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Hola!

Hola!  I feel like there is so much I can write and SO many stories already! I feel like I'm adjusting I suppose, getting use to this different lifestyle, although I miss Utah. Utah is insanely awesome.
Definitely a ton of things that are different. I need to clarify a couple things first. I realized I didn't say much about my companion...she's awesome! She's 22, from Southern Cali, we get along real well, and she is patient with me learning spanish....so that's super great! Also...our area is Villa Lugano, but we are NOT working in the Villas here because of stuff that happened a few months ago. That's left up to the Elders...poor things. So I just needed to clarify :)

I experienced my first Argentina rainstorm!! It was insane! I LOVED it though, because it cooled us down...it´s insanely hot and humid here. The rain came down so hard, it was awesome! 

I feel like an alien here, for many reasons. Saying hi to everyone and waving is kinda weird here. But that´s what missionaries do right? Talk to everyone? I say hi to everyone I pass, because in Utah that´s not weird! But most the time they death glare me, or just keep walking. One person was like ¨uhh do I know you?¨ Shesh! My bad. And I guess I need to tone down the waves too. Also...my companion has dark reddish brown hair, and I´m blonde...so anyone without dark hair is considered blonde here, and people are really wierd about it. People ask me if I´m from los estados unidos or from russia. Then the questions rage! Also with the last name Carter...people ask if I´m related to Jimmy Carter. (what?!) Or people ask if I´m the wonder woman...I didn´t actually get what they were referring to until yesterday. So if they said oh you´re the wonderful woman, I was soooo confused and was like uhmmm yeah that´s me! Turns out she is the actress for wonder woman. How do people know these things?! 

I see a lot of saddness here. Garbage all over the streets, graffiti EVERYWHERE, people don´t talk to eachother and are quite bitter when we talk to them, a lot of rough people, a lot of homeless people, a lot of dumpster diving, etc. I saw an old man eating mushy leftovers off the ground and my heart was aching for him! I feel so bad when I see stuff like that. 

The food here is different than what people made it seem like. It´s really good though! Beef is actually expensive now, so chicken is what we eat most of.....wahooooooo!!!! I have terrible gage reflexes and I don´t like desserts.....I wasnt a pastry fan in the U.S. and I´m definitely not here. I was offered cheesecake at someone´s house and I was super excited for it...my first bite I felt like I couldn´t even get it down my throat...but I´m trying hard to appear that I´m loving every bit of it. Everyone gets excited about dessert...and I´m like yayyyy can´t wait DX 

Partying is a huge thing here. Whenever we have our planning time at night, there´s hard rock or rap blasting outside...try to have the spirit in a meeting or pray with that...ha. I´ve learned to fall asleep in the heat, humidity, and the mega bass and people yelling outside. Weird thing is, everytime I wake up in the night, even at 5am, the music is still going. Why wonder people aren´t up and starting their days until way late! 

Since I feel like I can´t share and express as much as I would like to, or it just takes me a while to do it in spanish, I have been praying lately a lot of have the spirit in the lessons. That even though I can´t speak very well, that I hope they can at least feel something. Right after I prayed for that, we had a lunch with some members. They were drilling me with questions and wanted me to bear my testimony, share my first experience in the temple, how the mission has helped me, and why I´m here...I felt like I was just throwing out words...I didn´t feel like I was even making sense, just throwing out randomness. Somehow, I was making sense though...my companion started crying, the parents started crying, and I´m a sympathy crier so naturally I had to tear up too lol. But I´m like hey, it´s working! They told me I have a very special spirit about me, and the dad kept saying if he´d look in my eyes he´d get emotional. Kinda interesting, but it taught me a lot. The Lord is always by our side and He will help us when we need it. I prayed to get something across to them and hoping I could contribute with my terrible spanish, and He helped me accomplish that. 

Another really cool thing I want to share. Even though I´m on the other side of the world, things are completely different here, and I´m far away from those I love right now....there´s something that is practically the same here - church. I love Sundays and I love going to church here because it reminds me of home! The way the members act, the organization of it, and the way I feel is all the same. I sure do miss my home ward. Just shows that unlike a lot of religions, we can go anywhere around the world and our church will be the same. 

We went to San Fernando to have a meeting with the President and all the new missionaries that came with me and their trainers. I saw my old district and old companion so that was super fun! People are already a lot tanner, have cool experiences already and sadly, have stories of being robbed in the Villas.....already...so crazy.

I love you all! Thanks again for your support. I´ll probably say that every week because it´s a huge deal to me! I won´t be able to send pics every week. My camera came with the wrong cord...bummer. So if I can´t find a cord to buy, then I will just be posting pics when I email at a certain place that has other missionaries because typically other missionaries have the same cord. Hopefully most of the time I will be around someone that has a cord. I have a picture of THE FATTEST DOG EVER, I really want to send. Anyway....hope you all have a wonderful week! Love you tons!