Why BYU Provo and not BYU Hawaii?

So I was talking to Chantel on the bus about why I went to BYU Provo instead of BYU Hawaii and I feel like sharing it via blog.

I applied for both BYU Provo and BYU Hawaii. Mom was ticked at the fact that I wanted to go to BYU Provo over BYU Hawaii. She would yell at me like everyday for wanting to go to the mainland for school. She thought it would be too pricey to live on the mainland. I felt bad for being so hard-headed and disobedient that I decided that I would go to BYU Hawaii. I made a deal with God, however. I prayed that if I got accepted into BYU Hawaii and did not get scholarships/financial aid, I would stay in BYU Hawaii. I thought this would have been a guarantee.

Provo accepted me...Hawaii did not. At the same time, I ended up getting a good amount of scholarships/financial aid. I must admit, my ego was shattered at the fact that Hawaii did not admit me. It felt like a low blow. I shouldn't have felt that way though. I'm pretty sure the reason why I am still "on hold" to this day with Hawaii is that I put Hawaii as my second choice and Provo as my first. If I were accepted into Hawaii, yet still got the money, I think I would have chosen to go to BYU Hawaii. I was unbelievably stoked though to go to BYU Provo! Provo has been good to me so far.

I miss you Provo and Hawaii. See you guys in a bit!

Jordan is Jammin'. Petra is Prime.

Jordan is definitely an Arabian country. People actually listen to Arabian music on the streets. People looked like how I imagined Arabians. There was a bunch of people smoking their water pipes. There were camels everywhere. The place looked like a desert. There were even quite a bit of Filipino people, which I was not expecting. There was even a guy that could tell that I was Filipino, so he started talking to me in Tagalog. It was a pleasant reminder of my roots. Also, males were definitely the dominant force in this country, which I was expecting. I wanted to watch the Portugal vs. Spain game with a couple of other people out on the town in Amman, but it would have been a "stupid" thing to do (breaking Brother Harper's rule #3). Soccer is a big deal in Jordan and I knew the streets of Amman would have been filled with crazy guys. I felt like it wouldn't have been safe for me, especially because I am a little girl, so I didn't go out that night.

I almost applied for the Jordan International Development internship for this spring/summer instead of the BYU Jerusalem Center. I really want to get a career in the international development field, so I wanted to get some experience with that. However, spiritual growth trumps a resume building experience. So I chose the Jerusalem Center. Besides, one of the main reasons I went to a BYU school is so I could apply for the Jerusalem Center program.

Petra is the shiz! This place is breathtaking. To have carved structures out of sandstone is remarkable. The most glorious parts of Petra is the Treasury and the Monastery. I wish we had the whole day in Petra. I would have sat in front of each of these structures for hours just to take it all in. I know that my pictures will not justify the experience at all. The temperature was only in the 90s so I wouldn't mind staying there all day. Yesterday in Jordan, the temperature under the shade was 107 degrees. I was ready to go back to the Jerusalem Center after being in that heat all day.

The Grand Bazaar

I have never been so overwhelmed with shopping, ever. We went to the Grand Bazaar during our first full day in Turkey. This place was huge. This place has over 3000 shops. We saw a tiny fraction of the Grand Bazaar considering we only had half an hour to look around. There was a ton of gold, diamonds, jewelry, scarves, carpets, souvenirs, clothes, Turkish delight, etc all over the place. There was quite a bit of wedding dress stores as well. I must say, I have never seen such gorgeous wedding dresses. They were even cheaper than dresses in the U.S. considering how beautifully made all of the dresses in Turkey are. A fellow Jerusalem Center student who is engaged said she might return the wedding dress she bought in the states and order a dress from Turkey.

What was annoying is that I did not exchange money before then, so I couldn't buy anything at that time. I was bugged because there was so much things that I wanted to buy there. We did not even have the chance to go back to the Grand Bazaar. When I go back to Turkey, which is a must, I will definitely dedicate a whole day being in the Grand Bazaar.

More posts on Turkey in the future...because it is the 4th greatest place in the world (inside joke).

