but yes, korea.: Korea in Three-ah

So, I'll be in Korea in three days.

I'm not freaking out. Are you freaking out?

I'm just curious about Korea and the magical qualities it possesses...(name that movie)

As my MTC time has come to a close, I thought I'd contemplatively reflect on my two-and-a-half month stay here. My musings have led me to create two ground-breaking, insider lists (yes, more lists) on the...

TOP TEN BESTS & WORSTS OF THE MTC

Let it begin.

THE MTC: THE VERY WORST

1. It is SO. ABSURDLY. COLD. I swear, it is an unspoken rule here that all the rooms must be set to temperatures found only in the arctic. Honestly, I have worn all of my winter clothes already because it is just that cold. I never thought i would wear long-sleeves and a sweater in August, but I guess that's just the MTC for you.

2. The architect of the MTC seemed to have had a fear of the sun or just really hated looking at the sky because I swear pavilions cover all of the walkways here. You sometimes forget you're even outside.

3. I love class and learning new things, but my goodness, so much sitting. I don't even want to think about how hard it's going to be for me to get back in shape once I get to the field.

4. The cleanliness of the mattresses are a bit...suspect. For instance, some of our new sisters found they had been sharing their bunks with...bed bugs. It was not a good day for them.

5. Thursday mornings. It's the first meal in which the new missionaries are integrated with the old missionaries and everything is always CHAOS. No one knows where all the lines start or where the food is and it takes all the patience I possess to not go completely postal and barrel over everyone in a fit of rage.

6. Tiny desks. Enough said.

7. Service mornings, which we said goodbye to forever this morning. I cannot adequately express how happy I am to no longer have to do menial, made-up-on-the-spot tasks like wiping scuff marks off the stairs or polishing the toilet paper dispensers in the bathroom.

8. In-field orientation. Oh my goodness, what a hot slice of crazy that was. In-field is essentially a nine and a half hour meeting explaining last minute things about how to be a missionary. Things which probably would have been better to learn over the course of the NINE AND A HALF WEEKS WE ALREADY SPENT HERE. Also, the rooms in which the various meetings were held were themed and there were costumes. You just have to experience it. There is no way to adequately explain in-field. Elders Arvanitas and Faucett should get excited.

9. I saw a mouse yesterday. It was outside, but I still feel devastatingly horrid about it.

10. The serious, no-information-from-the-outside-world, bubble that is the MTC. It's like a parallel universe in here. Ultimately, I know it's all for the best, but it's going to be super weird being in the real world again.

But believe you me, it wasn't all bad. I actually had a really hard time coming up with even ten things I didn't like about the MTC. So, now for the good things!

THE MTC: THE VERY BEST

1. The free bins! On every floor in the residence halls there are these magical bins that missionaries who are leaving put all the clothes and books and toiletries that don't fit in their suitcases. It's like a thrift store, only free.(Sydney does love her thrift stores)

2. Everyone is super nice here--they open doors, they say smile and say hello, one random Elder even bought me a Korean grammar card when I didn't have any money. It's pretty awesome.

3. The gardens here are seriously IMMACULATE. It's a botanist's paradise. Sister Bonitz would love it. :)

4. Yummy, yummy soups and salads. A ton of people complain about the food here, but I love it because, guess what, I DIDN'T HAVE TO MAKE IT. And that's my favorite.

5. And you know what else I don't have to do here? Pay for laundry. Not enough credit can be given to the fact that I don't have to pay for laundry.

6. There are so many languages and so many missionaries from all over the world here! I now have friends from Paris, Moscow, New Zealand, Australia, Germany...it's like an international smorgasbord of magic and wonder!

7. The ARTWORK. I don't know if no one talks about the artwork in the MTC because there's just so much of it and it kind of gets taken for granted or because no one cares, but the artwork here is my FAVORITE. There are all this cool photographs of missionaries from years gone by and so many amazing paintings of Christ and the apostles. And there's just so much of it. Even in all the time I've been here, I haven't seen it all and it's seriously going to be one of the things I miss the most about being in the MTC.

8. The teachers. I love and am SO GRATEFUL for my teachers.

9. So many new friends. I cannot believe how quickly time has gone and that I already have to bid farewell to all these wonderful people I have met here. They have changed and influenced me more than I think they will ever truly know. Sometimes, I wish we could all just go en masse to Korea and preach the gospel in an enormous group rather than two by two. But obviously, that wouldn't work and would probably turn out fairly disastrous, but i'm going to miss the people I've met here SO MUCH. I think there is a special bond that missionaries share. It's indescribable and I am thankful every day for the opportunity I have to experience such a bond.

10. Going to the temple every p-day. I cannot stress enough the blessings and unity that come from going to the temple! Especially with my district, I've noticed how much closer we've become as we have attended the temple together these past few weeks. I testify that going to the temple as often as we can will drastically change and bless are lives. Especially out east, it is so hard to get to the temple because it's so far away, but I know that the blessings of the temple are eternal. I love the temple and I encourage all of you to go as often as you can because the joy and peace one finds there cannot be replicated.

I love you all. If there were ever a time when I needed your prayers, now would be it.

KOREA IN THREE DAYS.

KAZAAH!

love,

Sister Arvanitas