Half way through the MTC

Take good care of my dogs while I'm gone  (Titus was hit by a car)  and get sam to write me.  Tell him the people here try to make fun of me for being from idaho and how i talk about potatoes all the time, but I'm proud of it.

I am trying to be more positive but its hard when because of the circumstances i am in.  but hopefully i can fix things in the next week.  sorry for being kinda nonspecific.

got to hear a talk by Elder oaks. that was nice. I don't have my notes with me so i can't remember much of what he said.

Don't worry about sending the ukulele, it was more of a joke than a request.  Did you get my letter?

You should get me Rae Miller and Rachel Roos's email and and just tell more people to email me.

So, I was made an online cordinator which is  a pointless position cause the only thing I do is call my self the online coordinator.

I saw Hailey  Robison yesterday, she got here last week.  Everyone here say its too cold and it has only frozen twice!  i dont think i am going to get any snow before i leave, its to warm here.

i just want to be in mexico already.  i am only half way through the mtc.

elder Ritchie

Proud to be from Idaho

Hey, there's something wrong with your DearElder letters! The only people i got dear elder letters  from is Megan and sister miller.  The rest of you are doing it wrong.  i don't know what you are doing wrong but fix it.  So if you don't figure that out i am coming back to teach mom and dad how to use a computer!  Peter should help you if possible.  not Sam, he is almost as bad with computers as dad. 

I am doing great here, we are teaching two people starting tomorrow.  We have to teach them in Spanish.  It's kind of ridiculous how much we are supposed to learn here.  But after the first week every thing started to speed up.  We are taught almost six hours a day from two different teachers  who try to only teach in Spanish.  Sundays are really weird cause they give us all this free time but we don't want to study more and we have to wear a suit every were.  

i wrote an actual letter yesterday but i cant send it until later today so you will get this first.  There is a list of stuff i want you to send, read the letter first then send the package but I need : a strap for my laundry bag (see illustration on letter),  one more shirt if room in package, my alarm clock i left (i bought an analog one and i am about to smash it against the wall),  more pictures of stuff like skiing and back packing, talk to Pete he will know what ones i want and one of those family pics we had taken. 

i never realized i would ever have been proud of being from Idaho, i wear that potato tie pin all the time. i even went to the store to use a needle point sharpie so that i could black out the letters on it. if you can send me a few more that would be awesome.  people ask me if i worked with potatoes and then i just go off about my job.  one time i talked for and hour and a half about what i did for the job.  all the people i am with are from around Utah or big cities.  i hate not being in Idaho, i hate the water here.  but the mountains are nice.  still no pine trees. that's kinda weird.  mom you would love the colors here right now.  i'm having the same problem I have every fall, the smell of dead leaves makes my throat tighten up.  i hate to say it but i am have dreams about walking through potato fields and i actually like it. usually i dread those dreams but now they are some how relaxing. i might have to become like Adam Steinmetz and just rouge for fun.  we will just have to see...  

being on the west campus is really weird.  i have to walk outside quite a bit. they are working on gyms, they were supposed to be done the week i got here but now i keep hearing that they may not even be done before i leave.  i have only seen four people i know. 

 i hope it snows before i leave.  we have a Samoan in my apartment and he has never seen snow.  he gave me a skirt thing, its the most comfortable thing ever.  there are four other people going to Mexico City East  from my district  so i will see these same people the whole time i am there. my mission is like the third smallest or something like that, it's only 48 square miles or some way low number.  i am going to have to learn to like cities i guess.  
Well have a great week cause i am going to only write you another letter after you figure out dear elder.  

Bye mi familia.

First email!

Why has no one written me yet?  Dena sent me some jerky, but as for you people I have nothing.  If you would not mind adding money to my debit card that would be great.

Tell me more about Luke's future child when more info come to light.

Is Pete engaged yet?  If not some one should propose for him cause he is obviously too much of a pansy to do it!

Tell Kolton to send me an email so that I can write him.  Same with every one else, i only know mom and Pete's email. 

I am on the West campus which is just a fancy name for Y View (an apartment complex).  I already rolled my ankle playing basketball. it swelled up and turned a lovely purplish color, similar to that of a purple grape.   As for studying and what not, I am probably the best.  Mi compa~n aro is a jock from Lehi so we are really different but that's good. 

I stress way to much about learning the language. I have had more stress over the last week than I did in all of high school. I watched and took notes for almost all of conference.  I have only met three people I know.

I got a new alarm clock cause I forgot mine and me and my companion kept sleeping in.  This place is like no where else.  I never seem to get time to just sit around and read.  I am in the same apartment with another set of elders, one is from Cali and the other Samoa.  We have the most exciting district on campus. It is made up of eight elders and they are all awesome.  I am still the most quiet out of every one, but that's partly because i am always thinking about learning Spanish. There are people here from all over the world and there are people going all over the world.  

Other than the teaching and studying ,this campus is completely different than the main one. The only thing I miss is sleeping in until eleven. Other than that I don't miss any of you. JK LOL (for Pete). 

Write me or I won't write you (except Pete i am going to make him correct all of my grammar)

from elder ritchie.