How To Be an New Englander

Hey family,

I'm sure you all are wondering what has happened to me in transfers... Well I don't know yet, because I won't find out until tomorrow.  This is how it works, Saturday night you get a call telling you if you are leaving the area and if you will be a junior or senior companion, then Sunday the zone leaders call and tell you how to get there, whether it be a member driving you or you driving yourself.  Then Tuesday you go to transfer meeting and find out who your new companion is and where you will be going. Fun right?  No it was the slowest, most nerve racking 12 hours and the last 31 mins until they called was the worst.  They call after 9:00 and we had to wait and wait and wait! Oh man, it was hard.  But when we finally got the call it all worked out well.  All I know is that I will be a junior companion and opening a new area!  AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!  I'm so glad.  I am so grateful to be able to learn more about how to be a missionary. Not just a visitor center sister.  I love it here, but i know that I am ready for this change.

My companion is going to be in a trio, she will be a junior companion and will be "helping with something".  She is freaking out, cuz they didn't give her a direct answer, and we had to pry out of them that she was even going to be in a trio.  The assistant tried to get her to accept a call without even know what it was, it was weird.  So now she is going crazy and freaking out.  Which is understandable. 

Today we cleaned out car, and my comp has never really waxed a car well, so I waxed the entire thing, and boy does it shine!  I just want it to sit and nobody touch it.  I just hope it doesn't rain... 

So now, how to talk like a new Englander.  There are many things that let you know if a person is from the northeastern area fist they say 'wicked."  Not just like the kid in the Incredible's where but like The wicked fair, or the wicked time.  I guess they use it like awesome or something. 

Another thing is "all set".  Initially that doesn't seem weird, but it is.  All set is an odd saying.  And everybody here says it, " You all set?"  Is a common phrase around here. 

Sideboard.  No that is not a board on the side of your cabinet or anything, but it is a counter.  Yep, they place where you put your food glasses, pot pans, etc.  That is a sideboard.  In context, "Put this on the sideboard there."

Dooryard.  Nobody uses their front door here.  I've gone all they way into people's backyards to know on their door, because they have all sorts of things covering their front door.  Front doors are basically for decoration.  They really aren't there to be used.  At least that's how it is here in new england.  And I guess it makes sense cause they don't have garages and they just use the nearest door.  So if you go to any other door it is really odd.

Farsee.  I know I found this one before hand, but this really is used out here.  A farsee is however far you can see and is a form of distance.  It is never the same and never exact.  But hey, when you are driving and all you see are hills, I just it works... kindof. Not really.

Directions are impossible.  We always joke about it as missionaries, but it is true.  We get directions like, go over this hill and when you get to the top and it starts to go down then right before it levels out and goes up there is a house.  It is blue and has a deck.  that is an example of good directions.  No joke.  And you'd think you could tell when a hill has leveled out.  Nope not one bit all you know is that you are going up again and not sure where it ever leveled out and went down. 

So that is the scoop on how to talk like a new Englander.  I hope you're all set now with a wicked new vocabulary to put on your sideboard near the dooryard.  Which should be a farsee away, over the bridge and down the road.  :)

Love you all and i hope to hear more from you soon!

Love always and forever,

Sister Lundahl