This is the Life

Bringin in the New Year with class

2012-01-09T18:00:00.000-08:00

Well, I can't say I've always had the best New Year's Eves. The topper was the millennium New Year's ('99-2000) when my cousin paid me $75 big ones to watch his two girls instead of going to the bash of the century with my entire 9th grade world. The night ended with one girl having pink eye, the other having a fever, and me running around the front yard at midnight banging a pot and a lid by myself while the wee ones stood on the porch looking at me groggily and confused with a pot in each hand. Not my finest hour.

This year, however, turned that frown right upside down. There were no fancy parties, dress-up clothes, or Martinelli's.

But there was a fort.

And there were hobbits.

Not only did Robbie and I build our own shelter in my family room, we stocked it with pillows and blankets galore, a never-ending supply of orange juice, and snuggled up for a full-blown Lord of the Rings Marathon!! Can you imagine a better way to spend New Year's? I dare you to try.

Building the fort. Tricksy business but well worth it in the end.

If you think the outside looks awesome, just you wait.

There it is! Sooooooooooooooo excited!

Can you see the anticipation in his eyes?

We didn't make it through all three. In fact, we really only made it through about one and a half, but we gave it a noble effort.

And to top it all off, this guy gave me the best present ever:

My very first New Year's kiss.

An Experiment in Domesticity

2011-11-06T20:31:00.000-08:00

"Walk feminine, talk feminine, da-da-da-da-da-da-DA feminine..." or so Disney says. One of those unfortunate but required feminine qualities is that of cooking. I, as many know, have no moves in the kitchen. My diet consists of frozen burritos, Pizza pockets, Mac & Cheese, and anything that can be eaten straight out of the fridge. However, as part of a self-improvement phase I've been trying out recently, I decided to tempt fate and voluntarily hosted a dinner party/girls' night at my new digs (aka parents' basement) in Murray last night with some old roommates. And this was the result:

I didn't poison anyone! In fact, it actually tasted halfway decent! This is a very big moment in my "growing up" process. It turns out, I CAN follow a recipe and not make a disaster of everything.

Win.

simple bliss

2011-08-16T01:33:00.000-07:00

After work today, Robbie came up to Murray and I took him to O Falafel to give him a little taste of Jerusalem because I still miss it so much sometimes it hurts. He loved it (or so he tells me). Win.

We then headed over to Sugarhouse park and laid in the grass during the golden hour listening to a gospel choir perform, talking, laughing, lovin, and havin our "souls marinate in spirituality." Heaven. Mondays in the Park are my new favorite thing.

We finished out the night with Arctic Circle shakes and the Adjustment Bureau. Before watching I warned him he better not fall asleep because we have been waiting a long time to see this movie! Well shortly after my warning that an unspeakable evil will be unleashed if he were to doze, I fell asleep, of course. Story of my life. And he didn't even rub it in my face. What a gem. What a day.

So simple, but SO good. I love my life.

Yessssssssssssssss

2011-08-07T07:43:00.000-07:00

Just got paid.

Jobs are awesome.

Leaving Neverland

2011-07-21T17:15:00.001-07:00

Well peeps, it's real.

I am officially a down-town-walkin', lunch-break-takin', computer-systems-learnin', water-cooler-chattin', cubicle-sittin', health-benefits-gettin', commutin', post-graduate workin' woman! (If you followed that, WOW, I am impressed)

I am very happy to have some direction in my life and am SOOOOO grateful to have a job. But for the sake of being honest, I will tell you I have some mixed emotions about this whole "working" business. I mean, giving up the days of gettin' my swim on at the pool whenever I want was a big blow. Bigger than I was prepared for. For some self-expression, I'm gonna take you through the annals of my mind and tell you why I'm SO excited to have this job as well as tell you what I miss about the pre-job simple life.

Why my job is awesome:

I am still working with kids the age I love, in the field of education, without having to prepare lessons for HOURS every night. (I really do want to teach later on, but that whole lesson-planning thing flat-out bites).

I'm doing something worthwhile. The kids I get to work with are all in need of some intervention. They have all dropped out of high school for various reasons and the program I work for gives them the chance to get their diploma and get their lives back on track. I have already been SO inspired by some of their stories.

The people in my office are awesome. awesome and quirky. Just the way I like 'em.

We had an office birthday party today in the breakroom. with cake. by the water cooler. I felt like I was watching it happen on TV.

I work down-town and it makes me feel real classy. I can take my sack lunch and go eat in Gallivan center plaza, walking amongst the business men in their collared shirts and ties, and I think to myself..."Whoa...I am one of you."

I have two, count them TWO, screens for my computer. Sometimes I just sit for a second and watch the mouse move back and forth between the two screens because it blows my mind.

I get a salary. Weird. I can FINALLY start paying back those student loans and maaaaaybe even eventuallyyyyyy get a new car. WHAT?! No! Never! Gladice I would never!

Later on, I am told I will have a lot of flexibility with the job. I will probably even be able to work from home two days a week. Yessss

Everyone that works for this awesome company is there because they genuinely want the kids to succeed. That is their top priority. It's really refreshing to see humanity at work.

Things I miss about the simple life:

As previously stated, going to the pool whenever I want.

My morning routine of sleeping in, reading, working out, and thinking, "So...what do I want to do with myself today?!"

The choice to go on a morning hike (although this summer I never, not once, took advantage of this blessing despite my many failed attempts). But still, having the choice was nice.

Not having a bed time. When you have the morning routine stated above, why do you need to be well-rested? I'll tell you. You don't. It's awesome.

Not only do I work 8 hours each day, but I drive anywhere from 2-3 because I am currently living in Provo, working in downtown Salt Lake. The commute sometimes is only an hour but SOMETIMES it's not, which makes me want to roll all my windows up so no one can hear me and scream at the top of my lungs. But I don't do that, because it's too hot to roll the windows up and Gladice doesn't have air conditioning.

I can't just go on vacation whenever I want anymore. I have a specified number of "Personal Time Off" days (foreign concept) and have to request them well in advance. Sadly, when you first start a job, you have even less freedom, which means that of all the following activities happening within the next two months (a friend's wedding, my graduation, Havasupai with friends, camping trip also with friends, Lake Powell with the fam, California with my girls, Lagoon with my big family, Seven Peaks with my sisters, and so on and so on) I can't do them all. In fact, I can't do most of them. Whaaaaaaaaa.....?

Looking at this list now that I've compiled it, I realize that I sound more like a child than a 26-year old. But alas, I am young at heart and will always pine for the freedom I once had. Is that selfish?

BUTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT with that said, I have to say the pro's outweigh the con's. As much as I hate to admit it, it's time to be an adult. And it actually feels kind of good. Being productive, earning a living, it really feels...refreshing. All this time, my dad was right. Who woulda thought?

So now that you have seen into the deep caverns of my mind, I will tell you how grateful I am to have this job. I will love what I will be doing each day. There are some sacrifices but when you put it into perspective, what meaningful, enriched life was spent by the side of a pool?

So American.

2011-05-23T13:46:00.000-07:00

The other day my mom and I were out shopping when my dad called saying he wanted us to stop for some Taco Bell tacos on the way home. We went through the drive-thru and my mom saw this deal: 12 tacos for only $10. Mind you, I wasn't hungry, nor was she. But still, this deal screamed out to her. Our dialogue went something like this:

"Look babe, maybe we should get this deal. 12 tacos for only 10 bucks."

"Mom, I don't think Dad needs 12 tacos."

"Well, yeah but he'll probably want like three, plus maybe one for me and one for you."

"We're not really hungry."

"Yeah, but we might want just one. So if we get those five it's gonna be around 5 bucks anyway. We might as well get the deal."

I paused for a second, thought through that, and replied,
"Yep. Let's pay twice as much to get WAY more than we need. We are so American."

Love is...

2011-05-16T18:28:00.000-07:00

...when you find someone that makes you feel like driving around lost for three hours due to making 16 wrong turns was the time of your life.

DC Times

2011-03-12T05:42:00.001-08:00

Hey folks!

I know it's been awhile and I have lots and lots to catch you up on. Unfortunately this is gonna be a quick one, hopefully followed by a longer one sometime soon. And it's not even about school (though I do have some really funny stories to add to the list).

What I DO want to share happened about a month ago when this guy....

...came to visit. It was a dream and the best three and a half days I could have asked for. The tragedy is that the above picture was one of only three pictures that were taken THE ENTIRE WEEKEND! What is wrong with me?! Never again will I let so many photo opps pass me by. Anyways, despite not having photographic evidence of the weekend, it was a blast (you'll just have to trust me). We went all over and saw everything we could fit in. Memorials and museums to your heart's content. We even ate Ethiopian food which was an interesting and (dare I say) delicious experience. The whole weekend was so good and just what I needed.

Now just five semanas before it happens again!

To Be The Exception

2011-02-06T05:11:00.000-08:00

Something happened when we first arrived here in DC that I've been thinking a lot about lately. It wasn't anything really big, but something that still made me take a minute and think. We were going on tours of all the schools we were going to be working with. At one point we went on a tour of Duke Ellington High School (a performing arts school) where they had just performed the show Dream Girls. On a wall near the front of the school was a big sign that said,

"What's Your Dream?"

The kids had written all kinds of answers on pieces of paper and stuck them up to the wall. Most were fairly detailed and lengthy. Some talked about graduation, some about which college they wanted to go to, some mentioned Broadway. But there was one that stuck out to me. All it said was,

"To Be The Exception."

I've been thinking a lot about that lately. On several levels. First, on the kids' level. For many of them, academic success IS being the exception. At my school, so many of my kids have rough home lives and parents that are not involved in the least. For them to rise above that is to be the exception. For us, it was expected to do well in school. For many of them, it's not. I'm not sure where I'm going with this. I guess just to say that I never realized how much harder it must be for them to try when they know that if they fail, no one will care. It makes me realize how little patience I've had with some of them since I got here, even when I tried not to let it show. My mindset wasn't in the right place. More than someone constantly getting after them or disciplining them, they need someone to show that they care if they succeed. It's a trickier road and may take awhile to earn that trust, but that's going to motivate them to be the exception way more than being yelled at all the time.

This phrase also made me think of how often I push myself to be the exception. I feel like I've lived an okay life. But is that because the path to do so was laid out right in front of me? In what areas of my life do I push myself to go beyond what's expected of me and really stretch myself to become the exception? It also made me wonder who in my life has worked to become the exception. My dad is one of those. Growing up, he was surrounded by a very different lifestyle than the one he chooses to live now. And I'll never be able to show enough gratitude for that. My brother-in-law is also the exception. He rose above what teachers initially saw in him to show them how dedicated he was to his future. He is, without a doubt, the most dedicated student I have ever seen and will be a phenomenal doctor because of it. Florina, my Romanian sister, is the exception. Despite her family's struggles, she did her best to make something of herself and now uses that to help her family. She is one of the most selfless people I know. The list goes on and on. Every day, people rise above expectations to become something better. So I guess what I want to say is just that I'm grateful for those people in my life. They inspire me to be something better than what I am. They make me want to be the exception.

It's about time!

2011-01-26T14:26:00.000-08:00

Well folks, it's real! I'm here. In DC. Teaching. We have had a whirlwind of a time since we've been here. We've been in the schools for 2 1/2 weeks and I have new funny stories to share every single day from our kids, our teachers, our administrators, you name it. Here is a little sampling of some of my most unforgettable moments in the classroom thus far. Mind you, this is just a small portion of what we have experienced up til now, but there are some gems.

