Training and a Pistachio McFlurry

Ciao Babes!

Italy is so cool, huh?  This week was good good!  

romeo and juliet

We had a new missionary training meeting in Verona, so I got to see the missionaries I came in with who are serving in the Verona and the Mestre zones!  Verona cannot be accurately described.  It's where that super cute Romeo and Juliet movie was filmed that has Amanda Seyfried with the lame ending?  You know what I'm talking about!  

So it is always fun hanging out with other missionaries.  You just learn about the gospel and compare embarrassing stories (mine won). 

McBloody Nose

I also got a pistachio McFlurry at the train station.  I only got one bite!  You know how I do that thing where I save my food till we sit down on the plane (or train in this case) so I can enjoy it and also make you (or my companion) jealous for finishing yours already?  

Well there were no seats, so we were walking through the cars trying to find a spot and I got a bloody nose.  Italians apparently dont get those.  Anyways, it was embarrassing and I had to throw away my McFlurry. 

playing favorites
We ate at a member's house with a new convert last night.  I shouldn't have favorites, but they are my favorite family.  They have a daughter serving a mission in England and she got there the same day I got to Italy and she is learning English.  

The family is just super nice!  They have another daughter who is 18 named Miriam and I love her.  I cant talk to her, but we connect.  She also knows a tiny bit of English.  There is also a son, Gabriele, who is 20 and Rachele who is 14.

So we were eating pizza (obvi) and they were talking, and I'm just watching my companion like I always do to figure out if I need to laugh or look sad (since I can't understand).  

But I'm trying to listen and learn and pick out the words I know, and all the sudden I hear "zoom-beyz" and I'm like "ZOMBIES!"   So I ask Gabriele what show they were talking about, and he says, "v-all-kean d-ah-d"  --That's him trying to tell me in English,  "Walking Dead."  I just can't get away.  Italians watch American shows and listen to American music. 

bielieber

Sometimes I offend Sorella Pearce because I forget she hasn't been in the mission for 25 years, hahah.  Yesterday I asked, "Do you know who Justin Bieber is?"  That didn't go over very well hahaha.  

She is great.  Such a trooper!  They gave me a super solid companion.  She makes fun of me because I love European people and their clothes and hair.  Italians are super hip.  They love Rihanna.  

baptism

So we baptized Germey this week!  It was lovely.  He is a timid soul, but he is great.  Baptisms are a lot of work! 

We started teaching the coolest couple!  They have two daughters 14 & 11(score) and one on the way.  The dad is a policeman and the wife is a nurse.  

ageless
It is impossible to guess how old people in Italy are, because they have children later than Americans and the old people dress themselves really well.  Also Italians never die.  The OLDEST ladies ride bikes so fast and so well (and so much better than me) ... cool.  Anyway, the dad is 50, so mom and dad you fit right in here! 

I love Italy and the people.  I want to be just like them! 

on our own

Sorella Astel and I had to do an exchange this Sunday, so it was us handling the Italian ward. hahahhahahahah hahah.  Don't even try to picture it. 

I haven't got ANY mail since being here.  and we have conferences all the time with mail call. what the heck family? gimme some lovin!

MOM AND DAD:  Tell me all about how great Italy is.  Mom please tell me you're buying all the cool stuff here and cute stuff for me to wear when I come home.  I can't buy anything here because it's really easy to make other people feel small.  But I'm not distracted from missionary work, don't worry.  I promise.

Mom and Dad in Italy Eating Gelato 

(and not buying Paige cool stuff for when she get's home... oops)

We move into our new apartment soon!  It's a penthouse, which is a really cool thing in America, but in Italy it just means you have to walk a lot of stairs. 

We still have no bikes in case you're wondering. 

I love my Heavenly Father and the Book of Mormon and the Church 
(and Kim Kardashian--I guess--I had a dream about her last night. ha)

Ciao Ciao!  With love from the same sketchy internet cafe in Pordenone, 

Sorella Paige O'Connor 

P. S.

I just read Kaitlin's email and realized she talks about all her spiritual experiences and I just talk about random things.  But I swear I'm growing spiritually too, hahahah, just you wait and seeeee 

(Email Sent - May 22,  2013