So a transfer is 6 weeks, for anyone who doesn't know. Since this is my first transfer and I'm being trained, I'll probably just stay here in Hengelo. BUT! We got two new beds in our house and Elder Huff will be leaving the mission (a.k.a. dying) after four weeks into the next transfer. So, we think that we're getting a third person to make us a trio. However, we're not totally sure. But I'll find out before I email you guys next Monday and then the changes happen the following Wednesday. It's so crazy to find out a few more of my friends are leaving for the MTC... Woah. Okay so people have been asking a lot about food here (ya bunch of hungry savages). So here we go: Pannenkoeken is the most popular thing in the world here, I swear. It's ridiculous. And they make it so good. I tried making some last night, and I actually did not do too bad at all. My companion usually always messes them up he says (I witnessed it one day, funny stuff). So I'm pretty proud. But they put pretty much anything on their pannenkoeken. This one member family has us over every Wednesday to eat dinner with them, and the husband is (in)famous for his pannenkoeken! They're super thick and big, and he loves to put beef and pindesaus (peanut sauce) on it. Sounds weird, but surprisingly delicious. You come to learn that different combinations on pannenkoeken are quite amazing. Two other very popular dishes (Indonesian inspired and what-not) are Nasi and Bami. One's with noodles and the other is with rice (google it, I can't remember which is which... But I think Nasi is with rice). It's like peppers, chicken (or ham or whatever), and some special seasonings that you get out of packets. The Dutch have this stuff called Sambal. I don't know if that's in America at all? But they have different types and it's this hot spicy seasoning THAT I LOVE! I haven't seen salsa at all yet, so I mainly just love putting on their Sweet Chilli Sauce and Sambal on things. I've learned that experimenting with different seasonings on different things is very good! Okay now about their sandwiches... Don't freak out or anything, but... They just have one piece of bread (not folded or anything), butter it, slice some cheese on it... And that's it. Sometimes they'll put one piece of meat on it, but usually they don't typically do that. We have broodjes (sandwhiches) pretty much everyday for lunch. They're actually really super good that way. But we usually always put one piece of meat on ours (roast beef for me). And last, but certainly not least... Doners (with umlauts over the o). They are so deliciously amazing. Google them, I don't know how to explain them well enough. Look up like a brodje doner. Or maybe a kapsalon doner. There's different kinds, but I think brodje's are probably the best. Sooooo lecker!!!!! Anyways, that's the most popular and typical stuff here. They also love Asian culture for some reason and have tons of like Asian shops and restaurants and a lot of people have Buddha statues. It's weird.
Okay so I have no idea what I want for Christmas... Sorry =( I would definitely appreciate something though! Whatever it is. The clothes here and fashion are amazing. I've never really been into that stuff that much before, but European style really is awesome. So I might just want money to buy more clothes here =D Anyways, this last week didn't really go very well for any of our investigators, so with how we're planning things, we've missed our deadline to be able to have a baptism before Elder Huff leaves. But it's okay. I think he's okay with that. He's told me how he actually hasn't seen much success on his mission, but he's still happy for what he's been able to do and what he has done.
Okay next, the Dutch's Christmas type thingy of Sinter Klas is more of like an ongoing festival. And guess what...?! I got pictures of him coming to Hengelo!!! So I'll try and explain their Christmas again. Well first of all, this isn't Christmas. A lot of them still celebrate Christmas on December 25th, but this is their specifically Dutch holiday for the winter season. So Sinter (meaning Saint) Klas comes from Spain on a boat with his black (creepy, but apparently not to the Dutch) helper (which seems totally racist, but apparently isn't) named Zwarte Piet. Historically, Zwarte Piet symbolizes some Africans who ran from another country to have freedom in Spain and are just working for room and board for Sinter Klas. Anyways, so he comes on his boat from Spain and goes all around the Netherlands (seriously, I think every single city) and Zwarte Piet goes and delivers all of the presents to the children. And that's where the wooden shoes come in. That's where Zwarte Piet puts little candies inside. Another tradition, is that the Dutch all are given a different family member to write a poem about and then read it in front of everyone later. Weird, I know. But apparently these poems are usually funny, teasing, but also nice about the person. So that's that. But it's super funny, because they had this parade with the Zwarte Pieten and Sinter Klass come through the centrum of Hengelo. [So of course I told my companion that we had to go see. And he was more than willing.] But the kids are all going freakin insane and screaming for candy and to get pictures with the Zwarte Pieten. Oh and a lot of popular electronic music artists are actually Dutch. The Dutch culture loves their electronic music, it's awesome. So the whole time, instead of like nice happy Christmas-y jingles, there's like thumping bass and electronic music going on everywhere. So awesome.