Our mentor teacher's name is Ms. Wickersham, but the kids all know her as "MIZ WIKASHAM!" and let me tell you, this woman has ATTITUDE. It must be something that just comes eventually when you teach in this setting but this white, middle-aged woman can keep up with the best of our thugs and divas. Today, after confronting one student about not coming in at lunch to work on her project like she was supposed to, Ms. Wickersham received attitude and a pretty dramatic eye roll from said student. She went after her, backed her (literally) into a corner, and said, "Erica, when are you gonna learn. I am older than you, bigger than you, uglier than you, and yes, I WILL jack you up!" Yes, that is a direct quote. Of course, there is always a very subtle tone of joking when things like this are said but still, these kids know not to cross the line with Miz Wikasham.
On our first day, we were standing outside the classroom talking to Ms. Wickersham when another student, Lali, yelled from the back of the classroom, "Who are THEY?!" obviously talking about the two new white girls speaking to their teacher. Ms. Wickersham didn't even miss a beat before yelling, "Oh I KNOW you did not just say 'who are they!'" Seeing her mistake, Lali swallowed her attitude and in her sweetest voice, replied, "I mean, who are those pretty ladies Miz Wikasham?"
When Josh, one of our craziest kids, couldn't remember my name one of our first mornings there, he just looked at me confused for a minute and said, "Miz Puchi...? Cabuchi...? Oh I know, Miz Cheeto!" Needless to say, I gave up on the kids trying to learn Ms. Trujillo. I am now Miz T. Although Josh still calls me Miz Cheeto.
One day one of our girls came in after school to work on a project involving Shiva, one of the Hindu deities. Her task was to think of popular song titles that illustrate the traits of this particular deity. From across the room she shouted out, "Isn't that da one dat's half man half woman?" When I said yes, she said, "Well, I'm gonna pick dat one song by Katy Perry. You know, dat one dat's like 'ya hot then yo cold, ya yes then yo no. It works because Shiva, she don know what ta do wit he'self!"

While having a class discussion on Buddhism which was in no way related to sexual intimacy, one girl asked, "What if you a Buddhist and ya have sex a lot? Is that bad?" When Ms. Wickersham said, "Yes, Domonique, that's bad," Dom replied, "But what if ya not married?"

One day two kids were running down the hall being completely out of control (which in this school is UNACCEPTABLE) and Courtney, my roommate that I team-teach with in Ms. Wickersham's classroom, ended up catching them both by the arm and dragging them back to the teacher that would discipline them. One of our boys witnessed the catch and said, "Man, Miz Hruby, you're startin' ta get the hang a' this teacher thing."

One of the things I think I'm going to learn before I leave this place is how to be stern with the kids when I need to. In all my teaching experience up til now, I always really wanted the kids to like me. I still do, naturally, but I am also learning that if the kids call me mean every once in awhile, that's more of a compliment than an insult. It means that I'm pushing them past where they want to be and that I'm choosing to care about that more than being liked by them. My roommate mastered this right away in our classroom but it's taken me a few weeks to be able to push past that need to be liked. It's a work in progress but I'm learning. The other day I told Rashaad with a little attitude of my own that if he'd stop talking during warm-up, he'd actually understand what was going on in class. His response was, "Man, i thoughtchoo wa' da nice one." Win.

Just a few days later, the kids were working on projects using laptops in the classroom. One boy, Jason, was using his computer to play games, take pictures, change his password a kajillion times, anything other than what he was supposed to be doing. I'd already gotten after him a few times with no results. I finally came and stood right behind him and stayed there, arms folded, looking at him. Feeling extremely uncomfortable, he kept telling me to go away. When I gave no response but to look at him with the look, he decided to be clever and funny, changing his password one final time to "ihatethewomanstandingbehindme" which he said out loud to the kids around him. A few of them snickered nervously and looked at me, maybe wondering if I was going to break. I stayed there and said, "so be it." Jason's next move was pulling up his project to work on it.

For the most part, the kids have a LOT of attitude with each other but give us very little of the nasty stuff. But man is it funny to watch them interact. One dirty look requires an entire body roll to get the full effect. Sometimes I don't even understand the slang they use with each other.

As far as other adults in the school go, we have some winners. Ms. Hernandez is the guidance counselor for the seventh grade and she may be the sweetest creature I have ever met. She is probably 4'10" and 100 lbs. soaking wet. She's Hispanic with a thick little accent and she loves chatting with us. The other day, she told us, "Oh, I tried to make a joke today to da keedz, and I thought it would be so funny. They were doing make-up work and I said, ' It's make-up time, but not like estee lauder!' But no one laughed! I should have said Bonnebelle or something. Oh well, next time I guess." And then she just laughed and walked out. Haha, love her.

Among the adults in the school, we also have the scariest vice principal known to man. He is a middle-aged black man with a BOOMING voice. He is so nice to us and the rest of the faculty but he is the kids' worst nightmare. For some of them, he may be the only person in their life that they are truly scared of. This is just one of the several instances I have heard him giving a whooping to a badly-behaved kid. From what I can remember, it went something like this: "Now WHY were you outside?! Boy, you LOOK at me when I'm talkin to you! You go downstairs and you think of a good answer to that question. You just wasted a minute and 27 seconds of my life that I am never gonna get back." After the boy leaves, he turns to Ms. Wickersham and says (still fairly loudly and within earshot of the kid) "I thought you said he was smart."

Well, that's probably about enough for now. Man, these kids are HILARIOUS. Every day in our classroom is a new adventure. I love every single second of it.

failure?

2010-12-07T14:50:00.000-08:00

So...life is still really awesome but....

I AM READY TO BE DONE WITH SCHOOL!

I can't take it anymore. Seven more days and I feel like I am losing steam exponentially each day. And what stinks about that is that these classes are not just typical, 500-people, freshman level classes that I don't care about. These classes are important! They are supposed to be training me to become a teacher. But because I have lost momentum and am beginning to feel like I am failing at school, I am beginning to feel like I will fail at teaching too. I know this sounds really dramatic and I'm sure they are not inseparably linked, but I really need to find my chi. Because if you fail at a "teaching class," isn't that a bad sign for when you actually start teaching?

There is hope. I will endure. I will find a way.

FYI

2010-12-04T11:55:00.001-08:00

Life is perfect and I am happier than ever.

:)

Maybe it's time

2010-11-18T08:33:00.000-08:00

Dear Self,

It is time to change your ways. It is not normal to think to yourself, "Okay, it's midnight. That means I still have 8 hours to work on this paper before I have to turn it in in the morning."

You need to sleep.

Love,

Me

narcoleptic?

2010-11-10T22:58:00.001-08:00

4:38pm - Arrive at library to finish last 12 pages of paper

7:45pm - Take dinner break and buy 3 cookies to get through the long night

10:10pm - Start getting sleepy from lack of previous night's sleep.

10:15pm - Lay head down on arm and fall asleep for 15 minutes.

10:30pm - Wake up from arm-sleep, work a teeny, go down aisle to find book

10:40pm - While flipping through book, get sleepy again

10:45pm - Lay down IN THE AISLE and fall asleep because you're shameless and have no control. This time it's 40 minutes

11:25pm - Get woken up by the vacuum guy. Stand up awkwardly and pretend like you weren't sleeping even though you both know you were. Go back to table.

11:30pm - Get sleepy again and succumb to arm-sleep once more.

11:40pm - Wake up from arm-sleep and decide maybe it's time to walk home.

11:55pm - Arrive home and spend all night on the couch in and out of sleep while writing said paper.

I think maybe I have a problem...

You have to tell us what happened!

2010-11-08T14:23:00.000-08:00

I've already had the best moment of my week and it's only MONDAY! As you can probably guess, this best moment has nothing to do with the paper I have to finish today, and EVERYTHING to do with teaching (okay, you may not have guessed that last part based on recent emotional breakdowns I've had, but bear with me).

Today, I was teaching my crazies again in the ESL class. We ran out of time and I was telling them about the issue of slavery in writing the constitution. The BEST part was when I told them we didn't have time to finish and they had to put their binders away. Seriously, 4 or 5 of my CRAZIEST kids got all worried and said, "Wait! You have to tell us what happened! What did they decide?!"

Wha...?! They wanted to learn for the sake of learning? It wasn't to get a treat or a prize or anything? Yes. They just wanted to learn. I realized right then that that is a moment I will live for as a teacher. I told them that if they hurried back to their seats before the bell rang I would tell them. All the kids ran back to their desks and were SILENT so I would finish the story.

Awesome.

From the Lowest of Lows to the Highest of Highs

2010-11-03T21:05:00.000-07:00

So I had an interesting experience this week. I have previously mentioned various teaching experiences I have had and how excited they have made me to be a real full-time teacher. Especially in a middle school. For some strange reason that is incomprehensible to my friends and family, I feel like my place is among the 13-year olds. (similar maturity levels you ask?....perhaps)

Well, this week I discovered that teaching is not all sunshine and roses.

For the past month, I've been working with a middle school ESL class and to put it lightly, they are THE MOST OUT-OF-CONTROL CLASS I've ever seen. Cute kids, but seriously crazy. Their teacher's style of discipline was very different from any I've ever been taught, and from what I could tell was not very effective. So on Monday I had the opportunity to teach them for the first time. And despite the very clear warning signs that I had been given, I was under the impression that they would never be a problem for me. I would surely be able to handle them with a healthy little dose of TLC. After all, they had shown during the previous month that they liked me and gave me high-fives whenever they came into their classroom and saw me there. That's a recipe for a healthy teaching environment, right?

No. No. No. It was one of the hardest days I've ever had. Just an hour and a half with those kids and I was at my wit's end with how to deal with them. They yelled, chatted, were constantly up out of their seats, never listened, were never on task, complained, you name it. I came home that day more depressed than ever. I was blindsided. By 13-year olds. I never even saw it coming. I cried a little, said a prayer, cried a little more, called my dad. For the first time since choosing my major, I started to wonder if this is something I'm really cut out for. What if I was just a horrible teacher and I just never had enough experience in the classroom to realize it? The moment that day that had broken my heart was when one little girl, who had previously been my biggest fan, threw her head back at one point and said (rather loudly), "I would rather be ANYWHERE but here!" Okay, how do you not take that personally? I word-vomited all this onto my poor father, who lovingly replied, "Ang, you're going to be fine. It was one day. To be honest, I don't know why you ever wanted to be in a middle school anyway." Then my heart sunk as I realized, maybe they were all right. All those people who told me it's crazy to want to teach kids in middle school full-time. What if I should really be in a high school?! It's too late!! I'm already set up to teach in a junior high in DC!! What if I die?!?! Ahhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!!!!

Luckily, as outlined by the title of this post things got better. 1000X better. Today, Wednesday, I had the chance to teach my beloved crazies again. And something magical happened.

They listened.

I don't know what did the trick. Whether it was the new seating arrangement, the new rules, the different activity for the lesson, or all three. But for some reason, we connected today. They weren't out-of-control, in fact they were the most in-control I've ever seen them. In the beginning they complained of course, but by the end of the lesson my biggest complainers, "the divas" as I like to call them, were more into the lesson than anyone. They were shouting at the other kids to go faster! To say their part right! They were running to accomplish their task! It was AWESOME. Not only did they have fun and get really into the lesson, but they LEARNED it. At the end of class I wanted to see how effective it had been so I was throwing out questions fast,

"What was our first form of government after the Revolutionary War?"
"Why didn't it work?"
"What year was the constitution written?"
"What was Shay's Rebellion?"
"Why was it important?"

They knew every. single. one.

They got it! They understood the history behind the lesson. And they knew it well! I was thrilled. And then, to top it all off, my biggest fan little girl ran up to me after class and said, "Are you gonna be our teacher for the whole term?!" When I told her I'm just teaching her class for this week, she let out a big, sad groan and said, "No! Teach us all the time!"

I almost cried again. Not really, but it would have been appropriate.

...all i can do is keep breathing....

2010-10-26T08:11:00.000-07:00

Ingrid's words have never felt more appropriate. Yes, it's been awhile. Yes, I'm sorry. Yes, all those fears and anxieties I wrote about two months ago are coming true. Both the good and the bad. sfjaoiwjdef!

To say life is busy is an understatement. I frantically run from class to work to classroom observations to work to class to home where I pull out my computer and do my homeworks until the wee hours of the morning. Monday through Thursday I generally get about 3-4 hours of sleep and then try to catch up on the weekends, except I have to go back to work and the cursed homework that just won't let me be. And sometimes I just want to scream AAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!

And then I remember something really great. Something amazing. Ready? This is the last of it. This is the end. And I'm going out strong. And sometimes it sucks. But in the end, it will ALL be worth it. Do you want to know why? Because come January 1st, I'm moving to

WASHINGTON D.C.!!!!

