Dearest Motherly,

Good Morrow! Good Morrow!

Okay, so I have been thinking about it. You probably do not need to send me an umbrella. If I have to use this slightly broken one for a couple of months, that's fine. I can do that. And you make an excellent point that it probably won't even get here until the rainy season is at the descending peak, so it's okay. And that way you can use that space to send me other things of greater importance. :) As far as anything I would need? Well.. I would once again say everything is great. I can't really make any requests. Perhaps the instructions to that metal puzzle-y chain thing you sent me, because I have made absolutely NO progress. At all. Even. 

The guy who owns the cyber here where I am typing my email is playing that one computer game you used to always play. Do you remember that old one? I don't remember the name, Zuma or something (which is extremely similar to Friday in Malagasy), but it's the one where the frog shoots different colored balls out of his mouth. It's all Mayan themed and what not. Anyway, yeah. He's totally playing that right now.

You better get that modem problem figured out, for by the time I come home I won't know any more about technology than you do!

I am afraid that all the Malagasy food i know how to cook may turn into gassy food, haha. Lots of beans. All I really like is beans, but I will be on the lookout for something nice and simple. The main thing to eat is rice though. Lots and lots of rice. More rice than you think you can handle, and then once you tackle it, you get more added on. That's how to eat Malagasy food.

We had a councilor from the mission presidency come and visit us this past weekend. He's Malagasy, and when I first met him he asked me where I am from. I told him Payson, Utah, a little hesitantly fully accepting that this man most likely has no idea in the world is Payson. Utah is easy to know for any member of the church, but a little town like Payson is a bit tougher. When I told him though, he acknowledge it, then replied that he has been to Payson. It is fair to say that this shocked me. Turns out, this man served a mission in Utah back when (as he put it) I "was this tall," he says gestering to mid-thigh length. He never worked there, but he had a Zone Conference there one day many years ago. Well how about that? To meet a Malagasy who has crept around my quarters was not on my list of things I expected that day.

I also got to see another wedding. I would say this one was a lot different than that one I saw last April. Even my Malagasy companion thought it was pretty crazy, and he is Malagasy. The reason fo this is because each of the tribes here in Madagascar have their own traditions, and the people her in Mahajanga are different than those in Tana. This actually wasn't the wedding even, just the "fangataham-bady" aka asking for the wife, aka a big party to commemorate ones engaged status. The actual marriage will take place in Antananarivo, so this was the party for the half of the family here in Mahajanga. I will try to send you pictures last week, but I just so happen to be using the same computer that caused all my pictures to be deleted last time, so I apologize if I am a bit hesitant to plug my card in this ol' machine. I got some doozies though, just you see.

This computer is getting all weird and laggy, so I best call it good here.

I'll see y'all in February.

Elder Tuff n Stuff