I'M IN SPAIN?!?

¡hola, hola!

Wow!! Okay, big week I guess? :) Wild that a week ago I was bowling in Eugene. It has been quite the adventure since a taxi came and picked me up at 3 am. 

To start things off, I got there so early that security wasn't open. I had to stand in a line to wait for it. I also didn't think about it and left the pepper-spray BP gave me on my lanyard....so that was definitely a casualty of TSA. The lady at TSA really asked me if I wanted to go back and check my bag so I could keep it? What kind of scam is this lady running?

I flew all alone until I made it to JFK, where I found two other Hermanas. One who was in the MTC the same time as me, and one who's an infant in the mission. That was a pretty wack flight, at one point they asked for any doctors on the plane to come to the front of the plane. Some kind of medical emergency I guess? I just went back to sleep. 

No one was in the airport when we got through customs, for like 30 minutes. We got so desperate we tried to use a payphone, but they weren't functional anymore. Just for looks I guess. Eventually we saw two Elders walking towards us, turns out they were waiting for us outside the whole time, because until recently you weren't allowed to go into the airport (COVID things). They both spoke perfect English so that was a relief, both with accents though. One is from Sweden, and the other from England (so he literally speaks perfectly English). They're the office Elders here, and do the job of 8 senior missionaries in the OEM. Wildin.

After a few days of experiencing European driving I desire nothing less than to drive here. I've never witnessed anything like it. My heart sunk when they gave me a DAP scan (which is European TIWI, or the thingy they put in the car to roast you when you don't drive good enough). Luckily about 12 senior couples are coming in soon (wild choice for missionaries to bring first, but vale). So I think all the cars will be taken by them. Which is actually no bueno, because we're all covering a massive amount of area here (my DL-who's from Idaho- put it in my language by telling me that his area is bigger than Maryland, but smaller than West Virginia), but it'll be fine.

The office Elders immediately took us to the mission office. Which is crazy nice. It used to be the Spain MTC, but now it's our office (at least one floor of it). I also got to see the Madrid temple, and got a tour- only of the outside, don't get too excited- of it from the Temple Hermanas (who also cover 2 other areas). I didn't understand most the tour, but it was beautiful. I met a majority of the mission that day, but I can't remember most of their names now.

Definitely a very different vibe showing up to this mission. The other Hermanas and I were 7, 8, and 9 from America; so they were VERY excited to see us. They knew our names (poor President Weekes could never know that many) and Hermana Hamilton had obviously stalked my Facebook because she was asking me about Softball. :) They showed me the board of all the missionaries in the mission (see attached image, I legit can't believe it), my group and I make the mission 53!!! That's ridiculous, my last zone almost had that many. 

Anyway, they told us our areas after a bit, I'm in Cádiz (say it Cádith, like a true Spaniard, also it's on the ocean!!!), and am in a trío. One of my comps (Hermana Guerrero) speaks pretty good English and the other (Hermana Reyes) doesn't speak English at all, so it's a great mix. They are both from Barcelona, but their parents are from counties in South America (Hermana Guerrero, Guatemala, and Hermana Reyes, Honduras). Also they're STLs so I've sat through a ridiculous amount of meetings. Which is rough in another language, but it's all good. Also WE COVER 5 AREAS?!?! No biggy. It's not like I just came from 5 Sisters covering one area or anything. And yes, before you ask, I think we have 5 apartments; but I only have seen one so far. We also run three Facebook pages, and I have to go one like 4 sets of exchanges. There is only three zones here, so there are like four other sets of Sisters in our zone. It's so crazy, I'm really experiencing the exact opposite side of the spectrum of how COVID is affecting missions. Because the three of us came, President got to reopen on of the MANY closed areas. I can't wait to see what happens when the next plane full of over 20 visa waiters hits us. It's going to be insane. :)) Can't wait.

Anywho...I'm covering Cádiz (main area with the most amigos), San Fernando 1, San Fernando 2, Chiclana, and the Algeciras Branch. We really be out here carrying around 5 phones! It's absolutely ridiculous. Also we use WhatsApp like a religion here, which makes sense, because everywhere but America does.

At first I was supposed to take a train down South and meet my comps, but I guess they figured sending a girl who didn't know how to speak Spanish, who's carrying 3 suitcases by herself, to navigate a train station wasn't the best welcome. Instead the only senior couple we have (the Kings, they got here last month) volunteered to drive me down because they had never seen the south. We also took the other Sisters to their area up north, so I've seen a lot of Spain so far. The other Sisters got dropped of in Segovia (which the Princess Diaries totally got the name Genovia from). It was beautiful! And was built in a year ending in B.C. which made me freak out!! There's so much history in Spain, apparently Cádiz is a city from the Bible, President Hamilton told me which one, but I forgot. I also went to Córdoba with the Kings on the way down. It was beautiful, but I'm starting to think everything in Spain is beautiful. 

I've had my first experiences getting overfed by Latinos this week, and I was in pain. A sweet recent convert of one of our wards Luzelly (from Columbia) made us dinner and I was stuffed, but then yesterday we ate with a member of San Fernando 2 (idk his name, they just kept calling his "Abuelo"). Fed me so much I thought I was going to croak right there. It was all so good!! From what I understand (and it's not a lot) most of the members and amigos here are from Latin America or their parents are, like my comps. 

Sadly I don't have a lot of pictures this week. I've been a little too shell shocked to take photos, but I promise they'll come! 

Con Mucho Amor,

Hermana Shelton

1 - our five phones 

2 - stranded in the airport vibes

3 - my ENTIRE mission

4 - spain from above 

5 - comps on zoom

6 - comps in person 

7 - bowling, but in Spain this time. :))