Evaluative Conclusion

When we were first assigned to create a blog, honestly, I was not to keen on the idea.  However, I am now grateful for the assignment.  I regret to admit that I am not very good at keeping a personal journal, but this blog has helped me to learn the importance of such.  I know that in the future I will be so glad that I created this blog, especially since I did not document my freshman year in writing.  Freshman year in college is such a cherished memory for seemingly everyone that has attended college.

The target audience for my blog is all of my friends and relatives back home.  My goal for this blog is to show those back home how different not only college is, but Utah as well.  I also want them to be able to see my personal growth through my blog posts.
I chose to make the background picture for my blog a picture of me and my two sisters- Megan and Marissa. I made my background a picture of us because I love my family more than life itself.  I am the person that I am today because of the influence of my family.  It is also very applicable to the main objective of my blog, because being surrounded by a new variety of people at college, and being thrust into the real world, has made me realize how much I truly appreciate my family.

My posts have helped me to reflect on the challenges of college, as well as celebrate in the joys that it has brought into my life as well.  

Dancing Our Lives Away

My friends and I LOVE dances!  I have been to too many dances to count since being at BYU.  We love to let loose and let go, and dancing allows that.  Dances here are great, because back home your eyes were exposed to dirty dancing everywhere you turned, but here everyone wants to be clean.  It's great!  We've gone to dances in parks, in buildings, in parking lots, at clubs in Salt Lake, etc.  We can't get enough of them!  At the beginning of the school year there were dances CONSTANTLY, but once everything seemed to become a little more tame the number of dances subsided.  That doesn't stop us though, we often have dances in each other's rooms, complete with music, glow sticks, and strobe lights. It's great!  When they say, "dancing the night away", well....it's literal for us.
Below are a few pictures before/during a few dances:

An Undiscovered Treasure

Brigham Young University is full of secret and undiscovered treasures around every corner.  I recently discovered a place that captivated me for hours on end.  One day I was walking in the Smith Field House with a few of my friends.  We came across a door that was pushed ajar, so we decided to check it out.  Upon entering, we couldn’t believe our eyes as we gazed upon a room of complete and utter fun.   We had stumbled upon the gymnastics training room.  The first thing that caught our attention were the giant foam pits that awaited us.  Next to the pits were trampolines that allowed for fancy dives and flips into the foam pit.  We spent so much time performing “acrobatic” tricks and then jumping into the cushy pit.  My friend and I were curious as to how deep the foam pit was, so we started digging.  We dug for what seemed like forever and still saw no sign of the bottom of the pit! In the room there were also balance beams, high poles, and other gymnastic equipment.  I’m not sure if the gymnastics room is always open to the public, but since the door was ajar it was open to us for the moment.  If someone wanted a crazy, fun, random adventure I would suggest to them to go to the gymnastics room and see for themselves how great this location is.

My Biggest Influences

1.  My mom and dad- I am blessed to have been born in such a choose family.  My mom and dad have helped to shape who I am today.  They've taught me right from wrong, and how to be a good person.  Most importantly, they've taught me how important a love for the Savior is.  I hope to marry a man half as great as my father some day.  My mom has been an example to me of what true charity really is.
2. Ms. Becker- my teacher and soccer coach.  She believed in me in soccer and in just two years of me playing, helped me to reach the title of "1st in state."  She is very independent and lives her life to the fullest.  She is extremely passionate about everything that I am passionate about, and some of my passions are probably because of her.  She is always in a good mood, and students are able to joke around with her, yet they greatly respect her and take her seriously at the same time.  I'm so grateful to have such amazing people in my life.

my mom and dad

me and my dad

Ms. Becker (in the middle. Black shirt)

An Excellent Ward

Wards at BYU are very different from wards back home. Personally, I’ve always lived in a branch, never a ward.   One of the biggest differences is that everyone is the same age!  Obviously that makes sense because I am living in freshman housing and there are so many people here, wards are divided by housing location.  For that reason, a big difference that I’ve noticed is that there are NO babies which means that Sacrament meeting is dead silent.  You could literally hear a pin drop.  I’ve found that I actually found the occasional baby’s cry kind of comforting, just because that’s what I’m used to. 

