1. Travel. 2. Simplify.

First of all, happy birthday to Miss Kenzie Isbell tomorrow! If someone could be so kind so as to pass that along, I would be more than grateful.

Keep the questions coming. I'm s'darn excited to answer zem all!

Also, Camille Robb. Are you there?? AKA, why haven't you emailed me yet? I feel like I forgot to stow away your email, and I'd like to know how London is.

Here's something incredible.

Camille is in London. My BFF Shannon Mason is in Italy. Meg just got back from Australia. Me, Shelby, Maddy, and McCall are in China. Kelsee Broadhead is going to China in February. Jessi Crosland went to Europe this summer. Mandy's sister is teaching in Mexico right now. It's whatever, right?? I'm just thinking, everyone that's on a mission right now aren't the only ones going all over the world gaining cultural insights and making new friends. The way I see it, the gathering of Israel is happening in more ways than we can even fathom. I have friends all over the world right now. South America, Canada, East Coast, West Coast, Midwest, Western Europe, Eastern Europe, Russia, China, India, Thailand, Philippines, Australia, Africa, and the list goes on and on!

The courage and drive to become well-versed in other cultures that our generation has is only gaining momentum. So for those of you reading this, I urge you to go see the world! Of course there's a time and place for everything as well as moderation in all things, but every cent you spend will have been worth it. Go find a good job, work hard, and do your best in school so you can get out of Utah and experience the beauty of different interaction and values. Find and appreciate history, learn a little bit of every language you encounter. Serve the people. Give and receive. Learn to love each person as they are--though you may never speak to them, understand them, or ever see them again.

There's a lady at the market here that we've gone to to buy deep-fried lotus root (it's AMAZING), and although the extent of my Chinese can help us greet, buy, and thank, I have a legitimate love for her in my heart. Her smile and patience has made a lot of the difference in my attitude here in Pooptown. The first time we bought from her, I thought I gave her 5 RMB to pay for the lotus root but I accidentally gave her 50. I walked away to find some green peppers and I hear her yelling and clapping at me to get my attention so she could give me the change. Although I would have lost about $8.00 total, it changed my entire outlook on the people here.

There is good everywhere. Of course, there is also bad, but for each encounter with unhelpful or rude people  comes a person who is good at their very core; it makes every frustrating moment worth it.

Let me make something clear. I certainly complain a lot about Pooptown, annoying administrators, hard beds, and miserable showers, but I am happy. I am so happy here. Josh Johnson was chatting Shelby earlier today and said that if we think culture shock is bad now, just wait till we come home. I love you all dearly, but I don't want to come home. It's going to be hard to leave these humble people, the amazing prices, the active lifestyle, and how you simply have to make things work (EVEN IF THE STUPID MOP DOESN'T DO THE ONLY JOB IT WAS CREATED FOR). I really don't want to leave the food. Everything is so fresh! AND CHEAP!

It's borderline hilarious the way they build everything that should be smaller bigger, and how everything that should be much bigger is much too small. I love not having a car. I wish I was here forever so I could spend a couple hundred dollars on a moped and just ride that around everywhere! Walking has been so good for me, though! I love how simple their lives are. They're not frittered away by unnecessary details, too many appointments, or obsessions with social media (though you can best believe I have a QQ now). For evening activities, they go to the park and play badminton. They walk around. They play chess. They DANCE. It's going to be hard to go back to America where life revolves around technology and speed. Everything we do in America is to improve efficiency or speed so we can have more time to laze around.

Here, everything is so simple. They don't need to buy the latest diet fads because they relish in the fact that they can go out and exercise for fun. Exercising isn't a chore to be done, it's something they love! The playground equipment here are actually toy-looking versions of exercise equipment we have at home. The food isn't plasticized or has a shelf life of ten years. It's real. Why do you need a car to drive around the block? They ride their bikes, take a bus, or walk. In America, we fill our schedules up with a million things because we've found ways to combat the so-called time-wasters like walking, cooking a real meal, or even just sitting in a park enjoying company. We're entirely misguided.

Don't get me wrong, I am incredibly grateful for the technology and wonderful things we have at home. I just think that we've become blinded by the way we prioritize things--I'm probably the worst offender. Life isn't a race. It's a journey. Take the extra time you have, and instead of filling it up with meaningless and true time-wasters, strengthen your relationships with your family and friends. Study your scriptures and become closer to God. Appreciate the earth we have. Set goals. Take a walk. Learn something new. Be actively engaged in a good cause.

Once I've begun to do this, my joy has become much simpler and more pure in a way I can't verbalize or showcase. So find out for yourself.

Have you done any good in the world today?