Maryandra is doing so well, despite us not being able to do her blog last week!  We were experiencing computer difficulties!  In the meantime, Maryandra got a hair cut!  She wrote all about it in her e-mail this week, even though it happened last week!  Here are some quotes from her experience at the hair salon!

Monday:

We went to a place called Morris hair salon, where a

man met us at the counter, and we told him what we wanted.

After a few minutes, a different man came up and asked who wanted to go first. I stood up, and he sat me down in one chair, facing a mirror, and he asked me how much I wanted cut off. I indicated just past my shoulder, and he said okay, and led me to this corner to another, different kind of chair, located in front of a sink, and had me sit down. He put this soft blanket on me, and then something else that was like a cloth of some kind, around my shoulders. Then, a rubber bib-like thing came next, to catch the water I suppose. Then, after gathering all my hair behind me, and lowering me down in the chair all the way so that I was basically lying on a bed, or so it seemed, with my head over the sink, he put this cotton cover thing over my eyes, mouth and nose. It felt soft, like a lotion tissue. I'm guessing it was to keep water from splashing in my eyes, though it could have also been to make it less awkward for me, so I wouldn't feel like I'm at the dentist or something, and having some one stare at my face and always be making eye contact at weird moments. So, I just laid there as my hair was thoroughly rinsed, shampooed, scrubbed clean, and conditioned, with a little bit of a head massage thrown into the bunch. If I had been a cat, I would have purred. Except cats done like water. Never mind. Anyway, after that was done, I was raised back up, the tissue cover was removed, as well as all the other many coverings and the soft blanket, and I was led to yet another chair, that was cushiony and round. This was to be the final chair, the chair where my hair was lost

Gradually, I just watched the hair fall away, and it... It didn't really feel real. When it was finally all cut and stuff, the barber dude blow dried my hair, styled the ends a bit to make it look more natural, and then said I was done. It was weird. I wasn't sad, but kind of yes I was as I went to habitually take my hair and throw it behind my shoulder....only to not touch anything but air, and then to try and put it behind my ear and feeling the ends tickling my neck. It was a really weird feeling, and there, that's my story of the barbershop.

Her companion at the time, Sister Horrocks, also got her hair cut!  Here are the four of them before transfers, modeling their "new dresses" which were just their skirts pulled up way high!  Now Maryandra has a new companion, and the Sister in the red sweater transferred out, sadly.  But things are going well so far with the new companion, Sister Smith. Hopefully we will have photos of the new companion next week!

Thursday:
The day has been taken up
with unpacking, talking, dinner, going to Daiso to pick up some art supplies, and then coming back and doing weekly planning. But we have a fun day planned for tomorrow. I think I'm finally starting to feel comfortable with being a missionary. It's a nice feeling. And it's kind of sad, because you know what? As of today I'm TRANSFER NINE!!!!! Yaaaaaaaaaaaawwwwwwww!!!!!! It's so scary, because I only have twenty four weeks left in the mission, as of today. And after this transfer, I only have three more left. Yikes! It's so scary to think that I'm actually, for real, an old missionary. My time is ticking. 168 days left, or so. It's so weird! Eeeeeeeek!!!!!!!! Well, I'm determined to work extra hard to the end, and to keep going strong through to the end! I can do this! Yeah! Whoo! Well, I need to go now and get ready for bed. I'll see you later! Love you all! Goodnight!....
Sunday:

We enjoyed church pretty

well.  And then, we had to sit through ward council, which lasted from 1:30 until about..... Well, I think a little after three. But it was good to learn about what the ward wants, and how we can all help each other, so we will gladly use that advice. We have some good goals for baptisms and reactivations of ward members for this coming year that we will try our very best to achieve! Yeah! I love this ward, they're so dendo Fire! It's great! I really hope I get to finish out the rest of my mission here. Wouldn't that be great? Sweeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeet!