my blog is becoming grateful post after grateful post.

Today, I was having a terrible day punctuated by my computer going completely on the fritz. It refused to turn on, it refused to turn off, and I was frustrated because I have online homework due.

Until I went to sociology class and cried through a movie about single-parent homes and extreme poverty.

What a brat I was to complain and whine about my very nice computer having an off-day. Some people wonder how they’re going to feed their kids, or if they’re going to lose their house, or if they’ll be able to get out of an abusive relationship, or if they will be able to pay their child’s medical bills because they can’t get insurance. I have SO MUCH to be grateful for.

So this is my Thanksgiving early post: I’m grateful for my good health that allows me to be happy and fit, and a more capable tool to bless the lives of others. I’m so grateful for the gospel of Christ that brings happiness to my life every hour of the day. I’m grateful for a loving, supportive family who treasures Christ’s teachings and values hard work. I’m grateful for the opportunity not to just study at a four year university of my choice, but to study abroad this summer and learn so much about the world while making lifelong friends. And I’m so grateful for the opportunity my parents and I have to go and serve the Lord by spreading a message that I wholeheartedly believe in to His children, that he loves unconditionally and no matter how far from him we have fallen. I’m grateful for my best friend who is also serving the Lord the best he can and sharing God’s love with the people of Japan. I’m grateful to be a citizen of this great nation, where I have chance to vote, the freedom to worship as I please, and the ability to pursue any education I desire and can afford.

How richly blessed I am, and continue to be. I will never be able to repay the Lord for all that he gives to me and my family, but I strive every day to tell him just how much I appreciate it.

 How richly blessed we all are, simply because of God’s overflowing love and ever-open arms. 

grateful

I know, it’s been an epoch and a half since I blogged. I guess that happens when you get deeper into school. I’m now shadowing and sometimes even assisting hygienists (even though I have no experience – what nice people) and actually really enjoying it. I like my classes for the first time in my life, and I think I might actually have found my career path. My entire life, everyone has asked me whether I was going to be a dentist like my dad, and I’d tell them to jump off a cliff because people’s mouths are nasty. This is still true. I’ve said it once and I’ll say it again: freakin’ brush and floss your teeth, people. But for some reason, I love watching people leave the office with a cleaner and healthier mouth, and feeling better about their smile. That gives me satisfaction, and I’m not even the one doing the cleaning – I’m just watching!

But enough about that. That’s not what I wanted to write about today.

I just spend the last hour and a half watching a documentary in my sociology class – a sociology class that is changing my life every time I go to class. But today.. today made me really realize something. As I sit here in the JFSB, staring at a big white Y on the mountain, I’m overwhelmed with gratitude. It may not be the best school in America. It may not even be the best school in Utah. There’s social weirdities here that I mock and yet participate in. Regardless the stigmas about BYU, I am grateful to be here. I’m at a well-acclaimed 4 year university that has given me a wonderful environment for 3 years where I could feel the presence of the Holy Ghost while I’m in an anatomy lab, observing a cadaver, or in a music class where we discuss how inspired Handel must have been to write the Messiah. I’ve worked with wonderful people who have changed my life, and I’ve met friends who have saved it. This is the place for me.

But I would never be here without certain wonderful teachers in my teenage years.

The documentary I watched today was about education across America in public schools. Now, I’m the first one to tell you how far Idaho has to go to improve and prepare kids for the college they so desperately need for the job market in this day in age. I left Hillcrest High School, not behind by any means – in fact, I was taking AP and Honors classes, and skipped grades of Math because of my test scores. (Sometimes I wonder what black abyss my math skills from middle school fell into.) Yet, I still came to college unprepared. Not because my parents were slacking and not encouraging me to prepare for college, because trust me, they definitely did; not because my teachers didn’t do their best to help me through that math class to learn the material – I had several teachers that let me come in after school for several hours and gave me one-on-one help so that I could get by in math. I came to this university unprepared for the challenge of college work because this system isn’t working.

We need to make it worthwhile for teachers to be teachers. Teachers in Idaho are grossly underpaid, and the teacher unions are doing more harm than good for the education system.We need people to be jumping at the chance to be teachers, rather than thinking that teaching will never be enough to reach their financial goals. Teaching is hard! It’s harder work than most people give them credit for. But with the amount that teachers are paid, you’d never know that they spend their entire day worried about how they can help their students.

