Let me start by saying that I will send pictures - hopefully next week. I've just been a little cautious about taking my camera out in all this rain. Speaking of the rain... well, obviously the cyclone hasn't hit us yet. It has been raining pretty hard off and on. The thing about cyclones is that you can't really dodge them. So I assume at some point this bad boy's going to hit us. It's just that I am not able to watch the weather channel, so I learn information by watching the sky. (I see now why the weather channel is a profitable enterprise.) Also, I saw on my blog that you've been telling everyone that I can't speak English anymore - ha ha. I check it every once in a while because I like to read the comments. If only my loss of English had been equally replaced by Malagasy! Actually, it is weird how English has not disappeared, but it has become a little weird to speak. For example, we have English class. I was speaking with the really mahay (skilled) English speakers. I mean they're fluent. They asked me how English became the national language of America. Well, that meant we had to start with trade routes to Africa around the year 1300 and work our way forward. But it was really peculiar. I felt really tired afterwards. I can't really explain it. At first I thought my jaw was tired from talking so much, but then I just realized it was weird to explain something in English. I can only explain it as the feeling one has after talking so much that one's jaw becomes tired. Maybe I'm the only one who ever struggles with this, except that maybe it was just my brain - ha ha. Also I keep dreaming in English and when I wake up I think in Malagasy. It seems like the only thing I can't do is speak Malagasy well, but we're working on that.

(note from mom: the rest of the letter addressed specific questions that I asked Alex about supplies or amenities that he needs. Apparently, his clothes are starting to look Mada worn. He asked for insoles for his shoes and more dress socks. He also mentioned that he fell into a hole and put a hole in his pants. He told me not to worry about it because he can stitch them. His answers made me laugh because they are a far cry from the requests for Milky Way bars and cookie mix that I received in August.)

Love to all,
Elder Ahlstrom