Errands and Mormons

            Work = work. Aka, uneventful. Minus the fact I was exhausted, and easily felt like crawling under my desk to sleep all day. Whooops. Really, there was nothing else to it.

            After work, I headed out to the little hole in the wall place I always stop by for my zapiekanki now. Which was actually awesome, because… oh goodness, this has never happened to me before, and I felt super special, but I showed up, and I was saying, “Po proszę o…” (May I please have…) cause I was considering buying a bigger one, and the lady, which this was my third visit while I was there, finished, “Mała zapiekanka?” (A little zapiekanka?) and smiled. So awesome! Never have I been a regular like that, so her just knowing was cool. I’m definitely going to have to learn how to make them. It’s super easy too, I’m sure, I just need the right spice! (Which is likely oregano, so hoorah!)

            From there, I headed on to the post office. The line. Was long. Today I made sure to order priority mailing, though, as I know no priority mailing might be an issue… I really hope that the postcards I sent last time will take less than 2 months to get to America… … I’m not kidding about that either.

            So after waiting for a while, I went and treated myself to some wonderful szarlotka and hot chocolate from that cukiernia that I visited within the first week or two while in Wrocław. I’m going to have to say that the price of hot chocolate is ridiculous. 10 złoty for a cup. I mean, a small cup too. We complain in the states about Starbucks ridiculous prices; meanwhile, a nice cup of hot coca which is far smaller than a Starbucks “tall” costs 10 złoty here. … The hell?! And I’m talking about złoty to złoty, to US to złoty (US to złoty, that’s still more expensive, though). Ah well… It was delicious, at least.