But so many kids have had it worse. So many kids live in places where only 12% of 8th graders are proficient in math and reading. So many kids have had teachers that sit at their desk and tell them to shut up and read while the teacher reads cosmo at their desk. So many parents try to get their kids into private schools or charter schools where thousands of families are applying and their kid barely has a chance to get in, because they want their kids to have a chance at getting to college.

And what is truly amazing to me is that even with the challenges of being a teacher in Idaho, I still had teachers that went the extra mile. I had music teachers that went out of their way to give their students opportunities and cared about our individual well-being, all the while sustaining an award-winning choir and teaching me leadership. I had English teachers that would pull me aside and tell me they loved the writing I was doing for their class – that I was creative, that I was writing believable stories, even that I really had a chance to be successful with my writing skills. (And I still believe them! I still plan to finish my book someday and work towards being published.) I had science teachers that went above and beyond the call of duty to help me learn and retain things that I STILL need to know (and still remember!) for my pre-med classes. I had drama teachers that saw the possibility of me being successful and allowed me  the opportunity to make some of my fondest memories and closest friends in their theatre, even though I was self-involved and not as talented as I believed I was. I had men that were my coaches and my teachers, who made me feel like there was a place I belonged and whose personalities and jokes still bring a smile to my face to this day. Even though Idaho’s schools may not be performing well in proficiency tests or have the best math scores in the country, phenomenal teachers at Hillcrest High School became my lifelong friends by caring about me. We need more teachers that can not only teach and impart the knowledge I so desperately need in this life. We need more teachers that care; teachers that give kids a lasting, positive sense of self; teachers that will go out of their way to help students succeed and strive to progress; teachers that make kids feel safe in their classroom. Because I believe that teachers that care for their students are more effective in helping their students retain knowledge. Though I may have come to BYU unprepared for the grueling academic levels I was supposed to be able to perform at, I came to BYU prepared with the people skills that I needed. I came here willing to try hard, because I knew I could because adults that I looked up to believed in me! I came here unafraid of my professors, because my teachers at Hillcrest had shown me that teachers are people too. That knowledge has made it easy for me to get the most out of my education, despite my challenges, because I knew caring people stood in front of my class and would be willing to help me succeed. Maybe that makes me naive, maybe that labels me as overly optimistic about humankind. But above all, I believe that humankind is good. I believe that teachers who are good inside, who really want to see kids succeed and give their all to share their knowledge, are successful teachers. And most of all, I’m grateful for the teachers for the last 15 years of my life that didn’t give up on me – even though I was an emotional basket case who cried in class over a C on a test, or when I didn’t believe that I could ever learn how to do trigonometry. Despite the system and the “failure” of Idaho schools, these teachers gave their all to make up for the flaws in the system.

So teachers. You are superheroes. Thank you for helping me and so many other students believe in themselves, and for giving your darndest to help us be successful adults. I hope someday to make you and my ever-patient parents proud. To you, I am forever grateful.

man. that wordsworth knew his stuff.

I Travelled among Unknown Men

by William Wordsworth

I travelled among unknown men,

         In lands beyond the sea;

Nor, England! did I know till then

         What love I bore to thee.

‘Tis past, that melancholy dream!

         Nor will I quit thy shore

A second time; for still I seem

         To love thee more and more.

Among thy mountains did I feel

         The joy of my desire;

And she I cherished turned her wheel

         Beside an English fire.

Thy mornings showed, thy nights concealed,

         The bowers where Lucy played;

And thine too is the last green field

         That Lucy’s eyes surveyed.

 

 I have less than a week left here, where all my dreams have come true.

I loved her before I came, but “England, did I know till now / what love I bore to thee?“

How can I quit thy shore? 

disclaimer.

Because I’m so behind, I’m basically throwing chronology to wind and going to update in whatever order strikes my fancy. Also, I’ll do my best to update more, but I’m realizing that studying is important and that homework takes a long time.

That will be all.

Oh, and thanks for being patient with me.
And for reading this in the first place!

things i learned in wales today:

1. Welsh is actually just verbal keyboard smash.
2. Don’t wear Chacos to a coal mine.
3. Tintern Abbey really is everything Wordsworth cracked it up to be, down to the last romantic metaphor. I’ve been trying to capture it in words all day and can’t do it justice.
4. There is a reason why bangers & mash with toffee pudding for dessert at a pub is famous British eating.
5. If your entire group wears American Flag tattoos on their faces for the Fourth, the Welsh coal miners might make you sing the Star Spangled Banner during your 300 foot mine shaft ascent.