Okay a couple other things I somehow forget to tell you all about. The first week I was here... I sealed the oil for a blessing for this old lady in the hospital. In Dutch. Freakin crazy. I was going insane and was so nervous and scared. My companion had to help me a ton and it was just a crazy situation for my first blessing ever. She was sick though, not dying. But I could not tell, because I had no idea what they were saying. So that was crazy crazy crazy. But it went well enough. Then, this last week, we got a random call from some members that wanted us to come help them lift this "building dryer" that sucks the humidity out of the room, and put it in another room. So we do that really quick and then my mouth suddenly says, "Is daar iets anders dat wij voor u kunnen doen?" Is there somethings else that we can do for you? And the husband asks for a blessing. This time my companion (cotton-headed ninny muggins), tells me that I'm gonna give the blessing and that he will seal the oil. CRAP! But the couple says it's okay if I do it in English! STILL NOT GOOD! I have no idea what the guy needs a blessing for and my companion and I just weren't communicating very well or something. Anyways, after like a minute of confusion, he tells me what to do and so I just totally rely on the Lord and just start giving this guy a blessing. I kind of blundered around a bit, but come to find out it was pretty appropriate. The guy had a heart disorder and wanted a blessing for that, so thank goodness the Holy Ghost gave me some of the right words to help him out with that! But yeah, crazy stuff.
Anyways.... Please keep the letters coming and let me know about what ever is going on =D thanks a ton and love you all very very much!
Okay so I have no idea what I want for Christmas... Sorry =( I would definitely appreciate something though! Whatever it is. The clothes here and fashion are amazing. I've never really been into that stuff that much before, but European style really is awesome. So I might just want money to buy more clothes here =D Anyways, this last week didn't really go very well for any of our investigators, so with how we're planning things, we've missed our deadline to be able to have a baptism before Elder Huff leaves. But it's okay. I think he's okay with that. He's told me how he actually hasn't seen much success on his mission, but he's still happy for what he's been able to do and what he has done.
Okay next, the Dutch's Christmas type thingy of Sinter Klas is more of like an ongoing festival. And guess what...?! I got pictures of him coming to Hengelo!!! So I'll try and explain their Christmas again. Well first of all, this isn't Christmas. A lot of them still celebrate Christmas on December 25th, but this is their specifically Dutch holiday for the winter season. So Sinter (meaning Saint) Klas comes from Spain on a boat with his black (creepy, but apparently not to the Dutch) helper (which seems totally racist, but apparently isn't) named Zwarte Piet. Historically, Zwarte Piet symbolizes some Africans who ran from another country to have freedom in Spain and are just working for room and board for Sinter Klas. Anyways, so he comes on his boat from Spain and goes all around the Netherlands (seriously, I think every single city) and Zwarte Piet goes and delivers all of the presents to the children. And that's where the wooden shoes come in. That's where Zwarte Piet puts little candies inside. Another tradition, is that the Dutch all are given a different family member to write a poem about and then read it in front of everyone later. Weird, I know. But apparently these poems are usually funny, teasing, but also nice about the person. So that's that. But it's super funny, because they had this parade with the Zwarte Pieten and Sinter Klass come through the centrum of Hengelo. [So of course I told my companion that we had to go see. And he was more than willing.] But the kids are all going freakin insane and screaming for candy and to get pictures with the Zwarte Pieten. Oh and a lot of popular electronic music artists are actually Dutch. The Dutch culture loves their electronic music, it's awesome. So the whole time, instead of like nice happy Christmas-y jingles, there's like thumping bass and electronic music going on everywhere. So awesome.
Okay a couple other things I somehow forget to tell you all about. The first week I was here... I sealed the oil for a blessing for this old lady in the hospital. In Dutch. Freakin crazy. I was going insane and was so nervous and scared. My companion had to help me a ton and it was just a crazy situation for my first blessing ever. She was sick though, not dying. But I could not tell, because I had no idea what they were saying. So that was crazy crazy crazy. But it went well enough. Then, this last week, we got a random call from some members that wanted us to come help them lift this "building dryer" that sucks the humidity out of the room, and put it in another room. So we do that really quick and then my mouth suddenly says, "Is daar iets anders dat wij voor u kunnen doen?" Is there somethings else that we can do for you? And the husband asks for a blessing. This time my companion (cotton-headed ninny muggins), tells me that I'm gonna give the blessing and that he will seal the oil. CRAP! But the couple says it's okay if I do it in English! STILL NOT GOOD! I have no idea what the guy needs a blessing for and my companion and I just weren't communicating very well or something. Anyways, after like a minute of confusion, he tells me what to do and so I just totally rely on the Lord and just start giving this guy a blessing. I kind of blundered around a bit, but come to find out it was pretty appropriate. The guy had a heart disorder and wanted a blessing for that, so thank goodness the Holy Ghost gave me some of the right words to help him out with that! But yeah, crazy stuff.
Anyways.... Please keep the letters coming and let me know about what ever is going on =D thanks a ton and love you all very very much!