Yep, I know. Worth it, right? I'm SO excited! We finally had a meeting last week where they told us that we will all be accepted to do our student teaching in the nation's capital. Really? I get to teach American history in the heart of America? Yes please.

So in those moments when I'm stressed out of my mind and my eyeballs feel like they're going to explode from lack of sleep, I just have to remember that it will all be worth it. And then I find my motivation again.

The Home Stretch...

2010-08-31T14:17:00.001-07:00

Well, let's set the record straight. The rumors are true. My last semester on BYU campus has commenced. I've been to almost every class once and have started mapping out what this semester is going to look like. As it turns out, I'm having some emotions about it. So, without further ado and in no particular order, here they are:

Anxiety about writing a 25-page research paper for my History 490 class (Senior thesis...ugh...). I'm sure I'll probably be complaining about this throughout the course of the semester so allow me to apologize in advance. Sorry.

Hesitation about having the same teacher for two really hard history classes. With just one class, I can sometimes fool them. With two right in a row, he's bound to figure out I don't know how to write a research paper.

Excitement that I get to study a lot about Italy this semester. Right now all I know is Venice and Pizza. This may lead to a mandatory educational journey to that beautiful land sometime soon to really make sure I've got it all down...

Anticipation for the day I get to start teaching in a real classroom. We begin our practicum in 6 weeks (observing and teaching in a classroom setting) to prepare us for our student teaching which is only FOUR SHORT MONTHS AWAY! Seriously, in preparation for our practicum our teacher today was discussing why history matters and how we can show that to our students and my heart just started pounding with excitement. I'm scared, but I really can't wait!

Nervous Joy at the thought of doing that student teaching in Washington D.C! I started filling out the application today and it's going to take a big leap of faith if it's what I really decide to do. But if I do...wow.

Fear when I think about how I'm going to be able to find the time to observe SEVENTY-FIVE HOURS in a classroom with ESL students (while also taking 19 credit hours and working 20 hours a week).

This last one might be the most surprising of all...

Sadness that it's ending and Gratitude that it happened. You'd think after 6 years of FULL-TIME school here (not counting the mission) I'd be ready to leave. Truthfully, parts of me are but I was looking today through a bunch of classes that I still really want to take that I'll never be able to. I've had access to hundreds of amazing classes taught by masters in the subject area. Even after the amazing experiences I've had, I still feel like I've missed out on so many more fascinating classes I could have taken. Weird? Yes. Unexpected? Yes.

So there you have it. I can honestly say that my outlook on this semester has made me both more EXCITED and more TERRIFIED than any that have come before.

Bring it on.

Flying High

2010-07-11T14:56:00.000-07:00

1 airplane + 1 parachute + 1 instructor + 13,000 feet = The best, most exhilarating experience of my life!

On Saturday at noon I jumped out of a plane for my very first (but hopefully not last) time and it was

AWESOME!!!

I might use that word a lot in this post but it's hard to find another to adequately describe how it felt. I suppose the best way to explain it would be through pictures. I have added a few visual aids for your enjoyment (I had to pay the big bucks for these pictures so I better put them to good use). Please do not feel guilty for laughing when you see how gomer-ish we looked. I think they dress us like that for their own entertainment value. Can't say I blame them. We laughed. A lot.

Gettin' all suited up. The jumpsuit was almost the greatest part second only to...

...these super awesome coneheads we got to wear. Mine matched my jumpsuit. Very retro. Very cool.

Almost the whole crew that went. From left to right Alex Jepsen, McKinley something, Jake Later, me, Steve Middleton, Robbie Irion, Richard something, Chantyl, Chalice, and Rachael (This picture is missing Courtney, Kristin, and Chantyl's brother....Josh...?)

Our plane: Chalice, Chantyl, me, Richard and Rachael. Before the big drop.

Our best terrified faces...or excruciating pain faces in Alex's case. At this point the terror was just pretend. We were tough.

Are you ready yet?

In the plane! This expression is 100% genuine "Holy-crap-what-the-heck-am-I-doing?!?!?!"

My first view of what they were telling me to jump into. It was right about here that the panic started setting in.

Falling out. Panic. Terror. Excitement. Adrenaline. Ahhhhhhhhh!

There is no possible way to know what this moment feels like until you experience it. Sheer terror.

Flipping....

Falling...

Diving....

FLYING!!!

Unbelievable feeling

All the fear was gone, replaced by pure joy

WooooooooooooooooHooooooooooooo!!!

I wanted this part to last forever!

That's us!

Coming in for a landing, pretty much just sat down right on this big gravel pit.

I just kept screaming over and over, "That was AWESOME!!"

Quick pic after my jump before the boys went

Best day ever.

Let's go again.

What do you do when...

2010-07-11T14:54:00.000-07:00

you get 6,000 comments on your blog in Chinese? I am at a loss.

Let Freedom Ring

2010-06-01T22:42:00.000-07:00

Classes=done

Happiness=skyrocketed

Why is it that when you don't have to read you suddenly have a HUGE desire to? I mean like lay in the hammock all day and read your life away? I am here to tell you that it's one of the greatest feelings in the world.

Due to my spring term classes having come to an end, the past few days have found me with an abundant amount of free time and

I LOVE IT!!!!

I already started three books and am loving each of them.

Sunday afternoon was spent on a blanket on my front lawn with The Peacegiver.

Monday morning introduced me to the seventh Harry Potter (which I still have never read).

And today during my lunch break at work, I started Les Miserables. You'd think that the obsession I've had with the story since I was eight years old would have led me to read it before now but surprisingly it's never happened. However, let me say that it jumps right into grabbing your emotions from the start. It's slightly embarrassing to sit in a fairly empty campus food court BY YOURSELF with a book and have to wipe your eyes because you can't see through your tears. Ahhhh....such a good story.

So on that note, there are a lot of books on my summer reading list. I know I probably won't get to all the ones I want, but these are some of my top choices for the next few months.

Three Cups of Tea
The Book Thief
Hunger Games
Catching Fire (the sequel)
Rough Stone Rolling
Kite Runner
The Sweetness of the Bottom of the Pie
The Great and Terrible Series
Into Thin Air
Undaunted Courage
1776
Killer Angels
The Alchemist
To Kill a Mockingbird
A Tale of Two Cities
The Power of One
Mere Christianity
The Life of Pi
Uncle Tom's Cabin
Man's Search for Meaning

What about you? Any recommendations? What are some of your favorite reads?

Really?

2010-05-05T20:21:00.000-07:00

I like people. In fact, I really like people. But sometimes I just have to wonder. Like when I'm sitting at the library surrounded by dozens of empty desks and tables and then a stranger comes and sits right next to me. Literally right next to me, so that our chairs are touching. It's especially mind-boggling when that same person does it two days in a row.

Words of Wisdom

2010-04-13T18:10:00.001-07:00

A friend of mine posted this on her facebook status and I liked it so much that I decided to share it with you. Enjoy.

“Instead of studying for finals, what about just going to the Bahamas and catching some rays? Maybe you’ll flunk, but you might have flunked anyway; that’s my point.”

— Jack Handy

The problem with my brain...

2010-03-22T15:35:00.001-07:00

This is what happens when I try to write a 12-page paper for my history class:

This is what happens when I let my mind wander away from thinking about my 12-page paper and ponder on ideas of what I want to do with my life:

Problematic? Perhaps.

Every once in awhile I get inspired with an insane amount of things I decide I have to do. Coincidentally, this usually tends to occur right about when I'm supposed to be focusing on something else (say for example....homework....?). It's when I get my best ideas about the path my life is taking. Let me fill you in on what the past two days of the attempt (and avoidance) of writing this paper has brought into my mind. Here is my (tentative) three-year plan:

Stick it out in Provo until December. This will be the longest I have stayed in one place since I was in high school. It's a big deal. I'm planning on having my first summer in Provo which I've heard is a party. I personally feel dedicated to making that rumor true and already have several ideas in the works (while also working a lot a lot and making money I promise Dad!)

Begin my student teaching in January, but not just anywhere. No no, not just anywhere. In the city I've been dying to travel to for the last five years of my life....drumroll please......Washington D.C! It will be fabulous. BYU has an option giving teaching majors an alternative to student teaching in the too-highly-saturated-teaching-field-of-Provo. You can opt instead to teach in D.C. or Houston, Texas. With all due respect to all the Texans out there, I can't think of any other place I'd rather be than D.C. My plan is to stay until April when I will come home for.......

COLLEGE GRADUATION!!! I know, you thought it wasn't gonna happen right? Sometimes I wondered myself if this seemingly eternal schooling would ever end. But there is a light at the end of my 8-year tunnel. Faint, still distant, but it's there. In April 2011 I will officially be a college graduate in History Teaching with a TESOL minor.

Next, (this is the new exciting part which I may have forgotten to mention to my family just yet) I'm hoping to be a part of HELP International. It's this awesome humanitarian group that I've been learning a lot about lately. They have programs in six different countries and their projects are really beneficial to the communities they serve. I could tell you all about everything I've been learning but it might just be easier (and more eye-pleasing) to check out the details for yourself http://www.help-international.org/

After I get home from wherever I end up going during that summer, I will need to start making money, being a college grad and all with student loans to pay back. But here's what I'm thinking just to mix things up a little. I will start teaching as planned. However, not history just yet, but English! (as a second language). I've been learning lately of a lot of really cool programs overseas where governments will pay for your flight, housing, PLUS pay you monthly wage to come teach English in public schools. So I'd still get to teach the age that I love if I can find a job in a secondary school somewhere. And I figure, I'm still using my college education since TESOL (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages) is my minor. I don't really know how long I'd stay, maybe a five or six months, maybe a year. It just depends on what happens between now and then.

Finally, after returning home from this golden opportunity, I will dive into teaching my favorite subject: history. Who knows where. Somewhere exciting though. But still in the states because U.S. History is my favorite and I don't see a lot of international opportunities to teach it.

So there you have it. That's the tentative plan. I realize that it sounds crazy, I'm not so naive as to think that I can pull it all off easy-peasy. I also realize that what I want could easily change with each new day I have. But I have a pretty strong will (some might call it stubborn), and I know that if life continues to lead me in the direction I'm going now, this is all possible.

And that is exciting.

And if somehow life leads me down a different path that is even better, well, that is even more exciting.

Why?

2010-02-23T22:22:00.000-08:00

It's 11:22 pm. I am at the library. I have a list as big as China of stuff I have to get done before Thursday morning at 11:00 so I can go to Disneyland. And I CAN'T MAKE MYSELF WORK ANYMORE!

Nevermind the seven page research paper I have to write. Nevermind the two ugly midterms I have to study for. Nevermind the technology teacher tests I have to take. Here I sit. Blogging.

Is there something wrong with me?

This must be why people shouldn't take 8 years to get through college.

Me?

2010-02-05T20:27:00.000-08:00

Good news everyone! I'm pretty sure I chose the right career! (Awesome, right? Since I've been out of high school for seven years).

I decided a while back that I wanted to be a history teacher, and I've been super excited about teaching junior high aged kids. But every once in awhile I get a little freaked out. Am I really gonna be able to control 30-40 kids? Am I creative enough to come up with fun lesson plans? Do I even know enough about the subject material? Although I know I love history, these questions sometimes haunt my dreams.

Well, in one of my classes this semester, we've had the chance to teach a number of times, including an elementary school, a charter school, and to our fellow classmates. But today, my friends, was a big day. Today I taught a junior high class for the first time. And seriously, it was the funnest 45 minutes of my week.

And that leads me to believe that I chose the right career.

And that is a very good feeling.

the lucky one.

2010-01-02T00:41:00.000-08:00

That’s 2009 in a word. Lucky. It was one of those chapters of life that you could never forget. And you’d never want to. Somehow, the stars aligned and life led me through a series of unbelievable experiences that are etched in my mind and hopefully will stay there. Here’s a little taste of what made such an impact this year:

A growing family with three new babies (and two more on the way)

A Holy Land

A weekly trip to the Garden Tomb

A camel ride along the Nile

A dance party in ancient Roman ruins accompanied by bagpipe playing Jordanians.