Tomorrow is Bath, Stonehenge, and hiking in the countryside.

Goodnight from Salisbury!

the epic week-long update of doom.

So it turns out that I’m studying abroad, not just vacationing, so instead of blogging, these last few days have been taken over by quite a lot of reading Chaucer, Shakespeare, stories about King Arthur, and a morality play about the crucifixion of Christ. To be honest, the homework is really fun and interesting; I really enjoy it. But it takes a devilishly long time. I feel like I read all day and night and then there’s always more to do. Also, I’m on dish crew this week, which means I get up earlier in the morning and take care of cleaning up and setting up everybody else’s meals before and after – which I am happy to do for just a week if I get waited on for the other five.

(Oh, just so you know, the voice in my head while I write or think has a flawless British accent now. My tongue won’t replicate it right – and the people just stare at you if you try – but just be warned I’m picking up on their speech mannerisms.)

So because I have a lot to tell you and not enough time, I’ll do it by short categories and days.

overview: Daily, I am amazed that these places are REAL and not just in my history books or novels or imagination. It’s never going to get old.

a funny story. The other day, as I was walking to a shop to pick up some basics, a senior citizen – although not elderly –  British lady stopped me to ask Portobello Market was open today. As soon as I opened my mouth, she didn’t need to hear my answer to know that she’d asked the wrong girl.
“I’m sorry, I’m American, so – “
“Yes, thank you very much.”
Well, at least I blend in.

soundtrack as of late: Jack Johnson. I forgot how much I love this stuff. Been trying to listen to lots and lots of British classics while I’m here though, just for mood music.

disclaimers: I’m learning lots of stuff and getting a lot smarter. This blog post will not do a lot to prove that. I’m just excited and trying to write REALLY FAST. Also, I know I’m getting fatter. The chocolate here is worth it. Trust me. It is 75% more delicious than American chocolate. Even KitKat’s are really tasty.

tuesday, the 26th 
main destination: Henry V at the Globe Theatre.
highlight:

• Yeah. The theatre that William Shakespeare wrote his plays to be performed in. Little did my 9th grade self know, that theatre that I diligently colored for Honors English class was actually going to be visited by my actual self and that I would see a brilliant play there, with the Royal Shakespeare Company, costumes, fake blood, and total breaking of the fourth wall that actually brought a lot of meaning to the audience interaction. (Theatre reference. Google it.) I AM SUCH A THEATRE AND SHAKESPEARE NERD AND IT IS SO AWESOME.

lowlight:

• Standing for the full 3 hours of the play. I hesitate putting this as a lowlight because it was actually really, really cool to have it be part of the experience. You know. Experiencing it like the Elizabethan peasants did and stuff. But no lie, it was really hard to hold still, and my legs were trembling all the next day from locking my knees for so long. Such small price to pay for such good theatre, though.

wednesday the 27th
main destinations: Dover Castle, Cliffs of Dover, Secret Tunnels in said cliffs that made the Dunkirk Evacuation possible, Canterbury (including the famous Cathedral).
highlights: 

• The completely dairy free mint chocolate chip shake in Canterbury. It was a big deal, guys, okay? 
• I WENT TO A CASTLE. A CASTLE WITH A MOAT, A STONE WALL, A DRAWBRIDGE, LOOPHOLES, AND A DRAGON. Okay so I lied about the dragon. Probably. 
• The really adorable tour guide at Canterbury Cathedral, named Avril and from Wales. She was the most precious old lady ever. I wanted to hug her.

lowlights: 

• How foggy it was at Dover. The pictures turned out crummy because it was all grey, and my hair went craycray because of the moisture. What’s new. It rains every day here and I’ve essentially given up on trying to look pretty because my makeup melts off in an hour and my hair is like Merida’s all the time. So that’s cool and stuff.

thursday, june 28th: sherlock day aka the day of fangirl, or the best day ever.
main destinations: Baker Street, North Gower Street (where BBC Sherlock was filmed), Speedy’s Cafe (Home of the Sherlock Wrap), and St. Bart’s Hospital, and Frankenstein at the movie theatre.
highlights: There are so many highlights. I’ll try to save the crazy freaking out for tumblr.

