Just Another College Grad

I am completely done with college now! It is weird for such a large phase of my life to be over. I've been a college student for a long time, and a student for even longer. (Left - the mass of graduates. My hat is circled) So where does that leave me? College graduation is supposed to be this huge life altering thing, right? But I'm stuck answering the same question over and over, "Now what?" and I don't have an answer yet.
But, I really don't want to sound so depressed about it. I'm really not, today has just been an odd day. I woke up really early this morning so I could have breakfast and get ready in time for my graduation. It started at 8am, but that meant that I had to be there at 7am. That is why I feel really tired right now. I didn't get to sleep until late last night, and I woke up early. But, I made it. In fact, I made it at just the right time because the long got really long just after I got there.
First, we had to sit in bleachers. (Right - walking across to get my diploma) I was a little disappointed, thinking that was going to be our seat for the rest of the ceremony (it was a really crappy seat) but they just used it to line us up for the processional. At the beginning, we walked down to our seats. Being in the Linguistics Department, I was in one of the last groups, so I was on the second to last row, toward the end of that row. I was worried that my cousins (Adam and Betsy) who came to my graduation, would have to leave before they even saw me walk across the stage. I knew they had to leave around 9:30 so Adam could be to work.
The program was really interesting. They started by having the graduates stand up for different things: if they served a mission, spoke a second language, had lived outside of the US, were originally from another country, etc. (Above - BYU graduate in front of Y mountain) It was interesting to see. The majority of the 500 something Humanities students had served a mission, spoke at least a second language, and had lived outside of the US.
After that, we had some speakers before we began the giving of the diplomas. I was close to the back, so it took a while to get to me. As I was walking across the stage, Professor Hart (who had greeted the Russian graduates, I was with the Linguistics graduates because that was my primary major) stood up to congratulate me. I got my diploma and continued on. No one clapped for me... Heather and Erin said they were so intent on getting it right that they forgot to clap. (Above - me and my sisters: Elizabeth, Becky, me, and Sara) Betsy told me that Daniel clapped and say Yay Yay! as I walked across the stage. So, I had one person cheering for me!
It wasn't long after that before the program was over. As we were walking outside, a lot of the faculty was lined up along the sides, including most of my Russian professors (in fact, only two weren't there) and one of my Linguistics professors. I said bye to Professor Melby (Linguistics) first. He hugged me again. I guess I was a really good student and he's going to miss me. Then I went over to my Russian professors. Professors Purves, Kelly, Lundberg, and Hart were there (I had all of them this semester except for Mark Purves). I shook their hands, one of them called me their star student (I got another comment from a student about my accomplishments in Russian, so I'm wondering if I got some award that I never heard about?). (Above - me and my grandparents) Professor Lundberg told me that my senior paper was really good. Professor Hart asked me what I'm doing now, but I didn't have an answer. He said to keep them posted.
I headed out, and met up with my friends and family. My grandparents came down from Brigham City (I wonder how early they had to get up to come?), Adam and Betsy had to leave so I didn't see them, but Becky, Elizabeth, Sara, Heather, and Erin were there. All the important people came to my graduation. (Below - me and Erin and Heather). We took pictures, Heather and Erin gave me flowers and a card, my grandparents gave me a card (Adam and Betsy had given me a graduation present/card the night before) before they had to leave to get Andy (my cousin) to the airport. We took some more pictures before heading back to my apartment to regroup and decide where to go for lunch. By the way, I was really surprised that people gave me things. I was just glad that they came to my graduation. I don't care about gifts or things like that, a much better present is just showing up.
We decided to go somewhere we never had before for lunch. We looked in the phone book, and Heather read the name The Jerk Shack: Authentic Jamaican Food Restaurant. (Left - Heather and Erin bowing down to me - Hail the graduate!) Well, that was the winner from the start. We thought we knew where it was located, but when we went there, it turned out that we were wrong. Erin called information and asked for an address for the Jerk Shop (oops!), we quickly corrected her. At the end of the call, Erin made sure the guy knew we were looking for a Jamaican restaurant.
Sara had to be to work soon after, so after eating, Becca (sorry! I keep forgetting that she doesn't want to be called Becky anymore) took Sara to work and we all went back to my apartment and played a game before Becca left for work.
After that, Heather, Erin, Elizabeth, and I went shopping. (Right - in front of the BYU sign: The world really is my campus now!) We went to the distribution center, Deseret Book, and the Dollar Tree. I was starting to get really tired, so I went out to the car while Heather and Erin shopped. During that time, Sara called Elizabeth and told me that apparently my grandpa (the one who came to my graduation) was in the hospital. My cousin Brittney called to see if we knew anything about it. Later, I called her to see if she had found out more. He is in the Provo hospital. He fell down a flight of stairs when they went to pick up Andy. He blacked out for 10 minutes and when they got him to the hospital, they discovered that he had two spots where he was bleeding on the brain. They don't know if the black out caused the fall, or was caused by the fall.
That is kind of why my day hasn't ended on as high of a note as it began. (Left - At the Jerk Shack!) Still, I am glad to be a college graduate, even if "this is probably the worst time to be graduating in 2-3 decades" (Professor Melby said that).

