General Conference

Sooooo, it's General Conference this weekend. Course we all know what that means. Thank Goodness Lima is on the same time zone as Central so it won't be at some crazy hour.

Course here is how I knew conference to function in the US. You can watch it at home on the internet or BYU TV. Perhaps go to a friends house. Growing up my parents "claimed" they couldn't get cable at home (never mind all of our neighbors had it and mom and dad got it after we all moved out of the house. I personally have a conspiracy theory about it). We would go to the Stake Center Sunday to watch the morning session and call it a day.

I thought at least though I should get out of the house to watch one session which was being broadcasted from the Stake Center. I didn't expect many people there because everyone can just stay at home and watch on the internet, just like we do in the US, right?

Good night the place was packed! And the Stake Center building was as big as the ones we have in the United States. So many people from my branch were there, including the Bishop and his family. What happened? Do they not have internet? I doubt this. Is it not in Spanish? I doubt this also because you can select which language you want to hear it in. Maybe Peruvians just like to get out and see each other? I don't know. I was shocked though.

I will tell you also my secret to how I get to be involved with so many Spanish activities. Nobody tells me about the existence of an English one. Like how did I end up going to a Spanish branch? Nobody told me there was an English branch. How did I end up listening to General Conference in Spanish? Nobody told me there was a session in English. Apparently in a little room off to the side, like the primary room, they had an english stream. I learn this halfway through the morning one, but didn't feel like relocating at that point.

I can tell you this, my head started hurting so much after the first hour from having to concentrate so much. 15 minutes into the second hour my brain shut down and it was not going to think any further. It hurt. I think part of it was they were talking so fast. I knew a nap was in store for me when I got home.

I had brought some sheet music hoping to practice, only to find out the Stake Center has only ONE piano in the entire building! (And yes, it's the Sacrament room) The gentleman who was telling me this I was like, "What? You mean there's no other rooms in the building with a piano?" I can't tell you how annoyed I was. That dashed my hopes of practicing in between sessions.

I was planning to stay home and watch the second session in English. After the first session of conference I sat outside the stake center for a half hour to people watch and enjoy the sunshine while I watched other members visit and leave.

Friends, it was at this moment I reached a little bit of a low point. I am just so tired sometimes of blatantly sticking out. And you need to remember, people figure that I don't know any Spanish once they see my white skin. I want you to imagine the following picture.

We are at Stake conference. There is a room with about 200 or more people in it. There is only one hispanic person in the entire room, the rest are white. And every time somebody approaches that hispanic person, people speak Spanish to them. I think of my ward at home. It's not like we would see a Chinese family and somebody would walk up to them speaking Chinese. Or a black family and speak to them in French.

Another Peruvian told me it's simply Peruvians being nice and trying to make you comfortable. I guess. I just hate it when people do it because it's like they automatically think I don't know any Spanish. Why would I be at General Conference in Spanish if I didn't know any? (Let's not tell them it's because I didn't know I had other options). The only time Peruvians do speak to me in Spanish is when, well, when they don't know English.

I actually had the idea today I should tell them I don't know English and say I'm from Hungary. But then I realized I shouldn't be being that difficult. Mari told me later it's just Peruvians being nice. Whatever. Because beyond me and the other caucasian guy in my branch, we were the only white people present. I don't know where all those English speaking members who live in Lima go, but they are not on my side of town.

Everyone have a good week.