The Diminishing Rain Cloud

On a cliff side at Assos overlooking the Aegean Sea, Huntsman's class held a devotional. We were facing a rain cloud that was coming straight at us. I remember thinking to myself before the devotional, "We better get this devotional done quick or else we're going to get drenched." We talked about Apostle Paul's missionary journey to this city. We spent quite some time talking about him, that I was pretty sure that rain cloud was going to hit us in no time. Once we started singing hymns though, I noticed that the rain clouds started to dissipate. By the time we were in the middle of singing our hymns, the rain cloud was completely gone. We were able to sing in peace. There is no doubt that this was a blessing.

Spare a shekel

I have never felt so guilty about not giving money to the poor. Poor Palestinians, as wells as Israelis, have approached me asking for money. They looked hopeless, yet I would always shrug them off saying, "I do not have money." That phrase is total bull-crap. I always have money. I lie and I do not help the poor. This makes me feel like the cruddiest person ever. I know that this needs to change. I need the heart to help. I know if love was my motive, I would have never hesitated in sparing a couple shekels.

The Mormon Presence in Jerusalem

People, especially in East Jerusalem/the Old City definitely know about the Mormons. When the Jerusalem Center students would go out to the Old City, people would call out to us, "MORMONS!" This makes me smile every time because the people know who we are. I sometimes wonder though how much these people in Jerusalem know us. How much do they know about our beliefs? For those of you who do not know, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints made an agreement with Israel that members of the Church are not allowed to proselyte in this county. I wonder how much people in Jerusalem are curious enough about Mormons to research who we are. Palestinians, especially, are always exposed to us since the the Jerusalem Center is in East Jerusalem and since the students go out to the Old City all of the time. I have seen olive wood carvings of Joseph Smith and Emma Smith in random stores in the Old City. There is a store called Jimmy's Olive Wood Carvings in East Jerusalem that caters to Mormons. He has wood carvings of the Liahona, Captain Moroni, Christ depicted through the LDS Church, and famous LDS paintings. He even has wood carvings of Jimmer.

Often times, people in Jerusalem have told me, "Mormons are good people." I can hear the sincerity in their voices. I have also heard from other students that people have approached them and told them, "There is a light in your eyes." When I went with a couple of students exchanging money, I overheard a cash exchanger tell a girl, "Mormons are the chosen people." He could have been joking with us, but I got a hint of seriousness in his voice.

Israel and Palestine: Complete Opposites

Yesterday, I have been cooped up in the Jerusalem Center all this week working on midterms, so I went to the shook (if that is how you spell it) in West Jerusalem. The shook is an outdoor market place. I love the shook. I discovered that I have an affinity for markets. To me, market places have genuinie personalities.

The time that I went to the shook was right before the start of the Jews' sabbath day. The sabbath day for the Jews starts on Friday sun down. The shook was crowded with locals. Since I was in West Jerusalem, the locals were Jews. I am pretty sure I could have found every kind of Jew here. There were the Orthodox Jews with their top hats and curly locks. There were a couple Hasidic Jews with their furry hats. There were a ton of people wearing a kippah. I overheard people speaking in Hebrew. A hand full spoke perfect English. I wonder what made these English speakers move from America to Israel. My guess is the Zionist movement. I was amazed to see a whole Jewish culture at a market place. I am pretty sure there is no where else in the world where you would find a community of Jews.

West Jerusalem is a clean, modern, European-style city. Even though West Jerusalem's shook has personality, West Jerusalem is a little too artificial for my taste considering this is Jerusalem. West Jerusalem is nice and all, but in addition to its artificiality, there is something off about this city that I cannot put my finger on.

I felt like I was in another country when I crossed the street to East Jerusalem to get back to the Jerusalem Center. The people were dark. Women wore head scarves and trench coats. The sidewalks were broken. The city was dirty. The modes of transportation looked broken down. Palestinians live here in East Jerusalem. 

I am amazed at the stark differences seen between the Israelis and the Palestinians. I don't think I could have ever grasped the disparity between these two nations if I had only learned about them through a textbook. I could see why some people want a two-state solution; however, I do not think the Israelis and Palestinians are ready for this jump anytime soon.