The Beginning of the End

I am now "officially" graduated from BYU. Today has been a really long day, and it promises to be just a little longer. (Below - Olive Garden: Sara, me, Erin, and Heather around the table) Now that I am officially unemployed (since I'm no longer a student, I can't work at my old job), I didn't have to wake up early this morning, but Gizmo wouldn't let me sleep in. So, I was up at 6 am. It worked out because a few hours later Heather and Erin arrived. I am so glad that they are here. I haven't seen them in nearly a year.
They relaxed and cleaned up a little. Then we headed out. We decided to go to the BYU Bookstore. We were there for a really long time, but it was fun. I spent more than I should have, but I really don't have any BYU clothing, and I won't have another chance for a while. Plus, I'm graduating, so I wanted to get something.
After that, we stopped by Betsy's house before going to get Sara to go to lunch. We decided to go to Olive Garden. (Left - Graduation) We got the soup, salad, and breadstick lunch. It was really good. Our waiter said he would be surprised if we ate more than two bowls of soup, so just to prove him wrong, I ate 3. I probably could have had another, but we didn't have time. In fact, I was almost late for the processional. However, Humanities was basically last, so even though I was a little late, I still had to stand around and wait for awhile.
Anyway, I walked with the graduating class and sat through the program. It was really warm, and I was really tired, so it was hard to stay awake, but it was really good. President Samuelson conferred upon us our degrees (though we got nothing to show for it), and that's why I can say that I am basically officially graduated from BYU. (Right - me in my cap and gown)
After that, we all came back to my apartment for dinner. I made Plov. It was odd to have so many people in my apartment, but we somehow fit around the table. After dinner, a couple people left, and the rest of us stayed and watched a movie (well, Heather and Erin basically slept through it). Now I am just waiting for Becky to get here. She ended up working tonight, so she should be here in a little while.

And the name of the game is . . . PROCRASTINATION

Finals have been going on for about a week now. I always try to get my finals done as soon as possible, but this year I had only scheduled finals, which means that I had to take them at a certain time. Often, finals are given in the testing center, then you can take it whenever you want during the semester. Today, I got off work at 4 pm. The testing center closes at 10pm today, and with that finals will be over. At 4:00, when I left work in the Kimball Tower (SWKT), I was astonished to see a line of people waiting to take tests in the testing center. The SWKT is not very close to the testing center. I've included a map. The circled building is the testing center. Keep in mind that they can probably fit close to 300 people inside the building. Then there is the line outside which ends at the x.
I've never seen a line so long before. And all because of a little thing called procrastination . . .

School's out forever!

I am completely done with school! I never have to go to another class, never have to take another test, never have to write another paper, and never have to take another final. It feels weird, but kind of liberating. I guess I should qualify the above, that is all unless I decided to go to grad school. We shall see. But until that time, I will count this all as "lasts." I got my cap and gown today.
Other than that, I just wanted to share a couple of pictures of Gizmo. One is from a few days ago, but I thought was really cute. The other is from today. Gizmo really wanted his belly rubbed and after I got home, he plopped down in the middle of the kitchen floor and waited for me to do just that.

Exercise is good for everyone

I had to work this morning. I know its a Saturday, but during finals week, Saturday is a normal day of the week. Plus, I picked up these hours since I am not starting on my last week of working at the labs . . . ever . . .
Well, as I was walking to campus this morning, I saw our local ducks running around! It was quite amusing. In fact, I had a hard time capturing them on camera since they were running so fast. I guess they believe that exercise is good for your health, too. Or they could have been cold and were trying to warm up . . .
As I walked farther on campus, I saw tons of little footprints! They must have been running for quite awhile . . .

