I got some questions

Well, I got some questions... so let me answer those first. They were admittedly from two weeks ago. But I dont normally get around to reading everything until the next week. Sorry... but they questions...

What is the food like?
They food is amazing! I love it. They eat a lot of bread and often meats. They also basically never drink water. It´s always soda... which I try to avoid. I really dont like soda and it´s not good for you. But the food is really good. Actually a lot like American.

And the bugs?
The bugs are normal. Nothing different that Ive seen... Oh, except this hug fly/bee thing. I sounded like a helicopter. It was maybe the size of a peanut shell. I was suprised it was in the air. It reminded me of A Bug´s Life... how the fat catipiler got wings at the end... something like that.

The clothing?
The clothes are exactly the same. Most women are wearing basically nothing because of the heat and the men are kind of the same. Oh, but EVERYONE wears converse. Ive never seen so many in my life. I almost felt like I was in Heaven when I showed up.

The grocery stores?
Ah, grocery stores... there are some that are Americanish. But most of the time there are smaller stores on the streets that are specific food groups... like bread stores. Or Fruit and Vegetable stores. Or meat stores. But we have an American one that we go to the most. Alst, people often have a mini store built into their house. They are randomly placed throughout the streets.. and normally sell soda and other common things people buy.

How are your shoes holding up? Do they still sqwoosh with air?
My shoes are doing pretty good. The souls are thinner then most other missionaries, so I can control myself better... but it also means I need to control myself so I dont wear out my shoes. I shine them whenever I get 5 minutes... so they are looking good. And thanks Ryan, I tried the black shoe polish on my brown shoes and they actually look really good. Thanks.

Are the houses there structured in the same way as ours?
The houses are all stone. None have carpet and are normally unfinished in our area. They all have bars on the windows and these cool curtain things on the outside... made of wood for protection I think. Most people have cement floors, but sometimes they have tile. Some of the richer people have normal looking houses, but only with tile instead of carpet.

Everything seems to be bigger in America than in Europe, is it the same way in Argentina?
Things are rather small here for the most part. Ive hit my head a few times because Im tall and need to look down so I dont hit anyone. Sometimes Im a giant with people... other times Im the same as them. It depend on the crowd.

What do people do with their days there?
I have no clue what people do with their days. A lot of people work here or there... but for the most part I think they just chill at home. People have large families here and everyone watches TV normally.

What do the kids do for fun?
The kids play in the street. Often soccer or a type of tennis without a net. But they have school right now...it´s almost finals for them... so Im not sure what they´ll do in their time off.

Is everyone fairly amazing at soccer? Or is that just a stereotype?
A lot of people are really good at soccer... but if you call it soccer here people will not know what you are talking about. Here it is either Fútball or Pelota. Pelota means ball. And everyone knows a lot about it even if they cant play well. The kids certainly are good.

What kinds of pets do they generally have?
Everyone has dogs. Most of the time they just live on the streets though. A few people have cats. And even fewer amounts of people have birds. They put the birds in individual cages and bring them outside when they are sitting in their yard. It´s definately different. Oh, some people have chickens too. And Ive seen ONE pig.

What are their birds like? And hahaha do they fly north when it gets cold?
The birds dont really go anywhere. I think they just stay here... It doesnt get that cold in the winter. And the birds look normal to me. Not much to them.

How's your head, wheezing laugh, companion, eating habits, sunburned self?
My head still kind of hurts from the spanish... but overall good.
My laugh? I dont know. I dont really do it much anymore. Sorry. I guess people just arnt that funny when you have to translate their words.
My companion is a beast. He works like there is no tomorrow. He´s great. I love him. We get along really well.
My eating habits are not set. We have random times we eat... if we do. People really only have one set meal... which is lunch. So we normally have lunch. But not always. It´s always random.
My sunburn is no more. It went away really fast. I didnt even peal that much. Just a little on my nose. My companion who is native is currently peeling like an onion... its kind of nasty. But Im great. No one problem. My neck just kind of itched for about 2 days. I guess I over exaggerated.

Send me more questions please... I like them.

Okay, Ive got some things I keep on forgetting to say... so here they are...
There is an Elder in my mission who is huge... so naturally I wanted to talk to him. I asked him where he had lived and he was like, "Oregon... and a little in WA. A small town called Sammamish". I just about freaked! It turns out he worked for the McOmbers some time ago. His name is Elder J. Coombs. So that was pretty cool.

Also, one of our zone leaders is from New Hampshire. But I think I already told everyone that.

So, I know how to do mail now. I should be sending some today. And I now know how to get them home faster. And I need to ask for your pardons... I kind of need American Stamps. The funny thing is I send a whole bunch home. But if I have American Stamps I can mail letters home though pouch. So, if you want me to write you... send me some. Otherwise I wont write much. To send a letter from here home it is like $3.50 US dollars. Also, if anyone ever sends me a package... please send me some good music. We actually listen to music a lot... and I´d like some new stuff. Anything that is soft is okay here. Enya, EFY... thank kind of thing. Thanks if you can.

Well, this week not much happened. We had to push another baptism back because the person did not feel ready. Also, we had cambios again. So I was with another Elder for a day. He is from Chile and speaks very little english. So that was actually really cool. I learned a lot. Um... yeah. Oh, it rained like crazy on Tuesday. I wore my long trench coat for the first time. That was awesome! I felt like I was back home.

Well, I dont got much left to say and I really need to get off. I dont have anytime left. So Ill say good bye for now. I really hope all is well with everyone. Ill try to send some pictures home soon. I might be able to e-mail them. I dont take much because not only am I busy, but I dont want to carry around my camera. We are not suppose to look like tourists taking pictures. But Ive got some good ones Ill try to send home soon.

Also, know that Im great! Safe and healthy and ready for more. Thanks for all your e-mails. They keep me going. Ill reply as soon as I can.

All my love,
Elder Tommy Steinkuhler

PS I do the ... because I can never find the right key, so sorry. I guess Im just lazy.