Wo zai Niu Yue! (Wednesday is my new p-day)

Qin'ai wode jiaren he pengyou!

 

Wo hen gaoxing.  Wo zai Niu Yue.  Wo zuotian lai.  I am finally in New York and I am so excited to be here!  The last week at the MTC went by so ... slowly.  I was aching to leave too, like my other companions.  I was made a "solo" which meant that I didn't have a specific companionship that i was assigned to.  I could even be with a couple of elders if I wanted to.  It was kind of nice having a small class.  It was just me, Elder Vatcher and a teacher.  We had the same teachers that I had in my pilot district.  That was nice because I didn't have to get used to a new teaching style.  I had awesome teachers at the MTC.  It was a little weird being with Elder Vatcher so much, just because sometimes we role played together as companions.  Even at the TRC, we taught a Taiwanese man together.  Kind of weird.  It didn't feel weird though.  I feel like we became much better friends.  My last day at the MTC, I received a full Chinese name.  It is Yan(2) Pei(4) Qi(3).  Peifu (admire) de Pei.  The qi is like beautiful, fine, silk.  I haven't found that one in the dictionary yet.  Apparently it's a nice girl name in Chinese, according to my laoshi.

 

Tuesday morning at 4:00am, I left for the airport.  Out of 34 missionaries, I was the only sister missionary.  20 going to my mission.  I stuck out like a sore thumb.  I was put with a couple elders for the travel day.  The flight was okay.  We went from SLC to Detroit, then to Westchester Airport.  It was so great to talk to my family on the phone.  Since then, I keep feeling like I can call them whenever, but I can't.  We got to New York at around 4:00pm.  Then all of us we over to our mission home.  My mission president and his wife (President and Sister Smith) seem really nice.  They gave us instructions, which now I can't remember.  I was so tired.  Hehe!  Then fed us.  Real food!!!  I started to hate the MTC food by the end.  They were renovating the mtc kitchen, so there was only one meal choice, usually something fried.  Sister smith cooks really well. :)  We were all interviewed by the mission president.  While we were waiting our turn, we chatted.  I mostly talked with Elder Vatcher.  It was nice having him here.  We are the only new missionaries speaking Chinese, and we know each other.  It feels better going to a new place with someone you know. 

 

Last night I stayed with a couple of sisters in Yonkers.  Today, we went back to the Mission home in Scarsdale and received more instruction.  Then we loaded up and went to a church building in the Bronx to the transfer meeting.  I met my new companion!!!!!!!!!!!!  She is awesome!!!!!  I started crying I was so excited to meet her!!  Haha!  Her name is Sister Chen and she is from Taoyuan, Taiwan.  She is great!  I love her already!  She was been in New York for about a year.  She hasn't served in Chinatown since her first couple of cycles.  I get to serve in Chinatown of course.  We are whitewashing Chinatown.  (Both new to the area together.)  There are 8 missionaries in the Chinatown area.  Four elders and four sisters.  I am the only American sister, and there are two American elders.  After the transfer meeting, we went to bring our stuff the apartment.  I got a metro card and we took the subway.  We got so many weird looks.  There were like 9 suitcases total.  I live in Chinatown now!  How cool is that!  Our apartment is super small, but cute.  I live with two other sisters, Sister Su and Sister Liu.  We will all sleep in the same tiny bedroom on bunkbeds.  Pictures and videos to come.  I am still trying to soak in everything.  This is going to be a great mission!  We were told it is coveted. 

 

Well, everything seems surreal, and a bit of a blur already.  I am so so so happy to finally be in New York!  I am so grateful I have the opportunity to serve a mission!  I hope everyone is still striving to attend the temple every month, and read the Book of Mormon everyday.  The Lord wants to bless us. 

 

I love you all so much!

 

Yan Jiemei

 

If you send Dearelders to the MTC, I won't receive them.  My new address is:  167 Mott Street Apt. 6D, New York, New York 10013.  Regular letters can come here, or you can send everything, especially packages, to the mission office in Scarsdale.  The Mission office address is: 700 White Plains Rd. Ste. 315, Scarsdale, NY 10583.

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