In Which I Feel A Little Like A Dog, A Little Like a Tourist, and A lot like a Real Live Missionary

This is Sis. Anne Petty, reporting from Catu, Bahia, Brazil. This is
definitely not Kansas anymore, folks.

I'm sorry that it's been awhile...I know you've all been on the edges of
your seats, wanting to know what's going on in the world of Sis. Petty.
*wink*
(Now, the reason I didn't get to e-mail last week was because I LEFT the MTC the day before, and the next day was full of traveling and there was hardly time to breath, not to mention get to a computer place to do e-mail. But I am alive and all is well!)

First some quick basics: I'm finally out of the MTC as of June 20th, and
have been in my first area for a week: Catu, Bahia, Brazil! Google Map it
for me and enjoy that, because I only get to see it from the ground. I love
it here! My comp is Brazilian and wonderful, which is hard but really good
for me. First, I'm proggressing with portuguese really quick. Or at least I like to think so. I understand her (Sis. Bezerra) really well, because she speaks clearly and beautifully, like a good Paulista (she's also a portuguese TEACHER, so she doesn~'t use slang, which is way nice). The hard thing is I have to speak portugues all the time. This is really rough first thing in the morning, LOL, when it's all I can do to focus on walking around without falling over, not to mention speaking another language. Communication is also a little rough, because as a female I want to talk to my companion about the deep feelings of my heart, be tactful, and just in general talk a lot, but I really don't know how to say most things. This is difficult. I haven't spoken in English for awhile, so please forgive my
sloppiness.

Oh my goodness I'm really in Brazil now! The MTC was NOT Brasil. I've now taught my first lesson (kind of. I said a couple slow things in each lesson we've taught), done contacts, met the ward and fallen in love with the members, been bitten all over by mosquitos, found little dangerous-looking wormy things in our shower, eaten barbeque off a grill in a person's backyard I didn't even know, tripped four times in one day, nearly cried during a lesson out of frustration with the language, almost split my face smiling while watching an investigator's father play guitar and sing a hymn with his daughter, hung my laundry to dry on a line for the first time, been in houses that I didn't know counted as houses, and all in all fallen in love with this country.

I don't have a lot of time, so I'll quickly summarize what that title was
all about.

Feeling Like a Dog:

-everyone says I'm cute, even though I'm scraggly and dirty.
-I don't say much, and I don't understand much, but I can follow simple
commands really well.
-even when I do things wrong, break things, or trip, people smile and pat me
on the head.
-even if I have just met you, I love you! (anyone get that movie reference?)

Feeling Like a Tourist:

Folks...Brazil is absolutely beautiful. I can't even describe accurately how
amazing it is to actually be here. My photographer, painter self is DYING to
snap photos every second. This is lame to say, but it's true--everything
looks exactly like all the pictures. Here are some briefs sketches for you:

-windy cobblestone streets,
-half-naked brown children kicking around a soccer ball, building a fire, or
chasing each other through the streets barefoot
-wrinkled old men and women, wearing bright colors and often straw hats,
sitting in front of houses
-houses smaller than I knew existed

REAL MISSIONARY

Dang it out of time!!

The Gospel is so real! I've been teaching lessons, sweating a lot,
smiling at everyone, trying to speak Portuguese, and growing my
testimony of the truthfulness of the reality of Jesus Christ and
Heavenly Father. I love this work, and next week I'll write more about
the adventures and difficulties and blessings of being a real
missionary.

I love you all, thank you for your support and love, and for your letters!

Sis. Petty