two types of frizzy water (happy accident), 

got lost, 

won in foosball, lost in foosball, 

figured out celebrity names for all the missionaries, 

tried to communicate in Spanish, told people my name in French, got yelled at in Korean, 

downed food we didn't want to eat, 

got in too late, 

bought 2 kilos of baby plums at the market for 1 euro, 

threw 1.5 kilos of baby plums away because they got moldy, 

people watched from the balcony while we made calls,

rode the metro, got yelled at on the tram, 

I got kissed on the face, and I kissed people's faces, 

Italian district meetings, 

scambios from Alessandria, 

bought train tickets, 

ran out of mission funds, 

took out my pepper spray, 

held hands with old ladies, 

opened doors, 

& translated in church from Italian to English in a weird Italian accent that I didn't know I had. 

We're just trying to do what's best. 

That's all I've got.

Love you long time, Sorella O'Connor

(Email Sent - July 23, 2014)

Fully Appreciated

Since NOONE (except Marielle, because she's my long time best friend and "gets me") commented on my African dress. I must keep sending fotos until it's fully appreciated. 

This is my email. 

Have a good week. 

Thing's are going fine in Torino, thanks for asking. 

Love you long time, Sorella N. Mandela 

p.s. This week we bought two kinds of frizzante water on accident. dangit. &istillhatethebus

(Email Sent - July 16, 2014)