James is back!

An Interview with James:

What is your favorite thing about being back in the States? nothing. Mexican food. Being able to get on the internet and check email any time.

What are you most afraid of or nervous about now that you're home from your mission? Girls/dating, being by himself again, marriage, choosing the wrong thing to study.

What was your favorite thing about Uruguay? He misses speaking Spanish all day

He has a terrible cough that he came home with.

The name of one person he'll never forget from his mission: La Familia Pedroso and Violetta.

Why: La Familia Pedroso has adopted him. They're the best ever. James is not actually from the States, but Uruguay. Violetta walks to church every week with a cane at age 87 and is always there an hour early -- even before the bishop.

What are you sad to have missed while you were gone? Josh's wedding, the birth of new nieces and nephews, family reunions in Michigan and at Christmas.

What movie or book are you most excited to see or read? Haven't thought about it. To watch, maybe Up or Horton Hears a Who and to read it's between Harry Potter 7 and the Eragon series.

What advice have you gotten from people since you've been home? Take all the things you learn on your mission and apply them to your life after your mission. Don't worry too much about what you're going to major in. Jonathan said he'll be married by next summer.

Say something funny: "Something funny." "What happens when a cow eats glass? It gives sour milk. ... It only works in Spanish."

Who was the best correspondant? (needed the question translated--"someone who wrote to you") Mom and Dad. After them...not any of his siblings. Cynthia Phelps (from West Point).

Did you kiss anything on your mission? Yes, a dog, some men -- both cheek greeting kisses to other missionaries.

Did you ride any animals? No.

Did you lose anything on your mission? A backpack was stolen with his scriptures and special scripture case and some other teaching materials in it.

Did you give anything away? Food, a suit, some ties, a Mexican cow given him by Laura, Libros de Mormon, church pamphlets, hymnbooks, triple combinations, bibles, true to the faith booklets, articles of faith cards, For the Strength of Youth pamphlets, DVD (The Restoration, Testaments), Mo-tab CD's, a biligual children's book that had been given him by another Elder.

"It's so wierd to see Josh with a woman! He just put lotion on her foot and now he's massaging it. It's not weirding me out, it's just wierd."

Culturally, were you supposed to give people things to remember you by (like they do in the Philippines)? Some people did it, but it's not a strong cultural thing.

Fill in the blank: Whatever you do, don't _drink the mateh________

It's hard to ___eat raw meat_____

I forgot how much ___uhh..I love my family?___

I wish _i could go back to uruguay_

Did you have to eat raw meat on your mission? No, it just popped into my head.

Wierdest thing to eat in uruguay: Mondongo -- cow stomach. most Uruguayo's don't even like it.

What is one idiom that you'll miss? "You que se" -- "what do I know?" & "Bajal la canya" -- "drop the cane; to dicipline someone."

What is a funny language mistake that you made? Cancha and concha-- cancha means a playing field, concha is like dropping the b-word in English. He was talking to some kids and was trying to say that he wanted to play with them on the field... :)

What gifts did you recieve on your mission? An elephant figurine, a lot of keychains. Keyrack, a wooden duck "that's always on the defense" (a few minutes later it was established that he meant "always on the attack"), some music. A sports hat for one of the soccer teams. "One of the poetry hats" -- a beret. The police wore berets. A gaucho hat that he left behind.

What injuries did you recieve? Ran into a window that was opened into an alleyway. It bloodied his head pretty well. His companion was his medic.

They were at a lesson and was going to show this group of kids how cool he was by holding one leg and jumping over it with the other. He landed on his knee and thought he broke his kneecap it still hurts a month or so later.

How are you physically different? The same. Less muscle. More mature. A little bit less hair.

When are you headed back to school? August 16th.

What are you doing until then? Working for someone in the ward. Odd jobs around the house while he tells me his life story.