Week 1!!! So Exciting!!!

ńghngōn (good afternoon) everybody!!!!! It's my first official Pday as a missionary so I thought I'd give everybody a little update on my at home mtc experience so far! So exciting 

 

 

So everyday I have class from 8am-10am and then another class at 5pm-7pm! My teachers are super cool! Yau Jímuih (sister Yau) is from Hong Kong and then my other teacher, Ng hīngdaih (brother Ng) served in Hong Kong! They've been telling me all about it and I'm so excited!! Ng hīngdaih was actually my pre mtc tutor for cantonese once a week before I entered the MTC, so it's nice that he already knows where I'm at with the language. I'm also the only person in my whole entire district! Yup! Just me and my two teachers everyday for four hours hahaha so I say every prayer, answer every question... there's no dozing off for me! It's okay though... We joke and say that the Lord knows I might just need a little more one on one attention... especially learning cantonese! 

 

 

The Cantonese language is TRICKY! There's so much to it and sometimes its hard to wrap my head around the fact that I'm going to be able to speak it well enough to go to Hong Kong in just 9 weeks! If you're wondering, no, I'm not learning the characters, right now its just the píngyám which I think just means the romanization so like just the writing in the words that you'd say... if that makes sense... My teachers say I'll start recognizing the characters soon but I wont actually learn them until a year into my mission after passing a test of the píngyám! so exciting!! 

 

 

Everyday I notice I get just a little bit better... the falling tones I struggle with a lot, which is starting the word high, and ending it low, but I'll get it! Sometimes I'm too hard on myself because I just want to be perfect at cantonese after one lesson but I know that that's just not going to happen hahaha but I started teaching my family a little bit and at the beginning of class one day, Yau Jímuih asked my Mom to say our opening prayer and she started her prayer in Cantonese!!! so proud haha my teacher was so impressed... Its funny to hear my family speak it sometimes because if you dont say a word with the right tones and pronunciation, then it's a totally different word and has a totally different meaning! but they'll say good morning "jóusàhn" which you say it like joe san but rise when you say joe and fall when you say san... try it

 

 

My teachers are giving me a big head hahaha they always talk about how impressed they are with me when I speak the language and sometimes they'll say, "That was perfect! You sound just like me!" and I'm like dont even!! hahah I memorized Moroni 10:5 in cantonese and this next week I have to memorize the missionary purpose in cantonese! AND THEN apparently i'm supposed to be teaching a lesson to someone in Hong Kong in cantonese THIS WEEK!!! Im SO excited and since I dont have a companion I think Im just doing it all by myself! 

 

 

My Mom has pretty much been my companion since being in the MTC! Shes so funny I love my Mom... in my free time we've gone shopping, made cookies, haha we started watching this national geographic farm animal vet show thing and its hilarious to us hahaha anyways we've also played lots and lots and LOTS of card games! my other sister Kelsi will also come over and play with us once in a while! Its so fun... we're so those people that can just play for hours... as long as theres cookies and M&M's on the table haha 

 

 

I went to play ultimate frisbee this morning with a bunch of missionaries and people they're teaching and just like people in their wards and when someone would want me to pass to them they would call out "Sister!" I was like oh thats strange hhahahaaha they're talking to me, so exciting!! 

 

 

If you guys have questions or just want to say hey, PLEASE email me! 

 

 

Yèhsōu Gēidūk ngoi léih! <3

(Jesus Christ loves you!) 

 

 

-Clanton Jímuih

 

 

PICTURES:

1. My Mom made this awesome sign to hang on my "MTC" door 

2. On the first day on the MTC my Mom took me to Dave BBQ... i love a good burger

3. Kelsi's family got bunnies! So cute