A hike up Mount Sinai to see the sunrise

An Indiana Jones reenactment in Petra

A better and truer celebration of Palm Sunday and Easter than any other

A verse of "Master the Tempest is Raging" on the Sea of Galilee

An unbreakable bond with 77 new friends

A new perspective on an ancient conflict

A trip back to Romania

A chance to see the people that changed my life

A chance to show my parents my home of 18 months

A reunion of three close friends

A quality week with the ones I've missed

A reunion with delicious Romanian sarmale

A summer sales job in Washington and all the growing that comes with daily frustration :)

An occasional break from the blessed job to swim in the ice cold Columbia River

A necessary slurpee run almost daily to the 7-11 with 18 flavors

A camaraderie of kindred spirits I worked and lived with there

A happy hour at Applebees as needed

A first-ever car accident and a blessed soul who fixed my headlight for free

A Lake Powell extravaganza with the Hales and their 20 newly adopted children

A near-death experience

A move back to Provo

A new addiction to SYTYCD

An apartment full of the greatest roommates a girl could ask for

Like I said, it's been a lucky year. And I've been a lucky soul. I've laughed and cried and felt every other emotion on the scale. And I've loved every bit of it. 2010, you've got big shoes to fill. Let's see what you can do!

Priceless...

2009-11-10T10:55:00.000-08:00

I know I know, "two posts in one day" you ask? What could possibly be the cause of such irregularity? It could just be that I love my nieces and nephews so much that I have to post about how great they are. It could also be that I'm avoiding writing my paper.

I choose 90% the former and 10% the latter.

So this post is in honor of my niece, Miss Mia Bell. It was Mia's birthday last Wednesday and she is now a whoppin 3 years old! In her honor I have posted one of my favorite videos of all time. Keep in mind that this is about six months old, but I love it so much that I still play it whenever I need to smile, even if I'm all alone. Works every time.

So without further ado....

Again I say,

priceless.

You Were Right....

2009-11-10T10:33:00.000-08:00

...it totally would have been worth it.

Have you ever seen a hot dog look so good? I submit that you have not. Since posting these very pictures on their blog, Isaac and Kelsie have been informed that they are required to bring the hot dog costume to Thanksgiving Dinner. (Thanks for letting me steal these from you)

Mmmm....

I can't wait to see them and this little heartbreaker

Only two more weeks!

Would you rather...

2009-10-26T22:19:00.000-07:00

pay $120 for a last-minute plane ticket to Vegas to spend Halloween weekend with (almost) the whole fam, including the niece you've never met dressed up as a hot dog......

stay home, keep your $120 but be baby-hot-dog-less?

Thank you Bobbi.

2009-10-22T08:56:00.000-07:00

Life is busy.

So busy that it is too easy to get caught up in everything you have to do, the errands you have to run, the papers you have to write, the books you have to read, the events you have to plan, the phonecalls you have to make. Any day can turn to madness as we scramble around trying to get it all done. Even if we have good intentions of serving those around us, sometimes that all gets lost in the chaos of "I HAVE SO MUCH TO DO!" I know I've been guilty of thinking only of myself. Sometimes you just allow yourself get to that point. And then, you meet someone like Bobbi Redick.

6 months ago, when I decided to become a teacher, I had just finished my fourth year of college. Yep, right about that time when most people decide to graduate, I decide to change my major. Smart, eh? It had been a rough road trying to decide what to do with my life, but after two years of considering this switch, something clicked and I FINALLY felt so calm about it. It just felt like the perfect fit, that feeling I'd been waiting for. So I went confidently to the education office and met with a counselor, Bobbi Redick, to make the switch. To my utter dismay, I discovered that you can't change to a teaching major if you have too many credit hours. Seeing as how I had finished what most people consider an entire college career, I WAY surpassed the maximum number of credits. Horrible news! This meant I was stuck. I had finally found my future and knew it was my real passion and knew it was what I REALLY wanted to do and I was stuck! Super bummed doesn't even begin to describe how I felt. Bobbi seemed genuinely sorry for me but said that was just the policy and she sent me on my way. Huge bummer. What do I do now?

The next day I got a phonecall from Bobbi asking me to come into her office ASAP. I jumped in my car and cruised to Provo. When I got there, I discovered that Bobbi, unbeknownst to me, had spent HOURS after I left her office the day before making phonecalls trying to figure out a way to help me become a teacher. She tried to find any loophole in this system she could and even discussed my situation in detail with the head of the History Teaching department. This woman meets with dozens of kids per day. She has piles and piles of paperwork to fill out. She has tons to worry about. And she had spent hours doing something that she did not have to do, just so that I, a complete stranger to her, could get into the major I wanted. And she did it. She found a way. Because of her, they let me change.

Since then I have applied and officially been accepted into the teaching program. I also observed a Jr. High history class and felt the confirmation over and over again that this is what I'm supposed to do. I'm on my way. And it's all because of her.

I thanked her over and over again that day for what she did for me. And her only answer was, "Don't thank me, thank the angels. They're the ones that made it possible." The truth is, I don't know if angel can be defined any better than someone like her.

I always meant to send Bobbi flowers to show her how much I appreciated what she'd done, but I never did. When I came back to school this fall, I went into the education office to see her and personally thank her again. However, when I asked for her, I was told she had passed away in a motorcycle accident a few weeks before. In shock, I went home that day and looked up her obituary online. Underneath it were dozens of comments given by family members, friends, and complete strangers like me. Every single one shared how Bobbi had gone the extra mile for them. She was one of those people that gave all she had to people around her, even strangers, and expected nothing in return. A real unsung hero.

This post is in honor of her and of people all around us who are just like her. And in the hope that we can all bring out the "bobbi" in ourselves. I hope to one day be that kind of person, that kind of friend, that kind of sister, that kind of stranger, to someone else.

So thanks Bobbi.

Romania, land that I love...

2009-09-25T11:33:00.000-07:00

I did it! I FINALLY put pictures up on facebook of the trip my parents and I took back to Romania in May just after I got home from Jerusalem. We met up with Brianna (my MTC companion) and her friend Hillary. I know that a facebook album is not the blog post I promised, but it's the next best thing, and way easier in my opinion. I've never done this "create a link" thing on my blog before but I'm gonna try it out and see if it works. If you would like to see pictures from the trip, click here. I think you have to have a facebook account to look at them though.

Anyways, it was the perfect trip. I kept waiting for something to go terribly wrong, but it never did. We saw so many people I wanted to see and visited so many places my parents wanted to see. Everyone was happy. I have no idea how it all worked out but I'm glad it did!

Enjoy!

A little girl growin' up

2009-09-15T14:03:00.000-07:00

Disclaimer: For anyone who reads this and doesn't know what on earth it is, I apologize. School project.

The Softball

The softball is a symbol of my family. I am the youngest of five kids and every single one of us grew up watching my dad play softball and, at varying ages, being coached by him in the sport. Starting from when I was a little girl up through high school graduation, I played the game for competition. After high school however, it was still a passion for each of us so we continued to play. Every summer all five kids and all their spouses (as long as they are residing in Utah) play together on a co-ed slow-pitch team, coached by my dad. And every single game, my mom cheers us on from the stands as she tends the grandkids. It's become a family event that no one ever misses. No matter what else everyone has going on during the week, everyone makes it to the family softball game. This is the symbol of quality time spent together doing something we all love. It's also a symbol of the huge role my family plays in my life.

The Graduation Cap

The graduation cap is a symbol of the importance of education in my home. Both of my parents always said that one of their greatest regrets was that they never went beyond a high school diploma in their education. As we grew up, they taught us how crucial a college education was and showed us the possibilities it would open up for us in our futures. It was always assumed that each of us would graduate from college. The first four have completed that task and I am the last, bringing up the rear. My education is very important to me, especially as it means so much more than classroom knowledge. I have been able to learn life lessons through my college experiences and hope to continue to do so until graduation day in April 2011 when I'll leave the world of the student to enter the world of the teacher.

The Pyramids

The pyramids are a symbol of adventure. I've always felt that life is meant to be lived fully. We should take advantage of every chance we get to experience things we never have before, even if it requires a little bit of work. In my opinion, adventures are waiting around every corner. It's only when we get stuck in the mundane routine of every day life that we miss them. I've been stuck in the mundane before, until I realized that life gets so much more exciting with each new experience I had. It's a gift and I have to remind myself often to treat it that way.

Back in the Act

2009-09-09T07:26:00.001-07:00

Well, it seems that I only update this thing every few months. Not too much going down on the homefront. I got home from Washington FINALLY and have been livin the life ever since. I got to spend a week in Lake Powell with 20 of my best friends, a weekend in St. George for a family girls' weekend (Marci reunion, high-browed Sawyer smiles, swimming, hiking, musicals, squeaky cheese, what more could a girl ask for?) and now I'm back in Provo for another semester (Only four more to go!). Since I don't have a camera I don't have any documentation of either trip. But I'm fairly certain I saw a lot of flashing camera lights so someone has pictures. When I get them, I will share them with you. This, along with many other missed opportunities that I'll never get back, has led me to a new conclusion:

I need to buy a camera.

Quote of the Day

2009-07-31T21:56:00.000-07:00

Today's quote of the day is attributed to my brother Isaac. While talking about the happy, happy fact that my last child-less sibling, Nick, is now a soon-to-be-father, Isaac felt it necessary to remind me that I am the last Trujillo without offspring. These were his words of wisdom:

"Now not only do you have to find a mate, but you have TO mate!"

Thanks Isaac.

There are days...

2009-06-12T20:13:00.000-07:00

There are days when I'm sitting in my car in 97 degree heat, parked up against a tiny tree, trying to squeeze the last bit of shade from it, taking a few minutes out of my LONG 10 hour day to eat my lunch, yet another turkey sandwich on wheat. With no working AC in good ol' Gladice (my trusty teal Ford Escort), I roll down the windows but find no relief from the blazing hot elements. I've just been shut down by my 10th person in a row in a somewhat unkind manner before I even had the chance to say "Living Scriptures." I also drove past a dead skunk on the road and the smell is still lingering in my car. I haven't made a sale all day, and I ask myself why I decided to take this job in the first place...

and then....

There are days like today!! On days like today I remember why I love this job so much. And just so you know, it's not just because of the money. Granted, there are days I make a significant amount, but today I only sold a half a set (meaning in 10 hours I made a whoppin $25. That's worse pay than I got workin at the snoshack when I was 13). But no no no, the reason I love this job is because I come in contact with awesome people every day. You know, those unsung hero types. Every-day people who don't get a lot of recognition for what they do or have done. And people that recognize the hand of the Lord in the details of their lives every day.

Like the woman with a four-year-old adopted son with autism who has sacrificed an incredible amount in order to help her son and other kids in the community and their families. She says that if anybody ever talks about kids with autism as being a burden, she gets angry because through her son, she has been able to see the hand of the Lord and she insists that "he is the best thing that's ever happened to this family."

Or the single mom who is a convert to the church. After being in a really dark place for a long time, she had to overcome huge obstacles from her past and leave huge pieces of herself behind in order to turn her life around five years ago, but she did it. And she's never looked back.

Or the young dad with arms and legs covered in tattoos living in a trailer park who is ready and willing to give up anything for his two kids, and has been called to do it before.

Or the parents of seven girls living in a small home who use every opportunity possible to teach their kids what it means to follow Christ.

And the list goes on and on. Every day I get to meet these people. They let me into their homes and I get to catch a glimpse of their lives and what a difference they have made to those around them. I am constantly amazed at what I see and hear. And what I admire most about them lies so much more in the things they don't say than in the things that they do. I get to see the people that they are and their interactions with their families and how much goodness they emanate from themselves. I learn so much about the person that I want to be from them.

It's days like today that I remember why I love my job.

And She's Back (at 3 am nonetheless!)

