Jake's 4/30/2012

Wow so it’s been getting really really cold here. It’s crazy how fast it came on. It’s literally like someone turned a switch. And here in South America it’s a lot different because there is no such thing as a heater for your house. Well there is but it’s just a light bulb that can get hot. But a lot of people use the fireplace for their warmth. But as missionaries we are not allowed to use it. So it’s been really really cold. You know its cold when you can see your breath in your house in the middle of the day. Weird stuff. But I’m glad it’s here. I have been in summer too long. And it feels great. And the other day it was raining really bad and the street was a river. It reminded me of the 50 miler. And I don’t know why. And for about 4 weeks now I haven’t been able to eat a lot. At home I could down 3 or 4 plates of food but now it’s really hard to finish just 2. Its weird but I don’t know why. And I bought a sweater. It took forever. I think 2 hours because the clothes here are made a lot different. And I also had to buy a new belt too. And it’s really cool. Its leather with a stitch work design in it. And yesterday I thought I would have to kill a dog. It was not on a chain and it was barking up a storm and it was charging us bearing all of its teeth. So I thought if it went for me I would take it down with my knife skills. But there is a technique here that people use. If you have your bag in front of you they usually don’t attack or if they do they go for your bag. So then you can do whatever is necessary to get it away. But the dog thing here is pretty bad. And can get scary. For example when there are about 5 dogs that want to kill you. Intense. But we just yell 'fueda che'. And make a loud kissing noise. I don’t know why but it works. It’s a lot different here. Oh or you can throw rocks at them. That works too. And I don’t like to pet any dog here. Whether it is wild or tame. Because they are all nasty with something. Its takes awhile for me to determine if it’s safe to pet or not. And you have to watch your hands. Because if they are at your side the dogs like to bite them. But I haven’t had any really bad experiences just close calls. But I do have a favor to ask of you. Could you send me some pepper spray for the dogs? Because I really don’t want to have to deal with killing a dog or a mauling. So I think it would be safe to have some on me. There is none here. Oh and also in my desk in my room. In the drawer that is above the chair, my phone is in there. Could you take the memory card out and send it to me in a letter. It’s really small so I think it would work in a letter. But it has pictures of my ex's. And for some reason everybody here wants to know about them and see them. So those two favors would help me a lot. I love you all. And remember to drive fast and take chances. Oh and if you’re not cheating you’re not trying.

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Con Amor  Elder Salmond- capo, guapo, snaker