Church-Sponsored Activities

Sunday was a great big church meeting. I went with my roommates, and we found a parking spot on the top level of the small parking structure near where we were meeting. Everyone else found a parking spot in the small parking structure, too, and the top level is, of course, the last to get down to the bottom level.

We sat in the car, engine running. Sat and waited. It had snowed the night before, and I noticed hands coming out of another car, reaching up to get the snow off the top of the car, and…soon, there was a full-blown snowball fight in the parking garage.


Tonight was Family Home Evening, which, when we’re all single and somewhat family-less, means we meet together and do things we probably wouldn’t do otherwise. Tonight was FHE FearFactor, and the “weaksauce” event was swallowing a spoonful of cinnamon.

Four people volunteered—big smiles, scooped their spoonful of cinnamon. Someone counted down and the full spoonful went into each mouth. Next, soft puffs of cinnamon clouds started coming out of them, giving the room a pleasant holiday smell as each of them rushed to the sink or garbage to spit it out and drink large amounts of water to cleanse their throats. One of them, coughing and sputtering between gulping milk and blowing her nose said simply, “That wasn’t a very good idea.”

The cinnamon smell went away later when three people raced in transporting frozen peas, sardines, and sauerkraut in their mouth from one plate to another.

Numbers

Age in months of my nephew: 17
Number of times I’ve changed my major: 1
Number of bedrooms I’ve had: 6
Number of siblings: 2
Books I’ve completed since the third grade: 393
Months since I’ve seen my sister: 15
Number of photos on my computer: 3,766









Foreign language dictionaries, print and electronic, I own: 6
Number of pens I’ve used up this semester: 2
Hours spent in foreign language classes: 1,272


Hours slept last night: 3.5
Percent of my life spent in Sunday church services: 1.6
Paris of shoes that I own: 12
Number of roommates I’ve had: 17

Ennui Over.

New job, new weather, new research project, new class.

Ennui

I learned the word “ennui” in Mr. Gill’s ninth grade honor’s English class. I like the word, if not what it means, and it is coming to mind again recently. I realized this week that I have settled in again—after a few whirlwind months of traveling and moving between different situations, things feel routine again for the first time in awhile. Maybe I need another adventure. Or maybe I need to stop whining and just enjoy.

My yesterday in: Spanish, English, Italian, Chinese, French

I good-morning my roommates and jump into way-to-start-the-day review of literary devices (Spanish). I get out of my apartment and walk to class (English) where I learn about phonetics (Spanish). Next is Stats (English) and Literature (Spanish). I go study some more (English) and go back to my apartment (Spanish). My roommate and I watch Italy’s version of Dancing With the Stars (Italian) on cable, and she translates (into Spanish). Some people are getting together to have a camp fire, and we try to get more people to come (English). We go in the car with the two who speak (Chinese) and they chat. Campfire and marshmallows (English) and I learn how to say “stars” in (Chinese). Back to the apartment for a movie (English) but first visit the neighbors to borrow their popcorn popper (French). Turn on the subtitles (Spanish). I good-night my roommates (Spanish) and go to bed.

Rito de inicación

Last week I was inducted into Sigma Delta Pi, the honors society for my major.

Inducted. Seriously inducted.

They told us the oath had been toned down some in the last few years. Apparently it used to include a pledge to all that is good and beautiful that is and comes from Spain. Something like that. As it currently stands, this is what I promised (no going back now). Strait from the rite, translated from Spanish.

To the members of the Hispanic society Sigma Delta Pi: I offer you my loyalty and cooperation in your Hispanophile activities and I assure you that I participate in this act with all sincerity and good will.

They told us lots more things about things that are brave and good, then they turned out the lights and we stood in a circle and lit the candles we were each given—with these words:

Come—so have gone many before you. Take this warmth and this light that symbolize hard work and wisdom. This light that you have received is the flame that we entrust to you—may it always burn this bright. This flame in your hands symbolizes the ideal of our society. It is the flame of all that is beautiful and noble…it is the spiritual light that lights each of us. Let us live, then, in the light, and scatter the shadows….

Doodle

I have had a hard time of late staying captivated by my classes. Particularly with all the observing I have been doing for my education class. This is the third week of sitting in on two block-schedule foreign language classes a day at a high school or junior high. The novelty is wearing off a little (though there are always things to learn).

So I have increased my resolve to improve my doodling skills. Here are my best examples.


This is inspired by the necklace my classmate was wearing.

I am also working on fancy handwriting.

I forgot what inspired this one.

This wasn't actually in class, but when I was trying to avoid writing my French paper.