2009-05-10T02:16:00.000-07:00

Hey!
You gotta love jetlag and being bright-eyed and bushy-tailed at 3:00 in the morning! I just got back earlier today from Romania and since this is the fourth major time change this poor body of mine has undergone in two weeks, it's wondering what the heck is going on. So since I have the time and am lacking the inclination to sleep, I thought I may as well sit down and have a little time with you, my dear blog.

I know I've been a little MIA from the blogging aspect of my life since about a month ago, but the truth is, I can't say I really regret it. I finished up my last few weeks in Jerusalem with my focus in the right place, soaking up every last bit I could get from it. Then I was home enjoying being with my family for a few days. And then it was off to Romania for 10 days to go back and visit and introduce my parents to that beautiful land (more detailed blogging of this trip will be coming soon. Hopefully tomorrow but no promises...). Everything has been FANTASTIC! I got back earlier today and now I have just two more days here before I pack up and leave for Washington for the rest of the summer to do summer sales. It's going to be crazy intense but hopefully worth it! The truth is I'm actually excited for it. Is that weird? Let's just hope I still have that excitement in a few weeks!

Well I've decided that I still have to document Jerusalem so here's my plan. This summer I'll probably have little to blog about (10 hours a day, 6 days a week doing the same thing) so my plan is to make Jerusalem blogging my summer project. (Along with any other funny anecdotes that happen to me in my every day life over the next few months). Dealio? Excelente

Well, sometime in the next few days, the story of epic Romania will be comin atcha so stay tuned!

Weasel Post

2009-04-14T13:42:00.000-07:00

Weasel Post = Lame post. Okay Okay, I know you must be bored with my blogging. I'M bored with my blogging. There's just too stinkin' much going on around here to keep up with blogging about it! We have had a crazy few weeks, complete with Galilee and all its wonders (the beauty and feeling of this place alone would take an eternity to blog about), Easter week (starting with the best Palm Sunday I've ever had), floating in the Dead Sea, covering myself in stinky black mud at the Dead Sea, visiting some awesome Herodian sights, performing in a talent show, meeting some great Filipinos, going on adventures through old churches, celebrating Passover, making memories and so much more! As soon as I have time I'll tell you all about it, but that may not be until I get home (life's pretty crazy here for the next week). Would that be weird to still blog about jerusalem even after I've left? You let me know if you still want to hear about any of it. (Pretty much this applies to those of you that I won't be seeing in the few days I'm going to be home, because I'm sure I won't be shutting my mouth for those few days at all).

Wow. I can't believe that we really only have about a week left! It's so hard to think about leaving this place. I know I'm going to miss it so much. This week is going to be the ultimate way to end it though. We're studying the final week of the Savior's life and our field trips will take us to where he went in those last few days. It's definitely gonna be an experience!

Well, I better go for now. I have to go read and study for a final we have tomorrow. Much love!

A Day in the Life....

2009-03-22T14:55:00.000-07:00

...of someone who lived a long long time ago.

Today we had an awesome field trip and got to do some pretty fun stuff. It was really neat. We went to a biblical lands center. (I forgot the name of it-memory of a goldfish). We got to do all sorts of things people did in bible times, including.....

Drawing water from a well

Leading our beloved sheep (Stef, Anne, and Me)

Grinding Spice
(Me, Shamra, and Christine killin

the oregano)

Playing with Fig Trees

and Reading from the Torah (okay, maybe not biblical, but still cool. Every single letter of every Torah scroll is handwritten and can't have a single mistake. It's crazy, they have "Torah Writing School" and we got to meet an official Torah scribe!)

Cool Fact of the Day!! When we were drawing water from the well our guide talked to us about the story of Rebekah and I gained some awesome insight into how amazing of a woman she actually was. Quick recap: When Abraham's servant goes to Haran to find a wife for Isaac, he comes to the well after traveling a very long way. He's incredibly thirsty as well as his 10 camels (who haven't drinken for weeks probably). He decides he'll be able to find a wife for Isaac by testing the next woman that comes to get water from the well. Rebekah comes to the well, and the servant asks if she can get him some water. She doesn't even hesitate to jump to his service, but what's more, she offers to give water to each of his camels. Now, I personally always thought that was cool of her, but never really thought about it much more than that. Turns out that one dip of the bucket down the well brings up about 5 quarts. Well, each of the camels, after such a long journey, would have drinken about 150 quarts. The servant had 10 camels. If you do the math, that means that Rebekah voluntarily retrieved water from the well about 300 times for Abraham's servant. 300 TIMES!! And that thing is not light, I'll tell you that much. She probably would have spent a good couple of hours getting water for this man and his camels, and there's no way that's an easy task. It had to have exhausted her physically. But she did it willingly! For a complete stranger! Seriously, what a woman. How often do we take the time to do stuff like that for someone else? Let alone for a complete stranger? I was blown away by the whole thing. Isaac got himself a gem.

The day was awesome! And now, for your viewing pleasure (congratulations on reaching the end of this rather long post):

The stache (sp?) I saw today in the Old City. You can't see its full glory very well in this picture, but MAN! It was incredible. It reminded me of you, Dad!

Well, that's it for now! We're leaving in just a few short hours for Galilee! It's gonna be so great, I'm so excited. The majority of Christ's ministry was spent in Galilee so we'll be seeing most of the locations of events in the New Testament. How could that not be exciting?! We'll be in there for about a week and a half, but I'm taking my computer so we'll see if I can update you while we're there. No promises though...Lata!

Relief

2009-03-20T09:27:00.000-07:00

Today is SUCH A FANTASTIC DAY!! Do you want to know why? It's not because we saw any big sites today. I didn't make any life-changing decisions. But oh what a glorious day it is! Today, we finished the second final of our two most difficult classes! Oh what a beautiful thing! Now the only classes we have left are New Testament and Ancient Near Eastern Studies (which are two of my favorite classes) and we don't even have anything stressful in them before we leave for Galilee!!! (in THREE days!) This feeling is so exhilarating, it's coming dangerously close to the relief you feel after your last final of the semester.

Me and Val with our cute Islam professor Dr. Musallam right after the final. Love his grin, he's the greatest.

We're done!!! Those big fat smiles are genuine.

After the test, we felt the need to go get some candy (to add some sugar to our natural high) and on the way back we found these young boys with these adorable puppies (picture to come soon). That was maybe the best part of the day. I probably even got fleas from them (knowing me and my irresistable blood) but I don't even care, I fell in love.

The whole rest of the night, the JC went mad with energy. The night was maybe topped off by my buddy Shelby practicing his doorstep scene with various JC girls, and a crowd of 20 watching and critiquing each attempt. It was quite a sight. Only BYU students, I tell you what. We sure are somethin! Seriously hilarious. What a day!!!

P.S. I was very excited while reading this but now, going back and reading this entry, I've realized that while it's very exciting that a few of our hard classes are over, it is also a shot through the heart. I never want this program to end and this is a very big sign that the end is coming :(. I have a mission to make the most of these next few weeks!

O Little Town of.....

2009-03-17T11:42:00.000-07:00

BETHLEHEM!

Okay, I know I'm behind on showing you everything from Jordan, but today was such an awesome day! I'll catch up on Jordan after. So today we spent the whole day in Bethlehem, which isn't too far away but happens to be located in the West Bank, so it takes our teachers some preparation to get us there (don't fret, we were safe). Here are some fun highlights from the day:

We went to Bethlehem University and got to meet and talk with the students there. Since Bethlehem is in the West Bank (Palestinian territory), the students are 70% Muslim and 30% Christian. We had a panel of a few of the students and we got to ask them just about anything. It was SO interesting to be able to ask about their everyday lives, and how the conflict has affected them personally. It's definitely a different life than the one I have known.

One of my new friends

We also met up with our Islam professor, Dr. Musallam, who is from there, so he took us on a tour of his hometown. He is such a good man and I really respect him.

And of course, what would a city be without a falafel stand...?

The street vendor making my favorite food: Falafel!!

We went to the Church of the Nativity, which is believed to be the place where Christ was born. I guess with all the research on the area, it makes a lot of sense. It is the highest point in Bethlehem. That was really cool.

Me and Lex where the star on the floor indicates the very spot believed to be the birthplace of the Savior.

At the church, we learned something really cool. You know that verse in the New Testament when Christ says, "It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God"? (Matt. 19:24). I always thought that referred to an actual eye of a needle. Apparently, it refers to a type of door made in Jesus' time. It was a short, half-sized door big enough for people to get through but small enough that it would be easy enough to block up in case of an attack. I guess people would bring their camels through that door, but the camel would have to kneel down and scoot through as its owner coaxed it all the way through. So the Savior wasn't saying it's impossible for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God. He was saying that it is much more difficult and requires extra effort. Cool, yeah? I thought so too.

Us going through the door of the eye of the needle

At the end of the trip, we went out to Shepherds' Fields. There, in the vicinity of where it is believed that the angel came to the shepherds to announce the birth of Jesus Christ, we talked about the birth of the Savior and the people that each played a significant part in it. It was dark by this point, and a little cold. Brother Wilson pointed out that we're only about 2 weeks away from the actual time of year that the Savior was born, so this is probably what the weather was really like. It was quite the experience to sit there and imagine what had happened in that field or closeby, and the feelings that must have been felt there. It was the perfect way to end the day. The only problem is now I'm in the Christmas mood! Only....9 more months!

Off to Jordan!

2009-03-01T20:50:00.000-08:00

Just wanted to let you know I'm going to be gone on a field trip for four days! Hopefully I'll be more on the ball about filling you in when I get back. We're going to Jordan and Petra!

The Egypt Finale, and what a finale it was...

2009-02-26T01:09:00.000-08:00

Well, it's only taken me about a month to document a seven day trip, but I hope you guys have had a little taste of what Egypt was like and how awesome the experience was of being there. Our final day could not have been better because of the one activity we did that day, hiking Mount Sinai at sunrise.

We woke up at 2:00 am, pretty tired and all of us just hoping that this would be worth it. The way up the mountain was actually really tough, I think in large part because of the cold. It was pitch black and freezing! We couldn't see anything around us. We each had our headlamps on but we were surrounded by black on all sides. Moses must have been some guy, climbing that mountain so many times at his age! I was hoping the temperature would get better but we hiked for a few hours and the higher we went, the colder it got. But whenever I would take my eyes off of the dark path and look up, it made it easier to forget about the cold. I don't think I have ever seen such a beautiful starry sky in my life. It was so clear up there. The entire sky was covered in stars, more than I've ever seen. It was pretty breathtaking. Before we started, one of our teachers mentioned when the Lord said, "Worlds without number have I created." Seeing the stars that night really made that come alive.

When we got to the top, it was still pitch black, and once we stopped moving, it got even colder. We all bundled up and cuddled close to try to stay warm.

Cuddle buddies!!!

We waited up there for probably 45 minutes or so before the sun started to come up, and then this is what we saw:

The sun starting to peak through

And then we looked around and saw the view that surrounded us. To think that this is where Moses was when he talked with God and received the Ten Commandments was a pretty overwhelming thought. It was so strange to think that this incredible view was there the entire time and we just couldn't see it. On the way up, I had no idea how beautiful the mountains surrounding me were.

I guess it just goes to show, we see so little of the big picture. As good and beautiful as the life we know is, there really is so much more to it than our own limited understanding can comprehend. And one day, we'll finally have the whole view, and all of it, the good and the bad, will come together and for the first time we'll really see.

It really was such a neat experience and I'm so grateful for it. Egypt altogether was a phenomenal adventure, and I loved the whole thing! And I especially love that I've finished the blogging of it, so sorry it took so long. I'm sure I'll have so much more to tell you and show you when I get home, so be prepared!

The Egypt Chronicles: Day 7

2009-02-22T15:25:00.000-08:00

Okay, this one's going to be short. I'm almost to the end of Egypt! Making progress I am! (haha, that sounded like someone familiar. maybe Yoda. or Eliza Doolittle).

After my 13 hour sleep, I was all set to be healthy for..........a really long drive. Thank heavens I didn't get sick on that day! I will be forever grateful. On Day 7 we left Cairo and drove and drove and drove. The drive itself was beautiful though. (The above is another shot by the artistic Richelle taken from the bus I believe. She has more artistic ability in her pinkie than I do in my whole body. And I recognize that. And that is why I steal pictures from her!

