2008 Mar 10--Akorihaby

Hi there,

The issue with the keyboard this week is not language-settings, but mechanical failure; the keys

don't come back up right after you press them down.

Anyway, not too much to report this week. Elder Fuga is awesome, and a pleasure to work with. He's also reminded me that I'm 'dying' soon and should probably start preparing to leave. He's right, I think I'm in denial. Elder Fuga has just come from working with my British Empty Sea companion, Elder British S, whom he described as " very trunky" contrasted with me: "Oh yeah, you're right, I am leaving aren't I? I should probably do something huh?" I'll see what I can do this week.

I'm enjoying this last run. I've really made a lot of good friends out here on this mission. It's going to be hard to leave.

But this week will be a good week. It is the Beginning of the End, and I intend for it to be a good ending.

I apologize, but this is gonna be another "it's alive" Email because I'm pretty drained right now. We had a lovely Stake Conference yesterday but I was too sick to go (I have an iron stomach from living here so long, but sometimes it draws the line at luke-warm-unidentifiable-pork-product on rice from investigators. Only sometimes though-- this just happened to be one of those times.) I think I'm feeling better now, just tired and my brain's a little slow on the up-take, and this keyboard is arguably slower than that.

Also, in this last little bit, by mission decree, all conversations had by missionaries are to be strictly in Malagasy. I don't know why this wasn't in effect earlier, I've done this off and on throughout my mission (especially when I had a Malagasy for a companion.) But I like the idea, I'm just temporarily losing a lot of my English in the process (that and we can't mifosafosa --essentially, everybody knows what were talking about in public--and it's kind of weird for two white guys to be speaking Malagasy to each other. It's not as weird for me cuz I'm with Fuga, and it just solidifies the assumption that he is Malagasy.)

But I love you all. Thanks for the E-mails. I'm hoping that this week will pump me up enough to write something interesting next time. We'll see, wish me luck. OK then Veloma!

Elder Draper