• Talking to the owner of Speedy’s about the cast of BBC Sherlock. He was such a nice guy and the staff was so serviceable, and they smiled at me. (This is a big deal: shopkeepers ignore you until you address them directly. It’s their way of respecting you and giving you space. This country was made for me; people leave you alone if you want to be.) 
• The Sherlock Wrap. Seriously tasty.
• The American costumed bobby at the Sherlock Museum. He had us take some really great pictures with deerstalkers and pipes and a bowler.
• The Sherlock fan support at St. Bart’s. If you haven’t watch the show, you wouldn’t understand. But you guys. Srsly. Check the tumblr later. 
• Frankenstein with Benedict Cumberbatch as Creature, Jonny Lee Miller as Frankenstein, and Director Danny Boyle!? You guys. It was almost overwhelming it was so awesome. It was a recording of the play at the National Theatre, shown in a SUPER INCREDIBLY SPACE AGE NICE movie theatre just around the corner from the Center. (You guys. Seriously. It was a movie theatre from the future. Reclining seats, endless leg room, and waiter service for concessions that I was dying to use but was too cheap.) NOT TO MENTION THE AWESOME OF MY MAIN MAN BENEDICT. Okay that’s enough shouting. Itwassoflippingawesome. I wouldn’t/couldn’t stop bubbling to my companion, Kristina, who probably thinks I’m crazy now. And then I came home and died of fangirlitis.

lowlights: 

• We didn’t get to go into the Sherlock Museum at 221B Baker Street because of time. Don’t even fret, we’re going back.

friday, june 29th
main destination: Tower of London
highlights:

• The Armory, where I saw all of the suits of armor – yes, like “knight in shining” – and weapons. (“Guys, look at that huge stick thing!!” “It’s a lanceeee, hellooooo.”)
• The Crown Jewels. We weren’t allowed to take pictures in there, but wowwww I can’t even imagine how many millions of dollars are contained in that vault. (Yes, Sherlock fans, all I could think of was “Honey, you should see me in a crown.”)

  lowlights: 

• Rain, high winds, and me wearing only a sweater that day. (It was exceptionally hot the day before.  It doesn’t help that the weather service websites here always think it’s opposite day.)
• Getting deathly ill in the middle of the day and missing the rest of class because I was literally delusional with sickness.
• Riding the tube home, alone, with a high fever.

Sorry, Tower of London, I’ll probably not have good memories of you for the rest of my life. Mostly, I just hated life and wanted to get in bed the whole time I was there.

And then I slept for 16 hours.

I should mention, I live with really nice people. You know. The kind that take extra notes for you during the lecture because you’re sick in bed, and the kind that ask you every hour how you’re feeling. Really nice people. I wanted to hug them all. They’re wonderful.

saturday, june 30th, 2012
main destinations: Borough Market, Tate Modern Art Museum, and a London Walk for class.
highlights:

• Macaroons at Borough Market. I know, they were expensive and frivolous. I have wanted to eat European macaroons for several years and I finally had my opportunity. So sue me for fulfilling my expensive dream. They were so beautiful and so delicious.
• Sampling (very small amounts of) cool things like Scottish venison, cheeses whose names I butcher in my broken french, fig mustard, very spicy hummus, and turkish delight that didn’t taste like the soapy American substitute. I was in foodie heaven.
• The Tate Modern deserves a post of its own, that I may not have time to give it until I return. Short story: It was amazing. Even though the pictures on Facebook show me in sweatpants looking super nappy… give me a break guys, I had the flu.
• A used book market, where I found three 1st edition hardcover Harry Potter books, book jackets and all. These aren’t just Harry Potter Books. These are the real deal, exactly how JK Rowling intended them, and they were cheaper than I would have thought. This means I’ve now begun my second set, which I have long dreamed of doing, and can’t imagine starting my collection a better way.

lowlights:

• Losing my button from Tate Modern before I even got to put it on my backpack. What a waste of 50p.
• The fact that I really only felt like eating a smoothie at one of the biggest, oldest open air markets in London when everyone else was eating grilled cheeses and dark chocolate brownies from heaven itself. Darned sick tummy.

sunday, july 1st.
main destinations: church. and my textbooks.
highlights:

