Internet problems

I apologize for not posting last night, but I had no Internet. I have a wireless [cell phone] modem on a prepaid basis, and the first 30 days that came with the modem expired on Friday. I was over to their office on Wednesday, so I went ahead and paid for another 15 days, and they promised to activate it on Friday, but they didn't, so I didn't have internet last night.

Actually, I don't know why they couldn't just add the 15 days onto the two days remaining, but apparently that is not how it works. Anyhow, I went back over there today and they got me up and running again.

The only event worth noting over the last two days is that I volunteered at church to give a presentation on the Book of Mormon, and they asked me to do it tonight. I prepared extensively, and made liberal use of Google Translator, which is very impressive. After writing it in English and running it through Google Translator, Samuel and I went through it and cleaned up several things that GT didn't do very well, but still, it reduced the labor involved [Samuel's as translator, not mine] by at least 95%.

The talk was on names in the Book of Mormon that recent research [1950s to the present] has demonstrated to be authentic mid-eastern names from the 600 BC time frame. I have given such presentations in the past, and attended others, but the books and other articles describing this research have mostly not been translated into Spanish, so it was all new to the people there tonight, and they really seemed to enjoy it. I would guess that there were 25-30 people present, which is better than I really expected.

Regardless of other aspects, it also helped me to work on my Spanish. I am still far from fluent, but I am approaching competent. I was able to conduct the discussion regarding my internet access in Spanish, and I am able to visit with taxi drivers and other such individuals and understand most of what they say, although with gaps. However, the gaps are almost never with regard to things that matter, destinations and such. Usually they have to do with conversation questions that they ask me as a visiting citizen of the US, and often it has to do with "have you eaten cuye yet?" Cuye is guinea pig, and is a local delicacy. I have not yet tried it, but I probably will before we return. I tell them that I have eaten rabbit, and they tell me that it is much better than rabbit.

Anyhow, I haven't taken any pictures for the last couple of days, so I will try to do better. The boys leave on Monday evening, so we are trying to do as much together as we can.