Snow and Plans

It snowed all day yesterday . . . in the middle of April. It was quite a surprise, though I can't say that it was unwelcome on my part. However, I was a little perturbed to have to clean a foot of snow off my car this morning (see picture to the right)! Despite that, it was a beautiful morning and I found myself taking pictures as I walked to campus.
Today was the last reading day. I worked for just a few hours before Sara and I went to West Jordan to see Becky. We were invited to a dinner at my aunt and uncle's house to plan our family reunion this year. Other cousins were also invited, which was nice so that we could have lots of input. We actually got a huge chunk of the reunion planned. I'm pretty excited, though I may personally be unable to attend. I should know within the next week or so if I'm likely to be able to attend, but even then I won't really know until it gets closer to that date.
Tomorrow finals begin! And a week later, I graduate! Too bad this isn't a good time to be graduating!

Happy Easter!

What a crazy day! It was a good one, though. We went over to Adam and Betsy's for Easter. There were tons of people. Josh, Catie, and Benjamin; Jimmy, Carla, Brittany, Alex, and Jasmine (sorry about spellings!); Billy and Amy (Billy is somehow related to Carla, though I'm not quite sure how, some kind of cousin, I think); then of course Adam, Betsy, and Daniel; David (Catie and Betsy's brother); and Sara and me.
Sara and I went over there this afternoon. We talked and helped get things ready a little. We had to thaw a lot of chicken out. That was quite an amusing experience. It was wrapped in paper, so we couldn't just stick it in water, plus the chicken was going to be marinated, so Betsy didn't want to microwave it, just in case it cooked a little. (Left- Easter Egg Hunt!!) It wasn't getting anywhere outside, so we tried using heat from the oven. That was working, but not fast enough, so we unwrapped them from the paper, put them in ziplocks and stuck them in water. It was kind of gross because the water was so hot that it melted the fat! Plus the butcher that cut the chicken wasn't very good. Luckily, Betsy took care of that while I watched. It looked like chicken broth in the sink when she was done.
I contributed my chocolate revel bars that I made for my Mary Kay Party (I didn't write about it yesterday, but no one came. Still, Sara, Betsy and I had a lot of fun), others brought rolls, we had the chicken (of course), salads, chips, and juice. We also had deviled eggs (from the easter eggs that were brought for the hunt). By the way, before we had dinner, the kids went on an Easter hunt. They found candy, eggs, and toys.
After dinner, and lots of talking, and after most of the people had left, we watched a movie. We watched Yes Man. Except for one very disturbing part, it is a hilarious movie. It was a good day.
Tomorrow is my last day of Monday classes! I have Tuesday classes, and then I am done with school forever! It is so weird to be less then two weeks away from graduation . . .

Party on!

I went to my work party tonight. There was a giant twister board, 4-square, ping-pong, and lots of snacks (including ice cream!) It was a lot of fun. There were also two jars full of candy for which we needed to guess the number. I never get anywhere close with those, but I decided to put my guess in anyway.
We ate, talked, played games, had a marshmallow fight (I just watched that, though it was quite amusing) and finally they announced the winners of the guessing contest. There was one jar with tootsie rolls, one with skittles. I guessed 49 on the tootsie rolls, and I 313 on the skittles. There really 49 tootsie rolls and 262 skittles. Although I was way off on the skittles, I was right on with the tootsie rolls! So for the first time ever, I won a candy jar contest, and I got it exactly right! (See picture above).
It was quite a way to end my day. Especially since earlier wasn't so great. Basically, I've decided that I am never going to plan any kind of activity/party, etc. Honestly, it isn't worth the work when no one comes anyway. Basically, I'm hosting a Mary Kay Party for my cousin, who is a consultant, this weekend. I realize that it is Easter weekend, but even the people who said they could come are now backing out. Only 2 people haven't, but they haven't responded to my latest attempts at contact, so I'm not even sure if they will be there. So, if they don't come, no one will have come. After my last movie night experience (when I had to change the date and then only 3 people came) it really isn't worth the trouble to plan things.
So, I was feeling a little down about that. Winning that jar of tootsie rolls made me feel much better. Then to top it all off, Gizmo came and sat next to me when I got home (see picture). Sometimes he likes to cuddle, and it always makes me feel better when he does. I know, no matter what, that he loves me.