• Fast and Testimony meeting, which had an unreal spirit. People who go to church really want to be there. Almost 100% of them are converts. It’s so great.
• One of the new missionaries in the ward is from Preston, Idaho! All the people in the ward thought it was so cool we were both from such close places in Idaho.
• Yummy dinner, including goat cheese pies with something that made them sweet.. cranberries? and little tiny garlic bread balls. Also, the cook put mushrooms, pimento olives, and artichokes in the corn off the cob. Sounds weird? I know. It was actually delectable and I will be trying it again at home.

lowlights:

• Playing the opening and sacrament hymn, spur of the moment because the pianist was late to the meeting. You guys. It was embarrassing. Like, I want to pretend it never happened.
• The bishop asked us to introduce ourselves in the ward by bearing testimony this week – which I was looking forward to until the piano fiasco and then I was super nervous and embarrassed! Hopefully that never happens again.

today, july 2nd
main destination: class, textbooks, and updating this blog. Man, sometimes you just need a down day. This place is so awesome that you just need a break sometimes.
this just in: I may have just found cheap tickets to see Les Miserables here on the West End! I’ve seen it before and my family has always been pretty adoring fans, but I can’t remember the storyline and I’m getting excited for the movie in December!

Well, that’s gonna have to be all for now. I need to start preparing our evening meal. (Man, when did I get posh all of a sudden? Also. Posh? Best word ever and I don’t even know if people really use it here but I think they do and so they do.) I’ll do some pictures later. Promise.

Keep sending me emails! I love hearing from you!

P.S. Mom and Dad said I’m not allowed to cut my hair. Boo.
P.P.S. Will somebody tell my sister to stop ignoring me? Kthnxbai.

photographs.

Yay, pictures! This means less writing but I figured I’d try to upload some pictures while everyone is sleeping.

On our way to church, I found this poster and it made me excited! I hope we can find tickets!

Today after class and lecture, we had some free time, which me and a large group spent at Herrod’s! If you’ve never heard of it, (I hadn’t, don’t worry) it’s a department store on anabolic steroids. It’s like a 6 floor IKEA-style department store where you have to be a bajillionaire to buy anything. Though I left empty-handed, I had a full wallet and an awestruck mind. My pictures of it didn’t really turn out, so I won’t include those. But trust me, it was amazing. The coolest thing we saw was the food floor. It was the ultimate gourmet food store. There were 7 different types of olives and 4 different kinds of calamari, fruits I’d never even seen before, and hams with olive or truffle in them. I wanted to buy a double-decker bus tin of shortbread cookies, but decided against spending £10 on a box of cookies. (That’s almost $17.)
After our free time, we attended a concert in St. Paul’s Cathedral that was particularly amazing! I was riveted, the acoustics were beyond belief, and it was the LONDON SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA. The Symphonic Chorus and the Philharmonic Choir also sang with them, as well as the tenor Barry Banks, who all performed Bizet’s Requiem, the Masse des morts.

I know, it’s not a super great picture, but it was pretty incredible to be there! They didn’t allow us to take pictures inside (trust me, I tried and was reprimanded sharply) so this is as good as it gets! It’s still beautiful!

My friend Katie and I had slight trouble getting in, however, as we made the genius mistake of leaving our tickets with our director who had already gone into the building. We waited outside, since we’d sent word with another student from our group to let him know what had happend. We waited, and waited, and waited… I started getting really panicked. Thankfully, Katie was able to talk to the ushers and they let us in to find the directors after waiting for 20 minutes. (At first, the ushers were really annoyed that we would ask such a dumb question, and why we couldn’t just call him – they didn’t realize our cell phones don’t work here!)

Katie kept a cool head when I was stressing out. She’s so great! I adore her!

Once we got in and settled, we realized how awesome this famous cathedral was. It was such an incredible experience. I felt the spirit very strongly during the mass, even though it’s not an LDS religious text. God appreciates any music that praises him, I think, and the Spirit will be present if it’s from the heart.

Unfortunately, I had a grumpy man sitting behind me and that put a slight damper on my experience. He openly expressed his great frustration at the end of the program about having to sit behind me. He told me that “it was a shame I couldn’t hold still” and essentially told me he was disgusted because I ruined his experience. I felt so bad! I was trying so desperately to be as quiet as I could possibly be – Katie and I didn’t speak the entire time we were in the cathedral – and I just wrote in my journal the whole time. I guess they take concert etiquette very seriously there, because I thought I was going above and beyond! Oh well. Lesson learned, I suppose.

