Week 8

 I felt more settled in this week.  Driving is feeling more comfortable.  I have only driven to the office and the grocery store, both less than 15 minutes away, and use routes that avoid crazy intersections.  I really have to concentrate because driving on the left is not ingrained yet.  When making a turn, I have to talk to myself to remind me which lane I need to end up in after making the turn.  

Here are some of the highlights of the week.  On Tuesday, Sister Salazar and I went to a stake service activity where we helped sew sanitary pads for girls and women.  Feminine hygiene products are not affordable for many of the very poor and sometimes hard to find.  We loved being with the African sisters and plan to help every week.  Notice the old sewing machines.  There are a few pedal machines but most are hand cranked.  





This sister and I worked together for over two hours.  Even though her English is limited, she was able to teach me what I needed to do by showing me.  
Keeping the machines working, threaded and oiled is an ongoing task. 



Helping the young missionaries with English is so much fun.  They work independently in their manuals and make an appointment with me when they need help.  I meet with them on Zoom during the evenings from my apartment.  They express so much gratitude when I help them. I really enjoy doing this.  It offsets the annoyance of dealing with rents and landlords. 



The senior missionaries grocery shop primarily at Food Lovers.  They list their prices in US dollars and accept our credit cards.  The store is about the size of Trader Joes, maybe just a little bigger.  I usually go early in the morning because the store is very crowded later on.  

.  I did have to go one afternoon this week and this is what it looked like.  The line to check out winds through one third of the store. There might be 40 people or more in line.  However, it moves fairly quickly because they have 18 check out stations and they are all opened.  



We single senior sisters go to dinner each Friday evening.  We try a new restaurant each week.  This week, we went to the Bishop's Mistress.  They serve British dishes in a quaint restaurant that is meant to resemble a British pub.  Good food, great atmosphere, wonderful company.



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