Snail Mail dated 5 Oct 09

Oi Familia!
So primeiro, Katie's letter from 20 Sept was too funny; "Can I comment on the super cool sloth (comment: it was super cool)." Ah, I really miss our family's humor. There is a serious lack of it here. Apparently word play jokes, as I learned in the CTM, are generally groaners. I'd tell a joke or make a comment that would've had the family laughing and they'd all look at me like I'm this huge nerd. Which just goes to show what kind of humor I like. Which means, in turn, that I'd probably enjoy this "Phineas & Ferb" show Katie talked about. I guess we'll find out in about a year and 8 months.

And how nuts is that? I've been out here for four months. Feels like nothing. Crazy. Oh, BTW, Katie, "Peora do Cao Sentado" means "Rock of the seated dog." So the 'super cool bird-looking rock thing' is actually a super cool dog-looking rock thing. : )

So Dad. Generally on P-Days we relax. Haven't visited any cool sites. Fun fact: You can express smallness by adding "inho" (een-yo) to the end of a word. "Bolinha" is a little ball. And they use it here always. If the ball is little, it's not a "bola," it's a "bolinha." It's like using a different word - you always use it (if the ball is small). You can accomplish the opposite by adding "ao" (ow). "Canetao" is a big pen, or a whiteboard maker (not really, but that's the joke).
So the reason I tell you is because Ronaldinho means "Little Ronaldo." cool, huh? Also, when the letter "H" follows a consonant and is followed by a vowel, it makes the 'y' sound. "R" at the beginning of a word makes the "H" sound. So Ronaldinho is Hoe-nawl-JEEN-yo. "Di" and ti" make "gee" and "chee" respectively. Different, but I'm used to it now. Don't even think about it.

Also, Conseheiro Paulino is a bairro (section) of Nova Friburgo. So I haven't noticed any unusualities yet, but I'll keep you posed about any Swiss people that jump me : )

Also, I took a video of the sloth. I'll try to send it to you guys. It's pretty nifty. : )

So the picture Elise drew was great, too. Ha. So the stuff coming from the chimney - supposed to be smoke? LOL And "houses falling on witches with sparkly red shoes is tradition, you know!" --- ha ha ha... : )

So let's see, I read Jesus the Christ and loved it. All those people that said it's a hard read are liars -ha ha. I thought it was fantastic. And I didn't know half the stuff I learned while reading. James E. Talmage. Smart guy.

So yea, that's about it. Love you guys. Have a great week!

Elder Trenton McGregor

SFT