The bus got a little crazy with some insane games of truth or dare, but we finally made it the Morgenland Hotel at the base of Mt. Sinai. And that wonderful place is where I will pick up next time.

The Egypt Chronicles: Day 6

2009-02-22T14:41:00.000-08:00

After spending the night on the train, needless to say, we were all a little groggy and exhausted. We went straight to our hotel, where we ate breakfast and then held our own Sacrament Meeting. It was really neat. Kind of weird that it was on a Friday, but in all honesty, since we've had the Sabbath on Saturdays in Jerusalem, it wasn't all that different to get used to. The Sabbath is the Sabbath.

We had just a little bit of time before we left for the Egyptian Museum. I have to say, this was one of my favorite parts of the trip. There was SO much to see in this museum, ancient coffins, statues of the ancient rulers, ancient papyri, ancient everything. There was too much to even really say briefly in a blog posting, so I'll just say a couple of the interesting things we saw:

The treasures found in the tomb of King Tutankhamen or "King Tut". Most people know King Tut as the ruler who was just a boy when he died (He was technically around 18). He actually didn't really stand out much in history. The main reason that he is so famous today is because almost all the tombs of the ancient pharaohs were robbed by grave-robbers who took everything. However, Tutankhamen's tomb was somehow never found by them, and remained undiscovered until the mid-1900's when it was found by an archaeologist. Everything that was originally placed in the tomb was recovered and put in the Egyptian museum. It was incredible to see the riches and artifacts they'd found there.

This was taken a few days earlier, when we were at the Valley of the Kings (burial place of the ancient Egyptian kings). Me and Richelle outside the actual tomb of "King Tut"

2. The mummy room. Wow. Have you ever seen a real mummy? If not, I suggest you find a way to do it. It is a crazy experience! We had to pay extra to enter this special room in the museum, but it was well worth it. This room contained the mummified bodies of at least a dozen ancient rulers, one of which was Rameses II who is believed to be the Pharaoh during the exodus when Moses delivered the Hebrews from captivity in Egypt. I looked at the body of the man who very likely spoke face to face with Moses. So crazy. Their heads and upper bodies were all unwrapped for us to see, and was it ever a sight to see! I can't believe that after 4,000 years, those bodies are still here, and still look like that! Some of them even still had hair! Sorry I don't have any pictures. Cameras weren't allowed in the museum, for obvious reasons. But man, it was amazing.

For lunch, we went to Hard Rock Cafe, Cairo edition! The best thing about Hard Rock is that this was honestly the sign on the bathroom door:

"No drugs or nuclear weapons allowed." What do you say to that?

After lunch, we went to the Muhammad Ali Mosque, which was beautiful (as shown below). It's a mosque Muhammad built himself to house his tomb.

Sorry there aren't a whole lot of pictures from this day. I wasn't "all there" health-wise so I wasn't really into doing the picture thing that day. I was a little out-of-it. In fact, after getting back from the mosque, I went straight to bed and slept 13 hours!! Kind of a boring night, but it paid off big time. I was ready for Day 7!

One more shout-out to Luxor

2009-02-22T14:23:00.000-08:00

I forgot a couple things about Luxor.

First were my new best friends. These guys were the bomb. They were very desert sheik-ish and they sat outside our hotel and played their rockin instruments in a very Egyptian way (so it seemed to me). They even came into the hotel's restaurant once to sing Happy Birthday to one of our girls. They were hilarious!

Second, the Egyptian Bazaar. How does one explain it? Basically, these shop-keepers (most of which are young men) will do almost anything to get you to buy something from them. Seriously. I can't tell you how many times I heard them try to flirt with the girls to bring them into their shop. Here are a couple of their gems:

"Excuse me, you drop something.....my heart."

"You eyes are beautiful like a cow's" (Believe it or not, this is actually a compliment in Egypt. Apparently cows have really beautiful eyes. I guess I need to take a closer look next time I see one)

"Don't leave, you break my heart!"

"I pay one million camels for you!"

It got to be pretty ridiculous. There was even one that tried the "going in for the kiss" tactic. No good. The bonus to all of this: we got some good deals on souvinirs!

The Egypt Chronicles: Day 5

2009-02-22T13:00:00.000-08:00

Well, seeing as how we haven’t used enough forms of travel in the last few days, we tried another. Day 5 started out with another falukah boat ride to the other side of the Nile, where we were picked up in……. horse carriages! Yep, I said horse carriages. It was crazy, we were driving along the busy crazy road with everyone else, weaving in and out of traffic. It actually was a lot of fun, except for that one time the Egyptian boy made me take the reins and told me I had to drive, and then the horse started galloping as I almost steered us into another car, of course screaming the entire way. What a sight that must have been...

Go on, just try to tell me this doesn't look sketchy. I was driving as we were swerving through traffic! And that crazy horse was galloping!

After the terror was over. I had regained my composure and we smiled with our kind dare-devil friend.

We finally made it alive to the Karnak Temple. And it was well worth it! This is one of those places that you hear about and never think you’ll actually get to. It was another feast for the eyes. In the center of the temple is a huge hall filled with 134 enormous columns, covered in writings and hieroglyphics. Our tour guide was telling us how they were able to chisel the hieroglyphics into the stone when it seems impossible because they go so high. Apparently, Egypt has an abundance of sand (who knew?), so they filled the ENTIRE hall with sand, almost up to the very top, and the workers would chisel away that top part of the columns until they ran out of room. Then they would drain some of the sand, just enough to give them more chiseling space, and they’d go at it again until they ran out of room. And so it continued until they’d carved the entire height of the 134 pillars. And let me tell you, they are a sight to behold! After Karnak, we went straight to the Luxor Temple, which was also beautiful in its own way. The whole day we were full of awe.

The beautiful pillars at Karnak

I ended up finding my own little nook. Cozy, no? I think I'll make it permanent.

An ancient hieroglyph found on the Karnak Temple showing the pharaoh being purified through washing and anointing in order to inherit eternal life.

Me, Heidi, Chris, and Annie taking some time out to show you how sweet our fanny packs are. Don't be jealous.

Just another gorgeous shot, compliments of Richelle.

Good times. Noodle Salad

After the temples, we headed back to the hotel, free for the rest of the day! Some swam, some went shopping at the Egyptian Bazaar (pretty much a market with all kinds of touristy gadgets), and just a few of us stayed behind to watch the most beautiful sunset I've ever seen. It was over the Nile River and absolutely perfect. It really was such a peaceful way to spend that perfect time of day, and to ponder about how lucky we really are to have all that we have.

Well, the beauty of the Sunset was phenomenol, but we still had more to our day. The time came to leave Luxor and head back to Cairo where we still had more to see. It was a sad day. I LOVED Luxor. One day, I'll come back again...

So that night, we took an all night train to get back to Cairo. Remember the before-mentioned meal of bread, bread, bread, and one more piece of bread? Yeah, that was on this train. It probably wasn't the cleanest place I'd ever been, but I think Romanian trains prepped me, so it wasn't too bad. I got to share a room with Eliza, my roommate on the Egypt trip. I feel it's necessary to do a shout-out to that girl. She really made the tripsuch a blast. I loved sharing a room with her, even if it was just for a week. Especially in those moments when we busted out her ipod and sang every song we came across at the top of our lungs. Ah....good stuff.

The Egypt Chronicles: Day 4

2009-02-18T13:07:00.000-08:00

Well, you already know that Day 4 started with a beautiful view of the Nile River. But we didn’t get to sit and enjoy it for long. We got up and rushed out the door, ready to begin another full day!

We started out today at the Valley of the Kings, which is the ancient burial place of a lot of the famous pharaohs of Egypt (Seti I, Rameses II, Tutmosis III, King Tutankhamen or “King Tut”). It was really neat to see it all, to walk down into the tombs and see the stories and messages the walls carried (let’s be honest, we wouldn’t have understood any of it on our own. Thank heavens for Brother Skinner!). It was really cool especially to see the similarities there are between ancient Egypt and our gospel principles of the LDS church today. Pretty crazy actually.

After the Valley, we headed off to the Funerary Temple of Rameses III (another pharaoh. Sorry if this info is boring to you, but it was incredible to see firsthand). It was such an overwhelming sight! Seriously. HUGE stone walls with hieroglyphics ALL OVER THEM! I just stared up with my mouth open the whole time.

Annie and I at the Temple of Rameses III

Is this for real?

Taking my place among the greats

So after we ate lunch, it was FINALLY the moment we’d all been waiting for: The Camel Ride. Oh yes, yes yes, we rode camels. And what an adventure it was! The camel ride was on the other side of the Nile, so we set sail on a falukah (sp?) boat from our hotel (since it was right on the water) and sailed across the Nile. On the way, we discovered the Egyptians today have an obsession with Bob Marley. Really. Isaac, I thought that'd make you happy.

Elyse and I on the Falukah ride, really excited about our boat's motto.

"God Pless Us Everyone."

Our boat's subtle tribute to Bob Marley

Once we got there, we each met our little Camel helpers, little Egyptian boys. My little Mohammad was so dang cute. Didn't speak a whole lot of English, but we bonded. He informed me that my camel's name was Bob Marley (the obsession continues). It was SO MUCH FUN!! We rode in a big caravan, along the shore of the Nile, and through this small Egyptian village. It was definitely an eye-opener to see how humbly these people live, but how simple and beautiful it was at the same time. I loved it.

Our Camel Caravan

Here we go!!

My little Mohammad, Bob Marley, and Me!

What a day! It was so much fun. I kept waiting to think I was bound to be disappointed at some point of this trip, but it never happened! Every single thing we did was such an awesome experience! Today just added to the glory of Egypt!

Out-takes from Day 3

2009-02-18T12:42:00.000-08:00

One more thing, just so you can see how great these people are. These are my roommates at the sphinx. I've never posted a video before, so let's see if this works!

The Long-Awaited Return to the Egypt Chronicles: Day 3

2009-02-18T10:43:00.000-08:00

Hey!

Yeah, I can give you my excuses for not having blogged, but even though I did have a lot of school work, that's no excuse for going like two weeks without it. I'm a new woman (let's hope) and I'm going to try to do as much of this darn Egypt trip tonight as I can, because I have so many more things to tell you since Egypt! It's funny, this really is exactly what my real journal sounds like in about every single entry. The only difference is that now, all you guys get to see what a bad/seldom writer I am!

Okay, so back to Egypt. Our third day was AWESOME!! (Prepare yourselves, this might be a long one, but complete with many a picture). So we wake up in Cairo and meet our new tour guide, Noha, who lovingly requested that we nickname her "Mama Pharaoh." She was HILARIOUS! Some of her pearls of wisdom include but are definitely not limited to:

"We have lanes, but they are more for decoration." (in reference to the insane traffic in Cairo, where there are about seven lanes of cars across a three-lane highway. Seriously. This is no joke.)

"Traffic is amazing, amusing, and confusing." (in reference to the same traffic).

Yeah, she was great. There were a lot more but I never wrote them down. So anyway, the first place we went to were the PYRAMIDS!!! Off we go to the Giza Plateau!!

The Three Great Pyramids of Giza

Human pyramid at the pyramids of Giza! Here we are at the first and biggest of the three, the Pyramid of the Pharaoh Khufu. I'm on the bottom cause I'm rough and tough.

AAHHHH!!! We're at the Pyramids!!!

Is this crazy or what?! This pyramid alone has 2.3 million stones!

Here's some more crazy fun facts about the pyramids that you'll enjoy (I was fascinated):

Get this. Their architects and builders were so exact in their construction that the longest side is only 7 inches longer than the shorter side. It is almost a PERFECT SQUARE!

I can't remember this fact exactly, but it's another one of the architecture ones. The entire base of the pyramid is on almost the exact same level. There is only a variation of a few centimeters for the level of the entire base!

It took about 20 years to complete and if I remember right, they guess that there had to have been about 10,000 men working on it constantly for those 20 years.

