Here I am

Family,
Thank you for talking to me at the airport...sorry I cried through most of it. Being a missionary sure is emotional. Wow reading your letters makes me want to cry...good grief it has been the longest 5 days of my life and now typing that it has been 5 days my brain is trying to figure out where those last 5 days have gone. I am in the Laguna Zone the Morona Branch. What a wonderful place...it is about 2 hours (good traffic) from the mission home, so yes jungle and city. I do indeed shower everyday out of a bucket with the same ladle I use to flush the toilet and clothes are hand washed...oh life is exciting. Other than that, it is hotter and muggier than I though possible, I don't even bother with makeup anymore I just wipe it off anyway. And the people think I am the most beautiful thing they have ever seen I get called barbie, beauty queen, America,...etc... they don't see many Americans, so a tall blond blue eyed one is like wham...ya I have never had the desire to walk in a room and have all the heads turn but I sure know how it feels now. Last night we were tracking in this gorgeous mountain village and all of the village children came up and flocked around us asking my name. When I responded with po and in Tagalog they laughed and were surprised and followed us it was really fun. I really do not like all of the attention but it does get us into many doors everyone wants to know why an American girl like me is in their country trying to speak their language. I am so lucky we have 4 baptisms this Saturday, our branch is fantastic we have members come out with us just about everyday and their fellow-shipping couldn't be better, I am amazed by them. They are also trying to help me learn Tagalog. My companion is native to Cebu so she is new to Tagalog but picked it up quickly since they are so similar...she speaks so fast and quiet I have a super duper hard time hearing her. It is super frustrating, a lot of times I will ask a question and she will not answer it, she will just answer "puwede" which is you can...well yes I can but what is better. So frustrating. Yup if you can't tell it has been a hard few days, I am so glad to be here but it is a lot harder than I ever expected. So I told my companion I am lactose intolerant, she says she is as well but doesn't care to avoid what she eats... but she tells all the members for me, surprisingly almost everything the members have tried to serve me has milk...which baffles me...still can't figure that one out. I cannot wait until I can understand this language. The members were talking about me in front of me on Sunday just friendly talk but still it hurt why not try and ask me, ya I cried after dinner at my Branch Pres house I was just so frustrated with them talking right there about me. Yes I know I can't understand everything but I do usually get the jist of it. Oh wow, this is not how I wanted it to sound. I love my companion I am just getting used to her and her ways and the Filipino ways and cultures and mannerisms. So we don't keep food in the house, I have never been more grateful for the granola bars I brought with me...ya if a member doesn't feed us we don't eat...ya perfect weight loss plan. So every night when we get in I seriously just crash, it is funny how tired I really am, but seriously I have had no extra sleep from the time we got here to now, that first night we went tracting and teaching and here we are still running. This morning we had zone conference in a different city about an hour away, we took a jeep nee (sp?) I feel so sick I am still swaying. I have no clue how I am going to solve that problem for the rest of my mission. Still dizzy which is probably why this letter is so random. We are in some random dark room in the city of Mornona trying to type letters, but at least it is cold. We got permission to go to the mall today and get me a really good umbrella, it has UV protection. My comp being native loves my skin and is always making sure I am wearing sunscreen and using an umbrella, really sweet of her. So I got to see Elder Sweat from my MTC district today, I about cried of joy to see someone I knew, then Sister Jensen walked in, there are 2 of us in the same zone. I love it!
So my alarm clock died on the way over but luckily I wake up every morning to the roosters that live outside our apartment in the jungle of trees...yup the view still astonishes me. There are times I cannot believe where I am and what I am seeing. Random note thank you for the crocks, they are fantastic for the rain and keeping my feel cool plus all the natives love staring at name brand shoes...
I know that there is probably a ton I am not including but I am not kidding when I say my head is spinning. I am so sorry. I love you all, thank you so much for your prayers. I know that it will get harder and that times will be rough but hopefully I can find my footing and get into a pattern and things will be better. Until then I am just holding on hoping not to be flung off into who knows where.

I love you.
Sister Rebecca Jensen