After the concert, a large group of us decided to take a walk across Millenium Bridge (the one the Death Eaters destroy in Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince movie) and enjoy the Thames at night! It was such a lovely walk. My pictures of the river and the bridge are really bad, because it was dark, but I got a few fun ones of the walk!

We had a lot of energy to get out after sitting still and silent for 90 full minutes. Our solution was playing on the big silver globes.

There is pianos all over London with different paintings on them and such all around town. We found our first one! I’d heard about it almost a year ago and it was kind of surreal to see a project I’d admired on YouTube in real life!

Tomorrow is almost completely a free-time day, so I’m sure I’ll have lots to share with you next time! We’re thinking about going to the London Eye, and then our first Shakespeare at the Globe is tomorrow evening!! Until next time…

church and the tube.

Well, we had our first day in our respective wards! My group of six was assigned to the Mitcham ward. It was quite an ordeal to get to the meetinghouse – we had to leave an hour and a half early to get there on time. We took a bus to the overground train station, took the overground and then take another bus to a stop one block from the church.  What we didn’t plan for was getting lost – which we did – and then were 20 minutes late. Thankfully we were just in time to take the sacrament.

The ward was interesting because only 1/8th of the ward is what you’d traditionally think of as “British” – white and with the classic accent. However, we were again reminded how multicultural London is because everyone else was African immigrants! The Ghanian British accent is a little more difficult to understand, but not impossible. Ali and I were assigned to the Young Women, meaning we get to teach a lesson in 2-3 weeks, which is really intimidating! Thankfully I have a little time to mentally prepare. The girls are amazing – so friendly and sweet, and like American LDS teenagers the way they are loud and happy to see each other. The adults are much more reserved. The biggest difference between American teens and British teens is how polite and respectful they were. They’re also really smart and have great testimonies. I’m already proud of them for keeping their standards, because they confront a lot more opposition than I ever did in high school. I can’t wait to get to know them better; I’m sure I’ll just fall in love with them.

I’m finally getting the hang of the Tube. I still need my friend Taylor to help me figure it out (he’s a whiz at it, thankfully) but it’s really not as hard as I thought it would be. However, I think we’re going to be spending a LOT of time on the public transportation, so my kindle reader with my homework on it will have to be in my bag every second. I’d rather do homework then when I’m forced to be stationary rather than when I get back to the centre and can be out and about.

I slept really well in my new bunk bed! I had to take the top bunk because I am so tall. I jammed in my earplugs, put on the eye mask and went to bed an hour or so before everyone else. Before my head even hit the pillow, I was asleep. I woke up naturally at 6:30, so let’s hope that continues! I’m having to consume caffeine mid-day every day to keep on the British schedule and force myself to not nap, but hopefully I’ll adapt quickly so I can save my money for real food.

I am really liking the weather here. The rain and cloud cover is charming. However, I am hating what it’s doing to my hair. I keep threatening to cut it into a pixie again because it’s driving me so crazy. Maybe I’ll come home with a new haircut, eh?

Random moment: The first time we rode the Tube and came out onto the street, anticipation was high: it was our first time looking at the city and we were all subconsciously holding our breath running up the stairs. First thing we saw and felt? A red double-decker and rain on my face. What could be more quintessentially London than that? it was truly magical.

Until next time.

P.S. Sorry, no pictures today. I suck at remembering to take pictures. I’m trying to do better. If you follow me on instagram (celestialg) I’ll be posting on there once in a while. Yay, you can keep track of what I eat! haha.

P.P. S. Just got a missionary letter and our luggage FINALLY arrived from the airport!! This day is DEFINITELY looking up!!

P.P.S. THE INTERNET IN THE CENTER IS SO SLOW IT IS DRIVING ME UP THE WALL.
Mom and Dad, if you’re reading this, FACETIME ME!

home base.

Just a quick update.
We’re finally having time to get settled at the center. I’ve had 5 hours of sleep total for the last 48+ hours, so to say I am “jet lagged” is a slight understatement. I’ve got some vertigo, but after eating my first meal in London (a tiny little joint where I ate SHWARMA – due to the recommendation of the Avengers) I am feeling a little more steady on my feet. Just gotta make myself stay awake just a few hours more so I can get on the right schedule!

Hope all is well at home!

humankindness

I’m one of those cerebral people who thinks about the meaning of life when they look at a bottle of water or a moist towelette.