The pyramids are SO OLD! About 4,600 years old to be exact. That means that when Abraham (who's one of the oldest people we know of in the Bible) came to Egypt, he saw the pyramids himself, and they were already about 800 years old. I looked on the same sight that Abraham did. That's mind-boggling.

So yeah, the pyramids were incredible. We also stopped by to see the very first pyramid ever, called the step pyramid. (The very first one was made by Pharaoh Zoser's architect Imhotep who stacked mudbrick structures on top of each other, thus creating the step effect. And yes, I also realized that Imhotep is the guy from "The Mummy," though I don't think they're really the same person...)

The Step Pyramid at Saqqara (This is actually huge like the others, but the artistic abilities of Richelle are unmatched)

While we were at the pyramids, we stopped over at the sphinx. Yep, just stopped on over. It's right in front of the second pyramid of Giza, and is all made from one single stone. I think there are a lot of debates as far as who it's supposed to represent, but the human head represents the intelligence of mankind and the lion body represents the strength of a lion.

Annie, Me, Sphinxie, S. Allison, Alexis

He loves me

We Love Egypt!! (Me and my roomies I love so much in with the pyramids)

Well, we finally left the Giza Plateau and headed to the Papyrus factory, where we learned how ancient papyrus was made from a Papyrus plant. Pretty cool stuff. It was so neat to see all the authentic Egyptian symbols and paintings on real papyrus. (I may or may not have bought a couple to bring home....)

Valorie and I trying to squish the papyrus plant

Wow! What a day! We also went to Memphis (the original capital of Ancient Egypt) and by the end we were exhausted. But oh no no, our day was not over yet. We left the majority of our stuff in Cairo, packed one small backpack, and hopped on a plane to fly over to Luxor for a few days. It was pretty exciting. Let me just say, Egyptian airport security- not too particular. In fact, they never even checked the names on our tickets once, so I flew as "Alisha Anderson." It was an awesome flight.

Me and Elyse SO excited to fly Egyptianair. Woot woot! Don't mind that we look like we're about to fall asleep. It was a long day.

So once we got to Luxor, we went straight to our hotel, which was a HEAVEN ON EARTH!! The Sheraton gets two thumbs way up from me! Seriously, I didn't even realize how beautiful it was until the next morning when we woke up and realized where we were and what we overlooked! This was the view from where we ate breakfast. It doesn't even do it justice AT ALL, but that is our swimming pool, overlooking the Nile River. Wow. So beautiful. Luxor was a beautiful experience altogether. But that post is for Day 4.

To Hold You Over....

2009-02-11T11:26:00.000-08:00

Oh hey! I'm so sorry that I am so awful at keeping up with this darn blog! I'm comin back to finish this Egypt novel, I promise! The problem is that I've had/am still having a crazy week with school. Quizzes, papers, midterms! After this Friday I'll have some time so until then, please enjoy the above glimpse of my one true Egyptian love.

The Egypt Chronicles: Day 2

2009-02-06T05:01:00.001-08:00

This post is gonna be really easy.

We drove. All day.

We finally crossed into Egyptian lands and got a pretty sweet stamp in our passports and we began immediately to walk like an egyptian.

After hitting Egypt, we still had to drive for a bit to get to Cairo. Don't you worry, we found ways to entertain ourselves on the bus. It was a 7-day party. We finally got to our hotel that night, which happened to be located RIGHT BY THE PYRAMIDS! This was our very first glimpse of the pyramids. Unreal. My eyes wouldn't believe it. I kept having the feeling that I was just on the strip in Las Vegas, looking across the city at the Luxor hotel. So surreal!

Funny story: When we got to the hotel, we soon learned that all these people wanted to cater to our every need because they really want our group to come back again. So when they found out we were looking for something to do, the hotel offered to put on some "American music," and host a dance party. Well, the problem is they don't really have a room for stuff like that. So they set it up in the front lobby of the hotel. Bahaha, fifteen minutes later, you walk into the hotel and you just see 50 American kids jumping up and down and singing their hearts out. In the front lobby! It was SO funny. All these Asian tourists (Alisa, I think one of them said he was your cousin) congregated in the front doorway of the hotel, and just stared at us. Eventually, they whipped out their cameras and were taking pictures up the wazoo. I wouldn't be surprised if there's a video on youtube of American kids going crazy in Egypt. But the management of the hotel was right there being entertained right along with them, so I guess it was okay.

The Egypt Chronicles: Day 1

2009-02-06T03:44:00.000-08:00

Okay, it took me a few days to get going, but I finally got all the pictures from everyone else's cameras loaded onto my computer. (I broke my own camera a few weeks ago and am thus dependent on everyone else for quality visual aids). Now, I can finally start blogging about the Egypt trip!

DAY 1--Sunday, January 25th

We loaded the buses at the crack of dawn (without much sleep from the night before) and took off ready to have the time of our lives! By that night, we still hadn't crossed the border into Egyptian territory, but we did a lot of driving (all barriers were broken down in our beloved bus) and made a few stops along the way. In all the different places we visited, there was one constant: camels. There were camels everywhere. If you look to the left, clearly, I am the only one taking the "Beware of Camels" warning seriously. You can never be too cautious.....

First we stopped at Tel Beersheba, an ancient biblical city. Joseph and Mary may have passed through here on their flight to Egypt when Christ was a child. Abraham also had many experiences in and around Beersheba. This is where he was living when he received the commandment to travel to Moriah (near Jerusalem) and offer up his son Isaac as a sacrifice.

Next stop, we went to an overlook of the Wilderness of Zin where Moses and the children of Israel wandered for forty, yes FORTY, years after escaping from Egypt, looking for the promised land. It shouldn't have taken so long for them to reach the promised land, but they kept turning to wickedness, so the Lord kept them in the wilderness for a VERY LONG TIME. Let me just say this, when the scriptures said "wilderness," I had it in my mind that it was like trees and woods. Oh no no no. It is the most desolate thing I've ever seen. It's just flat out desert. Plain, dry, hot, rocky, sandy desert. Poor, poor Israelites. Here we are, pondering how bad it would stink to be stuck here (look beyond us) for forty years.

Okay, after that, the only other place we stopped was called Avdat. I'm pretty sure it had some significance with trade routes or something. All I know is that it was like a great, big, ancient playground. Complete with caves, ditches, the whole shebang. It was a blast.

That night we finally made it to our home for the night: a Kibbutz. Basically, it's like a socialist compound where everyone in their community lives and works. It was pretty interesting to learn about. Of course we spiced up our night with dancing, finger-fencing, and a few rounds of big booty. Then off to bed to get ready for tomorrow!

FALLIN' IN LOVE WITH EGYPT!!

2009-02-03T12:16:00.000-08:00

Wowzas!! Well, we're finally back from the land of pyramids, sphinxes, temples, camels, and very bad hot chocolate, and let me tell you, it was MAGICAL! Okay okay, so some things weren't exactly magical, like the general cleanliness, parasitic water, interesting train food (bread bread and more bread), and the fact that just about everyone got really sick at one point or another. But as for the rest of it, WOO YEAH!! It was AWESOME!!

Okay, seriously, I was excited for Egypt before we left, but I think I definitely underestimated how fun/cool/fasincating it was going to be. Egypt outdid herself in my eyes. That may have been due in part to excellent planning by our teachers who packed more activities in a week than you could possibly imagine and let us get several glimpses into the Egyptian life (both ancient and modern). Honestly, by Sunday night when we arrived back home at the JC (and yes, it definitely felt like home) it felt like we'd been gone a month at least, and it had only been seven days. Seven VERY FULL days! I loved every single minute of it and, though it feels so nice to be home, part of me wants to go do it again right now.

So, I want to let you guys know what went down in the Land of Mystery, but it'll take me some time to get it together. So instead of doing it all at once, I'm going to split it up. A post a day about what happened each day there. That way, it won't be one HUGE novel-length post. Of course, that might just make it seven slightly smaller but still HUGE novel-length posts knowing me, but that's life! So anyways, I'm going to bed right now, but tomorrow I'll start on Day One! Goodnight!!

P.S. Yep, those are my fingers, just incase you couldn't tell from the pudge factor

I know that my Redeemer lives

2009-01-24T13:31:00.000-08:00

This will be brief (compared to my usual style) but I feel like I need to share it. We're leaving in just a few short hours for Egypt and I won't be able to write for a week and a half, and I don't want to forget this feeling while it's still so fresh inside of me. Today was one of the most powerful experiences I've had since I've been here.

Today we went to the Garden Tomb.

It's been so incredible to see every site we've been to and I have already been awe-struck so many times, but there was something different about the Garden Tomb. I can't even put it into words really. But there was a whole different feel there. It just felt so.....sacred. Even with hundreds of people around, I might as well have been there alone, in peaceful solitude. Every place we go to speaks differently to each person. For some reason, this place spoke to me, and it's not even necessarily a fact that this is the right place, but just being there where it could have happened, feeling the spirit, and thinking about what my brother went through for me both before and after His crucifixion was a very humbling thing . The feelings I had were so powerful, they actually took me by surprise. We had the opportunity to sit there in the Garden, where many believe that Jesus Christ our Savior may have been laid and resurrected, and ponder the significance of what that means. I don't tend to be much of a tear-shedder, so you can imagine my surprise when we began singing "I Know That My Redeemer Lives," just feet away from that sacred place, and by the end of the first verse, I felt tears streaming down my face. The words that I've sung hundreds of times were filled with so much more meaning and feeling than they ever had been before. I wasn't expecting it, but I couldn't stop. I wish there was a way to truly convey how I felt sitting there without sounding cliche, but there really isn't a way to adequately describe it. It really was one of the most powerful experiences I've ever had.

Our tour guide there, a Baptist preacher from the south, left us with a really interesting thought. He said when you enter the tomb, "it's not important what you see there , but what you don't see that matters."

He really is risen. He really did overcome death, and because of Him, I can too. He went through every imaginable thing for me, and I am so grateful that through the power of His resurrection, one day, I will have the chance to fall at His feet and thank Him for the precious gift of His sacrifice.

He lives and grants me daily breath. He lives, and I shall conquer death. He lives my mansion to prepare.

He lives to bring me safely there.

What? Americans? Are we that obvious...?

2009-01-21T09:09:00.000-08:00

Hey! Okay, I’m really gonna try updating this thing a lot more often just because when I don’t, there is so much to write about and catch up on that I keep putting it off because it’ll take me so long! So my new goal is to try to do it every day/every other day and we’ll see what happens. All of you are welcome to read or skip what you want and I'll probably never find out. But to be fair, we do some pretty awesome stuff here so you should tune in. Since going back to fill you in would take so long, I’m just going to start writing from now and try to catch you up as I go!

We had SUCH a cool field trip today! (We go on field trips about once a week around the city). I’ll try to be brief about it but most of you should know that I don’t really work that way. So today we went to Kotel Tunnel which was once an old Jewish part of the city, but now lies underground beneath what is today a Muslim part of the city. To give a little background, (I didn’t know most of this before), during King Herod’s reign (who is commonly known as an amazing architect), he built the temple mount, which was a HUGE platform for the Jewish temple to be built on. When the temple was destroyed in 70 A.D., a lot of the mount was destroyed as well, but the western wall of the mount remained. Today, it is the most sacred site for the Jewish religion, because it is the closest they can get to where their temple once was. (Today, the Dome of the Rock, an Islamic structure, sits where the Jewish temple once was, so Jews aren’t really allowed anywhere near it).

So today, we explored the underground tunnels of this old Jewish city, walking on the very stones that have been there for over 2000 years. We touched pillars and stones that have the mark of Herod, meaning that he and his builders placed them there that long ago. We followed the western wall of the old temple mount all the way down and it was amazing to see the architecture of it. The incredible thing to me was how precise the stones were that made the wall. I’ve heard Herod was a master architect, but that is no joke! He didn’t even use cement or any kind of substance to bind the stones. They were cut so perfectly that they stacked right on top of each other and were sturdy enough to last over 2000 years. It’s crazy! I know it probably doesn’t sound that cool to tell you about, but it was so cool to see. I still don’t understand how they even got the stones up onto the wall. They were HUGE! One stone weighed over 500 tons! It was so big and they chiseled out the entire thing from the quarry and transported it in one solid piece to the wall. It’s just amazing the things that civilizations before now were able to accomplish without the tools we have today. Really, it was SO cool.