            Then I ended up going back across Rynek to the big store in the square to buy some chocolates and water. It was the first time I actually used my debit card in order to pay for something instead of relying on pulling money out of the bankomats. Never again. I was sent to another register because my card just didn’t seem to work at the register I was at. So flustering. And embarrassing, actually. So from now on, I will ensure that before I buy anything, I stop by a bankomat. Not worth that potential problem.
           At that point, I was worried on time. Because, guess what day it was! Mormon Monday! Haha, love it. But really, I rushed to get there on time, and as usual, I was there early. The reason I actually bought chocolates was to give a present to the Mormon missionaries to say thanks. I’m glad to say they appreciated it. :D I know that obviously what they were doing is what they are supposed to do, but because the coincidence was so extraordinary, and because I truly enjoyed and appreciated the times I met with them, I felt it’d be appropriate to give them something. And who doesn’t like chocolate? … Or perhaps I’m just too nice for my own well-being? Ah well!
            The meeting tonight was just a game. No structured lesson. We ended up playing Clue, so we had to explain it to Ola and Adam. … Ola got really into it. Like, she took notes on every single transaction and everything. It ended up coming down to the two of us, and it was a matter of who got to the room to guess first, since she announced what was right and it went around the group and no one showed any cards. She got there first, dangit! But really. Never in my life have I ever played such an intense game of Clue. Ever. Like, we all got really into it. It was a lot of fun. Adam was constantly lost, though, which was funny.
            The entire circumstance was hilarious. The Elders saw Clue in the game closet and all shouted out in excitement that we should play Clue, yet no one remembered, except for me. Although, it was fortunate I remembered how to play it so that I could explain. So I did the majority of the explanation in Polish and English, haha. As this was an upgraded set, I didn’t know all of the additions, so we just did the good old version, but still… The most hysterical part was when I wasn’t certain of some things at first, I said, ok, let’s just look at the rules! So we pulled the rules out, and… lo and behold, el disposición fue en espanol! … I totally messed that up, but the point was. Not English. They asked if I meant Polish, and I started reading the thing in Spanish to say, no. I could’ve figured them out, as I actually understood a good bit, but it would’ve taken some time translating it for me. From Spanish, which I’m a mere beginner in, to English, to Polish. Oi vei. Huzzah for languages! Poor Elder Hooker had to ask President to look up the rules online and print them out, since technically, not allowed to use the internet. Eek. We figured everything out, though, and it was a-ok. But really. Spanish? The set was English. And in Poland. I don’t get it. Oh oh oh, just so you know: I murdered the owner in the kitchen with the dumbbell. Aka, Mrs. Peacock. It was really funny, cause at the beginning of the game, I just started guessing myself randomly because with my luck, I’ve always ended up being the murderer. I was right! Haha.
            Afterwards, Ola left, and I stuck around to talk with the Elders some more about the gospel. President joined in this time as well, and then Adam stuck around, but he didn’t have much input as we spoke in English the entire time. But when Adam joined, all of the Elders were super nervous and asking me if I was comfortable with so many people in the room talking to me about this. It was me vs. five Mormons. So I can’t blame them for being worried. But me? Ahhh! Super laid back. The more the merrier! Whatever, really no worries!
            Today they decided to talk about… I don’t know the name in English to be honest, but the entire spiritual life path. From pre-mortal life to post-mortal life and what not. It was really funny, cause when they pulled out the chart they had, I said, “I have a feeling I know what this is about…” And so they asked me to tell them however much I knew, right? So, I felt really worried while telling them, because if I was wrong, I’d sound incredibly stupid. I answered, “Well… ya know, I talked with my roomie a lot last year, and this was one of the things that came up… And it’s that in the afterlife… you guys move on and then… well, essentially make another world and be God yourself…”
            Their reactions? … Priceless. They all sort of stared at me for a minute in shock, and Elder Hooker just sort of nodded and laughed in that sort of “What the hell?” way and said, “Well… yeah… yeah that’s right… Umm…”
            Meanwhile, Elder Ball added in, “That’s some deep doctrine.”
            You have no clue how happy that moment made me. That absolute shock literally settled in the room. President’s reaction? “Wow… the second lesson and you already know that.” Well, that’s what I get for having a super awesome Mormon roommate who answered any of my questions. No, really, the entire situation was full of win.
            After that, though, of course, we went more in depth about the entire path, and they explained it more fully and thoroughly for me, and went through the five points for Salvation and some other things. Certainly interesting to hear out, per usual. As always, testimonies were given, and still that powerful belief, so awe-inspiring. I’ll be honest, though, Elder Roberts makes me the most uncomfortable of them when it comes to testimonies. President and Adam did a good job, very relaxed and more personal and not as pushy (not that Elder Roberts was pushy like I’ve experienced before, but most of all of them). And Elder Hooker just has awesome analogies and methods of teaching, really. I’m pretty sure that Sam and her friend would greatly appreciate a lot of the analogies. (I hope I can remember a lot of them.)
            President of course said that they can’t really force anyone to do anything, but that they’re trying their best to share the truth they know. I dunno why, but that’s just a reassuring statement. It’s more empowering rather than pushy, because it’s basically saying they’re trying to share their most loved and important part in their lives for what they hope will help others. Without saying you’re going to hell if you don’t. At the end, though, we sort of had to rush as the Elders had to go pick someone up from the train station. President asked me a few cultural questions about the South, because a Southern American in Poland invited him to dinner once, which made him uncomfortable because it wasn’t about the Gospel. The American straight up told him that they weren’t going to talk about the Gospel, so President asked me if it was true that most Southerners don’t like talking about religion. (I love these comparison moments, btw.)
            Therefore, I told him that as a general rule (not a straight-up fact), that’s true. It’s difficult to talk about religion in the South if it’s a different viewpoint without feeling like you’ll be crucified in their eyes. This varies with every individual, obviously, but as a general rule. It’s just that there are so many different choices, so many different denominations, and if it’s not Christian, or what might be viewed as an inappropriate contortion of Christianity, then you’re a goner. That’s why I said nothing about my beliefs for so long through high school. Another example I used was drinking and Baptists, believing you’ll go straight to hell for drinking any alcohol. Such as how my parents have a wine rack in our house, while our county was actually a dry county for a very long time, and some people might judge an individual (at least a young one) based on the fact that they drink. Just for some general comparisons. (Sorry, I really don’t want to offend anyone with this, so I’m trying to get that point across that it’s a general rule, and not a fact across the board. This applies to the next section as well!)
            That’s when he said now he understands why the man didn’t really like him too much anymore. DX Poor guy. He also asked me how Southerners take it if someone doesn’t necessarily feel welcome or comfortable at their house, and if they get offended easily by that, but he sort of pondered how that might be more of an international thing. I agreed, that’s definitely international. It’s sad whenever your guests don’t feel comfortable, so you might get offended. Although, since the South is well known for its hospitality, I definitely argued that I could see that being a bit of a bigger issue as well, because a lot of Southerners try their hardest to be welcoming as well. It’s just a part of the culture, hospitality, so it might be a bit more of a blow if someone isn’t comfortable with being in their house.
            Eventually the Elders had to leave, so we said our good-byes and thank yous. They said that if I didn’t mind, they’d let the Elders in Krakow know that I was going to be there, so that if I wanted to/had the time, I could also meet with them. We’ll see how that goes, cause something tells me I’m going to be a heck of a lot more busy, but still… very considerate and kind of them, and I was all right with them doing that. As I am trying to expand my religious understanding, this is all a very good experience for me either way. I stayed to talk very briefly to President as well, telling him and Adam both that I was leaving, so we also said our good byes. Of course, President welcomed me to stop by tomorrow one more time if I have the time. So that’s that. That was my day; now I’m at home, and sadly realized I left my jump drive at work… Different jump drive for this blog entry then, I guess! Haha.  
            Note: Above was written yesterday.