Okay. Not really that bad. But today, being stuck in airports for 11 hours, with no assurance that we’d arrive at our destinations anytime soon or whether our luggage would accompany us, I thought about one of the oldest philosophical questions in the Universe: whether humankind are essentially good, or essentially evil. It’s a subject I’ve been mulling over for several days, for no particular reason. Usually when a subject like this surfaces in my brain, it’s because God is planning on teaching me something soon, so I get introspective and wide-eyed.

But you know, it’s funny what going through stress with the same 25 people will do to a girl.

I’ve always been a little bit overly aware of social norms and being accepted by my peers. Perhaps being a socially-aggressive child made me wary of rejection. Now, as an adult, I’m generally reserved and it’s difficult for me to open up immediately. Needless to say, I’ve been a little apprehensive about living with and making friends with almost total strangers. Small talk scares me, and getting tongue tied is not uncommon. Over my short twenty years, I’ve found that watching and listening to conversations is more to my taste. Perhaps that is why I take such a liking to books –  reading is the ultimate of people watching. And after 11 hours of watching everyone stressing out and calling to reassure mothers back home and sweating through our makeup (and our deodorant), somehow everyone was friends with everyone else, and I wasn’t disappointed in my subconscious study of human nature. I even found myself talking and laughing with the others, simply because we had a common crisis. However, I never stopped watching. I noticed as certain personalities took responsibility, caring for everybody else – remembering names with faces, keeping track who is on what flight and who went to the restroom so no one is left behind. Others provided and freely shared an entire suitcase-full of snacks without a mention of expecting repayment. Positive and negative character traits alike stood out: so-and-so was self-sacrificing, that woman was rude without reason, another had a soft face and didn’t complain even though I am a bit of a wiggly seat companion, but made no effort to make small talk or interrupt whatever plans I had for my flight time. Some people enjoyed being the center of attention and setting themselves apart in a place where perhaps they felt insecure and out of place. Three complete strangers – a young American college student, a middle-aged British business-person, and a black, extensively tattooed “Chav” laughed and chatted exuberantly after only meeting a moment ago. After seeing hundreds of strangers interact and show goodwill and benevolence, I had come to the conclusion that human nature was indeed naturally good. I considered my lesson learned.

But perhaps the most striking experience I had today wasn’t through people watching. Heavenly Father wasn’t quite finished with teaching me an important life lesson.

I’ve always lived in the Western US, in 91.9% Mormon communities with LDS chapels on every corner. However, I’ve traveled a fair amount and don’t consider myself too prude to the ways of the world. However, there is no denying that calling a conservative republican household in Idaho and Utah “home” your entire life will leave you a tad bit sheltered. This became glaringly apparent as I sat down between a nice woman in a pink jacket and a gentleman who promptly went to sleep. She immediately befriended me and told me of all her travels abroad – weekends in Spain, family in Ireland, stops in Croatia, safaris in Nairobi – and of course, she had a lot to say about how wonderful London will be. Luckily for her, I like to listen and she liked to talk. She allowed me several hours to study and sleep and play Angry Birds while she read Fifty Shades of Grey on her iPad, chewed Nicorette, and drank her seven-dollar cocktails. When we got into turbulence and I felt anxious, she asked me how I was feeling. She even offered to share her overpriced Pringles to me several times, and she gushed about how beautiful it was to witness the birth of her first grandchild. It was the first time I’d flown alone and needed to talk to someone on the plane other than my parents, and it was the first time I’ve had alcohol within an arm’s reach.  It shouldn’t have surprised me that such a friendly, albeit chatty woman was still a very compassionate, kindhearted person, even though she supported habits that I have come to reject for personal reasons. It shouldn’t have even fazed me, but it did.  I’ve talked several times with my sister about how some LDS people are so judgmental and unfriendly, perhaps because we fear what we aren’t accustomed to; and on the flipside, how people who say they “aren’t religious” can be so Christlike and open-hearted. I was again humbled and reminded of a lesson God often likes share with me: his children are good, he loves them all individually, and if we allow ourselves to see past our neighbors’ faults through his eyes, we can see that goodness and feel that love for each of his children ourselves. And as she rushed off the plane to catch her flight to Dublin, I found myself praying for this woman who hadn’t even told me her name, but who I felt God’s love for because of her compassion on me: a nervous white Mormon girl on her way to big changes, big dreams, and a big city.