Day 3

So we are staying with Dorian's favorite investigator - Yasue, who was baptized earlier this year - and her family.  She is SO sweet.  And she speaks English very well.  

But her husband doesn't want to see us, and half of the house belongs to her parents, who we are not supposed to bother.  So we spend our time in either the front room of the house (an old beauty salon) or the bedroom upstairs.  See:

We are sleeping on a wood pallet with two futons laid across.  Also, the pillows are buckwheat.

Doesn't that sound lovely?

(Thank heavens I brought one feather pillow with me.)

Also, if I don't make it home, I'll tell you right now it will be because of these staircases.  NOT JOKING.  Do you see how narrow those steps are?  No?

They are too narrow for your feet, sideways.  And there are no railings.  Try them in the middle of the night!

(I have.)

Yesterday there was a district fireside/Joseph Smith commemoration, which was lovely.

Mom, I even played the piano for it.  But Dorian didn't take pictures.

Afterward the Mission President and his wife taught everyone the Virginia Reel and we did some stick pulling.

It was SO FUNNY.

Oh!  And yesterday for lunch we ate at a little place near Yasue's house, and who walked in but the Elders ... Dorian's last companion, his Son.  They were a companionship in this area, and now Gorton is back for his last transfer.  Pretty cool.  They did the stick pull and Gorton won.

Today we were back at the church, for Branch Conference (good thing we weren't fasting...).  It was lovely.  Every congregation has a personality, right?  These members are all so kind, so open, I couldn't believe it.  After the meetings, we all ate a meal together, and they asked us to say a few words.  ha!

And then they wanted to take pictures of us before we left.  More and more and more pictures.  I was kind of embarrassed.

Morgan and Gorton again:

Other random things:

-The food is so VASTLY different.  All of it.  More on this later.

-Still trying to adjust sleeping schedule.  Last night we fell asleep at about 7 and woke up at 3.

-Major blunder #1: I didn't take my shoes off the right way when we first came to the house. Thanks for the heads up, husband.

-Bathrooms weird.  

-We ate our first breakfast in the beauty salon, and used instant oatmeal (that we brought) with warm water from the sink.  Not great.

-HUMID.  My hair weighs twice as much as it normally does.

-Major blunder #2: because I fell asleep so early last night, I had to use the bathroom around 12:30.  I crept down the death stairs, opened the door and YASUE'S DAD WAS IN THERE.  And I couldn't even say sorry in Japanese.

-Speaking of Japanese ... I'm a failure.  I'm perfecting my nodding/bowing skills, though.