Today, the small portion of the western wall that is above ground is considered very sacred to Jews and is known as the “Wailing Wall.” They go there daily or weekly to read the Torah, touch the wall, and rock back and forth as they pray. Because it is such a holy place, they believe their prayers are better heard there. In fact, they consider the wall to be so sacred that they write their pleas to God on small slips of paper, fold them up, and then tuck them into some crack or crevice in the wall. If you walk up to it, you won’t see a single crevice in the wall that isn’t packed with tons and tons of tiny pieces of paper. The whole area is especially busy on Friday evenings, which is the start of their Shabbat or Sabbath. And last Friday, our teachers decided to take us there to see it.

This is where the story gets really funny. Our teachers told us that all the boys have to wear a kippa on their heads (a really small Jewish cap) and all the girls should wear a scarf, covering their heads. Well, of course, all the scarves we all have here are VERY bright-colored and flashy, but we were told they would work. So just before we got to the western wall, we all fixed our scarves, even going the extra mile by tucking all of our hair up inside the scarf, just in case that was custom. We didn’t want to stand out at all so we were trying EXTRA hard to fit in. Oh how funny that is now.

So we got to the western wall, and the girls separated from the boys (have to be on different ends of the wall). All of us girls tried to act casual in our jeans, hoodies, and bright-colored scarves wrapped tightly around our heads. As we go exploring, each of us begins to notice on our own that NOBODY else there is wearing a scarf, and NOBODY there is wearing bright colors at all. All the women are in dark, neutral-colored dresses and skirts. At one point, I was standing up on a higher surface and looked out over all the women, and every single scarf I saw was a Jerusalem Center student, trying to fit in but oh-so-obviously standing out. It really was a funny sight. So one-by-one, we all ended up taking our scarves off as we walked around. So then, one of my friends asks one of the Jewish girls there why no one else is wearing a scarf. The girl proceeds to tell her that only married women wear scarves. Not only that, but scarves worn the way we were wearing them meant you were Muslim.

Awesome.

We show up to the most sacred place in the Jewish faith, on the Jewish Shabbat, looking like married Muslim women. So much for fitting in! Luckily, I don’t think anyone got upset at us at all. It was probably just funny to see the Americans making fools of themselves. Haha, oh man, it was good stuff.

Anyways, on a more serious note, it really was fascinating to see what happens there. I think one of the greatest things I’ve come to respect about Judaism is their devotion. Their faith is manifest in everything they do. And as I walked through the crowds of women, seeing them waiting just to touch their fingers to the sacred surface, and then once they reached it, showing so much emotion as they poured their hearts out in prayer, I was filled with such a strong admiration for them. It really made me realize how truly dedicated they are, and how much more I can improve in my own devotion to the gospel that I believe in. It really is the center of their lives and it was such a humbling experience for me to be a witness of that.

Life in the JC...

2009-01-17T13:55:00.000-08:00

Hello! The above was my very first view of my new home! I know I haven't written for a whole week and there's so much that's happened already that I need to tell you about! But there's so much that its impossible to put it all in one post. Before I start telling you any of the details of the activities we've done, my sister reminded me that I haven't really told y'all of the day-to-day things we've been up to and what life is really like at the good ol' Jerusalem Center. This will be our topic for this evening!

First off, I love the people I've met here. I live in an apartment with three other girls, (Valorie, Alexis, and Allison) and we all get along so well. We spend a lot of our time just laughing at each other uncontrollably. Total there are 77 people in the program and we're already forming really strong bonds with everyone. I love it!

The classes we're taking are really interesting too. Right now we have Old Testament (that will switch to New Testament during the second half of the semester), Judaism (taught by a local Israeli man named Ophir), Islam (taught by a Palestinian man named Adnan), Ancient Near Eastern Studies (taught by a BYU professor who knows SO much about EVERYTHING!), and Hebrew (which is a blast! We're learning the alphabet and have so far learned a new song in Hebrew each class). My professors are all so different in their teaching styles and material, but each have something so special to offer. I love the diversity that we get. We also get to have lectures by the faculty as well as guest lectures really often (usually a few times a week). There's a LOT of reading, but the classes are really interesting.

The food. There's a lot of it. And its usually really good! The cafeteria serves us three meals a day, and they're big meals. It's all really good, the only thing is that it all seems to have the same flavor. They have a spice here, I think its called Zatar...? Something like that. Anyways, they put it on almost everything they cook. But its alright, because its good stuff. I'm in love with a fruit here I'd never heard of called a persimmon (sp?). I'm determined to find them in the states when I come back! We also eat pitas like nobody's business. I swear we go through hundreds in a day! Pitas with everything! Pitas with hummus, pitas with peanut butter, pitas with pasta, pitas with sandwich meat, pitas with honey, pitas with everything! They're so good!

Let's see, what else....our schedule is pretty different every day. It seems like we usually tend to have class in the morning and then after lunch we'll usually have a few hours of free time when we get to go to the city (as long as its safe) and have adventures! Then after dinner we tend to have lectures, activities, or informative movies showing. Then its off to bed! But they mix it all up every day. Sometimes we'll have the same class for three days in a row and then it'll be a week before we have that class again. I've discovered that it really is a lot easier to go to bed early here because we wake up SO early! Most days we need to be up and ready by about 6:30/6:45am!

The Jerusalem Center is such a beautiful building. It's eight stories high on a mountainside (Mount Scopus, just across Kidron Valley from the Mount of Olives), so every level you stand on has a balcony with a beautiful view of the city. This picture doesn't do it justice at ALL but I took it myself so I'm putting it on here anyway. It can at least give you an idea of what the center's like. I love this place!

Oh wow, there is SO MUCH MORE to tell you! But I think I'll need to save that for another day, perhaps tomorrow. I'll begin to tell you about all the adventures we have that shake things up. But for now, I better get to bed. 6:30 comes very early. Good night!!

Shabbat Shalom!!

2009-01-10T03:36:00.000-08:00

Happy Sabbath everyone! It seemed a little strange at first to have the Sabbath on Saturday, but it's actually not bad. It still feels like the sabbath. I guess the day of the week doesn't really matter much, as much as what your focus is on that day. It's just when I think about going back to class tomorrow morning (Sunday) that it seems a little off.

Our first experience with the branch was awesome. Our choir met for the first time this morning and we sang a few minutes later during Sacrament Meeting, and since the choir is made up of 74 of the 77 students here, we outnumbered the congregation by quite a bit. There are some great families here. Most of the members of the small branch are Americans here working in the consulate (sp?). And there are more kids than I expected, which is especially significant because I got called to work in the primary!! I'm so excited! I haven't even been to a primary class or sharing time or anything since I myself was a wee primary child 12 years ago, but I now I get to do sharing time once a month. I definitely wasn't expecting this calling but it was a very pleasant surprise. The kids are all adorable. A handful, but adorable.

On a side note, I wish I could post some pictures on here to give you guys a little eye candy, but we're not allowed to download any pictures here, because the band-width is too narrow for that much activity (apparently that's electronic talk for "the computer system can't handle it.") So, unless something changes, I won't be able to post pics. But all of us are trying to see if there's a way we can, so I'll be working on it.

Things at the center are great. We went on a walk through the Old City on Thursday and it was so incredible. We saw the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, and passed by the Garden Tomb (but we're going back there later), and saw the parts of the wall around the old city that are authentic. It was SO neat. There's still a lot we didn't make it to, but the parts we did see were incredible. I don't think you could have wiped the awe-struck look off of my face for anything.
Oh, funny story. So we were walking through the old city with our teacher giving us facts and pointing things out the whole time, when this street vendor from a little pizza place suddenly yelled out to us, "Hey, come in here, this is where Jesus ate pizza!" We've been told that everyone in the city knows who the "Mormon students" are as soon as they see them, but I guess they really do! So when I eat there, I'll let you know how it is.

The only hard part is that we haven't been allowed to go back out of the center in the last few days, until further notice. There's nothing really bad going on, there are just some Palestinian demonstrations in the Old City, so until they're finished we're under lockdown. Okay okay, not really like that, but we will definitely be excited when we're allowed to go exploring. It really doesn't feel dangerous at all. They take extra precautions to make sure we're always taken care of and that security knows where we are and how to get ahold of us anytime. I've really never felt so safe.

Oh wow, this place is beautiful. Our sacrament meeting was held in the auditorium, which is on the top floor of the center, and we faced a window that was the length and height of the entire wall with a view overlooking the whole city. It was breathtaking. I just sat there during the talks, hearing what they were saying about the Savior, looking out that window, and thinking about how lucky we all are to be here.

I'M HERE!!!! and I'm EXHAUSTED!!!

2009-01-09T07:10:00.000-08:00

This is the email I sent to my family two days ago, which was my first day in Jerusalem. I'm posting it because it says a lot of what I was feeling, and what I'm still feeling!

Hey everyone!!!
I made it!! It was a LONG day, very very long day. I just wanted to write you real quick and let you know I'm still alive. We had a flight from Salt Lake to Denver to Washington DC to Vienna to Tel Aviv, and it was awesome getting to know everyone, but I'm SO tired. We got here to the center at about 5:00pm which over there was about 8:00 this morning, and I hadn't slept as much on the planes as I'd hoped (and being the procrastinator I am, I hadn't slept at all the night before I left. Mom, you were right). Since the faculty wants us to recover from jetlag asap, they wouldn't let us go to sleep until bedtime tonight. Haha, they even told us specifically when we went to our rooms to take our luggage there that we were not allowed to lay down on the beds at all. I can't say I blame them. I'm pretty sure every one of us would have been out in a matter of seconds. So instead, they've done their best all day with keeping us "busy." We've been on the go since we got here. We had dinner, a few orientations, and a tour of the center, and now they've finally told us we're allowed to go to sleep and I've never been so excited. But let me just say this before I go, this place is unreal. I can't even begin to describe how beautiful the building is alone. It's huge with marble floors everywhere and HUGE ceilings with big archways all over. And it's all light-colored with SO much natural light, its just so serene. I was staring wide-eyed at everything as we walked through. Not to mention that from just about any window (including my balcony) you can look out and see the Old City, with the Dome of the Rock just staring you in the face, as you hear the Muslim prayer call in the background five times a day, which is a single male voice singing (and its beautiful), and you can hear it all through Jerusalem. It's unreal. I still can't believe I'm here. This is the chance of a lifetime, and I don't even know how to express what I'm feeling just standing here thinking about how lucky I am. Thanks for all the support you guys have given me in helping me get here. I'll keep you guys updated and give you more details later, maybe tomorrow if there's time. We're going on a walk through the Old City tomorrow so I'm sure I'll have loads to tell you about. But for now, that's it. I can barely keep my eyes open and I'm pretty sure I stink of travel. I'm gonna go get nice and clean and lay down in that blessed bed and sleep soundly until sunrise when the prayer call sounds again! Love you all so much!!!!

Where we begin....

2008-12-27T09:07:00.000-08:00

Well hello!
I'm creating this blog as a record of the journey of my life. This journey will soon take a very exciting turn and I want to have a way to tell you all about the incredible things I'm going to be seeing and doing. I consider myself to be somewhat blogging illiterate but even though the blogging world is all foreign to me, it's going to be the best and easiest way to keep any and all who want to know updated on the adventures I'll soon be having! Even if I'm the only one that reads it, it'll be worth it, because at least I'll have written down a part of my life. I hope I stick with it! (I've never been very good at the journal thing).
You may be wondering what could be so exciting, so I'll tell you: I'm leaving in just over a week for JERUSALEM!!! I'll be spending an amazing 3 and 1/2 months there and I can't wait! I love adventure, but this is an adventure I've been waiting a long time to go on, and I couldn't be happier! It still doesn't feel real, but I'm hoping when I get off the airplane, it will finally hit me that I'm about to have the experience of a lifetime.
So, with that said, here we go!