Week 12, Transfer #2

Dude I ran out of ketchup here like 3 weeks ago, and Cabo Verdean ketchup SUCKKSSS so bad. So Cryolo itself is actually a language on it's own, so I'm gonna make sure I go home knowing 4 languages for sure. Today is the first day of my 2nd transfer, man it went by super quick. I'm staying with the same companion in the same area.
So I started working out in the mornings but my legs kill me throughout the day. Hopefully I'll at least go home with awesome calves lol. I totally learned how to eat Chinese food with chopsticks! I felt like a total sir eating all fancy.
Oh and about the clothes, Cabo Verdeans only wear like the same 3 shirts over and over again, but nothing African-ish. They are quite strange though.
Here, when someone dies they don't mourn. They just go party at the nearest Plaza and they blast Bob Marley and American music. There's nothing funnier than seeing 7 Cabo Verdean men jamming out to Wrecking Ball, especially since they don't know a word of English.

Eating with two sticks like a Sir.

So I wanted to buy granola but I wasn't a pirate or a princess,
so I couldn't decide. 

I can't get over this nutella and white chocolate mix

The beaches here are gorgeous, the water is super blue.

But the sand in SPI is better, this sand is super hard.

We had Zone Conference last week and I got to take a pic
with my grandpa! His name is Elder Otterstrom, so there's 3
generations here. 

I made a majestic zebra balloon animal without looking at instructions.

Week 6, Goodbye MTC!

Chris didn't write much besides explaining what's going on in the pictures he sent. Here's what I got from him during his last P-Day at the MTC. (He flies to Cabo Verde this Friday!)

Hey no joke, they told us that like 6 months from now Cape Verde is getting iPads too. I'm not too excited for them though, I feel like I might get distracted. 

More epic Tostitos parties 

Me being Skux (Australian slang for "ladies man" with Elder Cordova

Here we have 3 generations: Filho (Elder Mason), Pai (Me),
 and Grande Pai or "big daddy" (Elder Cordova)

I believe I have taken over 200 selfies with everyone here at the MTC

"You probably shouldn't put this on my blog. Don't put bad stuff up there,
 I want people to think I'm really obedient" 

(yeah, he should know better than to trust that I won't put this up for the world to see)

So funny story; my knee has been hurt for about a week due to a bad land during volleyball. No worries, I'm back to 100% now. But I would still play every day until one day it started hurting too much. I went to the medic people and they told me to put ice on. So I did, but then I realized I couldn't put my slacks on, so I improvised. I walked around the MTC like this all day, I got a lot of compliments. 

All the elders in my district. I got released as Zone leader this past Sunday. 

So the famous map picture. 

I laughed when I saw this cuz my arm looks tiny. 

Week 5

So what's going on?? I love P-Days, I get to wear normal clothes again.
So I got my flight schedule!!!! I'm not looking forward to the almost 24 hours of travel just to get to Cabo Verde at 5 in the morning and get straight to work, but I'm soooo excited to finally go!! I feel like I'm doing really good with the language. There's missionaries from Brazil here and I'm able to hold a pretty long conversation with them, I'm just having trouble with the slang and stuff like that. So I took a pic with the Cabo Verde flag at the temple. I'm with all my district except Elder Young, who didn't want to be in the pic.
Oh, and I forgot to tell you, but I've been Zone Leader for like 2 weeks now lol. It's pretty cool how I'm like a senior again. All the other missionaries are always hanging out in my room and stuff like that. It feels weird being the "cool" missionary that I was hanging out with like two weeks earlier before he left.
So there's this new missionary that's my favorite. His name is Elder Mason. Since the first day, I randomly called him "meu Filho" which means "my son" and like a day later he found out what it meant so now he calls me "meu Pai" which means "father" lol.
So on Sunday we walked to the temple and I saw this random couple sitting on the grass, so I ran to them and asked for a pic. They said yes, everyone in Utah is sooo nice.
Hey like 3 girls have made me break mission rules. They want to take pics of just me and them, and I'm too nice to say no, but at the same time I feel bad for doing so.
It's really nice to hear from you. Oh, and I'm allowed to call home during layovers, so expect a call. (And send me your number cuz I forgot it)
Alright well I gtg, so take care! Miss you tons!
-Elder Zuniga

Flight Schedule! 24 hours of travel, and then straight to work! 

Most of his Zone with the Cabo Verde flag 

Elder Mason 

"Pai" and "Filho" (father and son)

Elder Zuniga with Elder Guzman (Dominican) who went to Brazil

Elder Zuniga with Elder Maynese (Mexican) who also went to Brazil

Elder Zuniga and most of his Zone

1/5 of Elder Cordova's face, Elder Zuniga, and
a random couple they saw on their way to the temple

A random selfie

Week 4; Valentine's Day in the MTC

(I asked if he was nervous for leaving to Cabo Verde in two weeks. This is his response.)

You have no idea how badly I want to leave this place, 12 hours in a class sucks. The only thing that keeps me sane is playing volleyball (like my new favorite sport which I've become pretty good at, I can spike and all those things). But yeah, I'm leaving along with all my district, more than likely on the same plane so that's pretty cool. We don't get our flight schedules till about 4 days before we leave. 

Did you know I gained 6 pounds in 2 weeks?? I started working out and eating healthy as soon as I found out, so I lost them and now I'm gaining weight again but all muscle so that's muito bom. 

Valentines day was awesome, I took some pics so I'll send those to you in a while, after I finish laundry. My favorite Australian ever drew the most amazing thing ever that I'm gonna keep for the rest of my life. Yesterday was super sad though, a different district left and we were super close friends with them. I only got a chance to take a picture with one of them. 

The one in the white shirt is Elder Barrera. He left for Brazil at 2:30 am yesterday :( 

The View

Elder Zuniga, Elder Cordova, & Elder Young 

The entire district: Romano, Young, Goss, Gates, Zuniga, Sosa, & Cordova.

"Someone keeps putting hearts on my door. I get a new one like every day."

"In the Valentines card it mentions "Will Smiths" which is what we refer to as the pull ups Will Smith does in I Am Legend.
We have a challenge in my dorm to see who can do the most in which I currently hold the record of 13.
 And we also have tostitos and dip parties every other night." 

(I asked about how money in Cabo Verde works. He said the following. Forgive his impatience.)

I have no clue who to go for for that but I'll ask around. People at the travel office are all retarded college students. I went to ask about my Visa and they're all like "You need a Visa to go to Africa??" 

And I just walked out, it was funny. 

Week 3

I got an email saying that this week's letter will come in the mail, so I'll post that up later. These are the photos for week 3!

From L to R: Elder Cordova, Elder Sosa, & Elder Zuniga

All his letter said was 

"Oi!! Como Vai? Eu estou muito grato por todas as coisas que tu mandaste-me. Muito obrigado por as gulosimas e jumex. Okay I don't have a lot of time to write so I'll do it in English. Thank you so much for everything, I appreciate it. But please, don't feel like you should sent me anything else, I have everything I need now. (Riiight, like THATS going to happen). Uma vez mais, obrigado por ser a melhor Irma que eu puede aver pedido. 

P.S. It's hard writing in Portuguese about non-gospeley things so some if it could be wrong. Chao! Fica Fixe! 

-Elder Zuniga