First spill, Member meal, Christmas call‏

Well well well...So...I'm in this little place called Italy these days. What in the world is that about?!? Unfortunately/Fortunately it's going to be mighty different then last year when I was here. ha ha jokes jokes!! Well I don't really know where to start. This last week has just been one crazy blur. So I set a goal to try to contact some people in the airport on the way over and it was a bust. Not joking, it is not one of my current skills. ha ha I went with Sorella Millis at the airport in England and we were trying to find people to talk to and she was doing awesome. She gave so many things away. I don't know why I was so nervous. I think it was a combination of culture shock (aka real people, in normal clothes, ...just not the MTC) and still trying to adjust to the fact that I'm a missionary. But I totally got myself all prepped to go talk to this lady in the airport in england and I just walked up and sat by her and asked her a few questions...ha ha oh awkward. She was giving me this blank stare and I had a strange feeling that she didn't speak english. But I tried to tell her I liked her scarf and made a few more pathetic attempts of small talk....ah...come to find out she speaks german and I just looked like a git. Oh well! It was worth an effort. I just muttered Merry Christmas and got on the plane to Italy. Ah...my life.So I was hoping that I could sit by an italian on my way to Italy but ...negative. I was sitting by Anziano Herrick and Sorella Crandall. Love 'em and all but ...come on, I wanna whip out my italian! But in the row in front of us the nicest italian guy was sitting with Sorella Millis and Sorella Hughes. He was seriously the nicest person I've ever seen. The best author in the world couldn't create someone nicer! Everytime they'd start to speak Italian he'd just kinda smile and nod encouragingly...ah I just pulled out my vocab book/eavesdropped from behind.Well when we got on the ground our assistants picked us up and we went and got our first pizza and saw St. Pauls outside the walls. It was pretty rad. There were also two new italian missionaries that we finally got to meet. They seemed shy at first but they're way cool. So after that we went to oh..you know...the Colosseum!! We seriously came off of the metro and Whamy! There it was! It was fantastic! There was some drunk guy dressed up like a gladiator that asked if we wanted a picture with him. Ah..best of times. So we had dinner at the Villa with our mission President and oh mylanta that woman fed us a grundle! We had a tiny interview with the mission president. It was like 3 minutes and then we went to bed.Next day we went to the 'church property'. Technically we can't call it the temple site but it's like 15 acres so uh...yeah. It's way pretty! President Acerson said that it's bigger then temple square. Crazy sauce. Then we went back to the villa and opened a golden envelop that said where our first area was and who are trainer would be. (Well first we had lunch with all the future trainers, but we didn't know who would be training who). Well I opened mine and guess where I am at this very moment?! (Maybe the mission president already e-mailed you...but anywho) Roma 1! There are four areas in Rome and I got numero uno! My companion's name is Sorella Chevalier. She's from Toole and she's been out a year --and six months in Roma 1!So the first night we went to go help with english class and I was wearing my new (and unsurprisingly awkward & bulky) missionary shoes. Well we were almost to the church and I turfed it...bad! ha ha Oh man I just wish I could have seen it. Seriously I don't even remember it happening. All I know is I was face down on the italian sidewalk and was trying to play it cool. ha ha But yeah I totally shredded my nylons on one of my leggs. I felt so silly at english class because my nylons on my right leg were pretty slashed and my knee was all bloody. Ah good times in Rome.Well what else? We did Zone singing yesterday and so all of the missionaries from the zone get together and sing Christmas songs in this adorable italian street and when people stop to listen...we just sneak out of the group and go talk to them. It was cool. I got to see a couple of the older missionaries from the MTC. It was so good to see them again and get some advice.Last night we had dinner with some members called the Gaumba's. I had my worries that I'd be all kinds of awkward with my lack of italian but they were great. I pulled out my pictures and told them about everybody and when I told them that Cody served in Africa...basta! I was in! (They're from Africa) But it was cool. I played some games with their two kids and Stefano (he's like 14) walked us to the gate afterwards. Adorable. But yeah, I think my companion and I are both feeling a little off today--They fed us tons! I just asked my companion if we could walk everywhere today and not take the bus. Oh dear. But it was really cool. I could understand mostly everything that they were talking about after a little while. I think I just had to get used to their accent and stuff. But then again they're not really italian. The italians are a completely different story.Today, I had to go to this building to get my "Permesso"--just permission to live here. And we were sitting in the waiting room and I was trying to talk with a guy in the waiting room. His name was Fabbio and he was way nice but yeah...I can only get so far with conversations right now. It's cool though. I really like talking to people.Well I think I'm outtie for now. Sorry I think this e-mail is ridiculously long. Um...a couple of things 1. with packages (marmsy) make sure you don't declare the contents as being very much. Like put 8 or 10 bucks...don't do a lot! And I guess there are certain things that they charge you more for if you declare--like cosmetics and stuff. So if you send that stuff, just don't declare it. Just but like "missionary things" or something. and 2. I get to call home on Christmas! It's only 45 minutes and I think it'll be like 11...12...1? your time? ha ha Sorry! I think I'll call at like 8 or 9 here. Well sorry this was long. Peace out! Merry Christmas! Buon Natale! Ci Vediamo!
Sorella Hansen