Reunion, Breakfast, and Another's Memories

Yesterday was an interesting day. I got a lot done. That is always nice, to have a productive day. Later, though, I went to my mission reunion up in Salt Lake. It was nice to see some people, but not very many that I knew were actually there. Still, it was good since I may never be able to go to another mission reunion.
The picture here is of me with my "mom" and my "sister". From left to right: Valoree, me, Kalia. Valoree was my trainer and she also trained Kalia.
This morning Sara and I went to a friend's house for breakfast before the first session of general conference. It was really good, and a lot of fun. Then conference was really good, too. The new apostle was announced, Neil L Anderson. I'm not too familiar with him, but I'm sure that he will have a lot of good things to say.
Recently I've been reading a book called "In My Hands: Memories of a Holocaust Rescuer." I just read a part that was really touching. This is what it says: "I did not ask myself, Should I do this? but How will I do this? Every step of my childhood had brought me to this crossroad; I must take the right path, or I would no longer be myself.
You must understand that I did not become a resistance fighter, a smuggler of the Jews, a defier of the SS and the Nazis all at once. One's first steps are always small: I had begun by hiding food under a fence. Now I was making plans to get a dorozka, a wagon, from the farm where Helen lived, and to transport in secret the Morris brothers and their wives ten kilometers from Ternopol, to the back-shadowed forest of Janowka.
But even my first feeble efforts to help the Jews back in the Radom ghetto could have brought me a bullet in the head; I knew I could only be killed once, and as the saying went, I might as well be hanged for a sheep as for a lamb. The Nazis did not distinguish between leaving food under a fence and smuggling four people in a dorozka, and so I did not, either. . . For four years I had been in the middle of war, and I had different hopes and expectations now. I only wanted not to die in too much pain, and to foil the Germans as much as I could before I went."
In my Russian Literature class, we've been reading Soviet Literature. One of the themes that we have continuously come across is the need to "howl" and not just remain silent. There are different ways to do that, of course. Not too long ago, we also talked about the importance of family, and keeping the family together. A student in my class said, well wouldn't it have been better to not "howl" but keep silent and protect their families? My first thought was, "How can you protect your family when you lose yourself?" For me, by not standing up for your beliefs, you lose yourself. And then what really is the point of protecting the family? Plus, physical safety isn't everything. Sometimes the safety that a family needs is to understand what is right and what is wrong and be willing to sacrifice for what is right. That's the essence for me of the passage above. She didn't think about whether or not she should do it, she just did it because she knew it was the right thing to do. If she died, that wasn't what really mattered. There are things in this world fighting for, and dieing for, and protecting innocent people is definitely one of those things. Now, this is not a justification of killing others for your beliefs, but only of being willing to stand up, and if necessary risk your life for the things that you believe in.

Awesome day

I had a really good day today. It was productive, interesting, and helpful. This morning I went to a lecture by Brother Randy Bott. I had him for Doctrine and Covenants last year. He talked about trust. It was really interesting and he raised some things that I hadn't really thought about before. One thing that I particularly liked: he asked, are you a fair weather friend? Are you willing to be a friend only until it looks like you might get egg in your face? That really made me think about my relationship with God. Sometimes it seems like I am a fair weather friend when things aren't going my way. I've been a lot better about that lately, but it is still a hard thing for me. It is hard to trust that things will work out when I literally have no evidence that they will work out.
After that, I presented my lingustics senior seminar paper. It is so nice to have that done. I was a little worried that people would be bored, but from the comments that I have received, I don't think that was the case, so I'm glad about that.
Later I went to a meeting with Amy Hyatt, our Diplomat in Residency. She came to talk about life in the foreign service and had a session on preparing for the Oral Assessment. Since I am going to the Oral Assessment in May, I was really excited for the chance to get some help with preparing for it. I really feel like that will help.
Besides that, I found out today that I got a 4 on the language test that I took for the Moscow Embassy position that I applied for. I only needed a 3, so I guess that is good. Now I just have to wait for an acceptance letter. Then I will know what the next step is.
But with all that, I feel really good today. Tomorrow I have a mission reunion. Probably my last one, so I hope I get to see a lot of people that I haven't seen in a while.