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December 9, 2002
Hi, Everyone.
Life here is just rolling by. I look back to the four months
and four days I've been here and I think that the time is just
going by so quickly. Other times, I look back and think, "When
will this ever end?" Not a day goes by without me thinking
of the States and what life was like there.
For the most part I do enjoy myself, but it's just that nothing
is the same. Everything is so primitive. We get electricity an
average of three hours a day. We don't have a telephone. This
one really gets me when I think of the time I used to spend talking
on the phone with some of you. Right after school I would have
to call someone even though I had just seen them at school. I
have noticed so many things that we have in the U.S. that we just
take for granted. Also, I've noticed how much we really don't
need that we think we do need. It really touches me when we're
in church and the pastor is saying in his prayer, "please
help those who are less fortunate than us." The people here
are living on barely anything and they are thanking God for the
blessings that they have. In the States we were really spoiled
and we didn't even know it.
It's not that easy down here though. I am very homesick for a
lot of the time. I watched Robert (our neighbor) leave to go to
Scotland, Canada, and the States and it was all I could do to
not beg my parents to let me go with him. I am really wishing
for some civilization isn't really the word I want but it kind
of is.
Even though I basically fought my way through seventh grade,
I want to go back to Jr. High. It was my home for a year and I
still consider it mine. I'm actually hearing more communication
from some of my friends when I'm seven thousand miles away than
when I was in their own school!
One thing that I will never get used to is wearing skirts and
dresses. I hate them! I have to wear them to classes (which are
out for the summer) and every single Sunday, to church. In the
States, I could get away with wearing shorts and a tank top to
school and church. We are getting new uniforms before school starts
up again. I'm really glad. I didn't like our old ones. They were
any white shirts and skirts or dresses for the girls and white
shirts and shorts or pants for the boys. Our new ones will be
tailored: white blouses (for girls) and shirts (for boys) and
dark gray skirts (for girls) and shorts or pants (for boys) along
with matching gray ties for everyone. I think they're going to
look more professional and they will be nice.
Oh! I almost forgot this story: I was messing around on the computer
and I found an area called accounts. So I made myself one! It
erased everything on our mailing program. We lost all of our letters,
address books, everything! We couldn't even connect to the Internet.
We just happened to be going to Vila the next day so Dad and I
took the computer in to the computer guru and we said, "help!"
So he went typety-typety-type, and our previous e-mail account
popped up on the screen with our user name, password, etc. So
we got ourselves hooked back up, and then we asked him how much
we had to pay (We were both chewing our nails!). He said, "Nothing.
I just sat in my chair. You are the ones who entered the data.
Nothing!" Very cool.
So, anyway, the computer is back in order but I have lost all
of your e-mails to me. You'll just have to e-mail me more to replace
them!
I have to go knit. Can you believe it?! I'm on my first project
and so I decided to do a "small" one by making myself
a sweater! I'm a complete loss at it! Mom (champion knitter) and
Emily (also champion knitter) just laugh and shake their heads.
They're convinced that I'll never finish it, but I've vowed to
myself that I will.
Happy Holidays! I miss you all very much.
Love from Kinsey
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