The ward that I was placed into is SOOOO fun.  We have so much fun whenever we are together.  It’s like we are the party ward!  It does kind of stink though because (being immature freshman) our ward is incredibly coupled off.  If you turn your head either direction you’ll find someone in a relationship with someone else in our ward. 

It is completely understandable because there are so many wards to accommodate, but my ward starts so late.  I’ve never had church that started after nine and now my church starts at 1:30 pm.  As horrible as it may sound, I find myself sleeping-in until 12 because I have the ability to do so.  I don’t have anything to do, really, or anywhere to be.  So, once I get out of church it’s dinner time and the day’s basically older.  I’ve come to realize that I like an early church time rather than later, or I could just use self-control and get up earlier on my own

I honestly do wish that there were a few non-freshman in our ward, but that’s okay, for the next three school years there will be a variety of people.  I’m really thankful wards though.  I think that, at most schools, people get into sororities or frats because they want to be a part of something, or feel like they’re “family.”  Unfortunately, sororities and frats sometimes participate in illegal activities, but they are forced into that because it comes along with wanting to feel included.  I am so grateful for going to a school where I have a ward, I can’t imagine not having that sense of family and belonging that comes from being included in a ward.

Role of Wellness

Sometimes when thinking about the role of wellness in my BYU experience I think, what role?  Before coming to BYU I was extremely physically active and ran 3 miles each day, but ever since I’ve been to school that has changed.  I’m sure that the role of wellness will change after my Freshman year, but right now I’m trying to balance just plain getting used to college, school work, church callings, and social life.  Unfortunately, I put extraneous physical activity on the back burner. 

            When it comes to my diet, it has never been so off-balance in my life.  Right now, I eat in the Canon Center and other than the salad bar the options are fried, fried, more fried, and a side of icecream.  I wish we were able to just get a plate of vegetables if we wanted to, but we have to get an entire entrée to have what few bites of veggies they give us.  Also, (this is completely my fault) but I stay up very, very late and sleep in.  This causes me to miss breakfast, and sometimes I only have one meal a day.

            I am actually really looking forward to next year when I am able to make my own healthy foods and don’t have to temptation to eat plate fulls.  Also, I feel like life in general will settle down a little and I will have more time for physical activity.  I really appreciate that BYU has a workout facility for students.  I love to get together with my friends and take advantage of the full courts that are available to us in the RB and play various games with my buddies.  I feel it’s a great way to give students the opportunity to remain active.

BYU Club Options/The Beauty of Nature

BYUSA has a wide variety of clubs for students to join.  Many of the clubs seem random in nature, but they were started by BYU students so the students incorporate their passions with the clubs.  There are clubs for any type for seemingly any type of student, however, I could not find a club for one of my greatest passions.  Therefore, I would like to start an Outdoor Adventure Club.   There is already a Whitewater Kayaking Club, but I’d like to see an organization with a wider variety of outdoor activities.  If I started this club, some of the activities I would have the club be involved and associated with include: hiking, mountain trail running, kayaking (of any sort), canoeing, fishing, tubing, etc.  

 Sometimes it can be difficult for especially freshman students who don’t know many people yet to find people to enjoy their outdoor-loving activities with.  Our adventures could really help people get to know one another and bond.  The club would also try to focus on the beauty and blessing of nature.  I, for one, think that the elements of nature are the greatest testimony of Christ.  Everything works so cohesively, even down to the last flower peddle.  Maybe in the fall we would drive up to Sun dance and look at the amazing changing colors of the leaves.  This would help us have a greater appreciation for the blessing and beauty of nature that Heavenly Father bestowed upon us.  I think this club would present a great opportunity for nature lovers at BYU to get together and meet other students with their same passion. 

The Woes of Laundry Doing

Oh, laundry- how I despise thee.  I never realized how much of a nuisance doing a laundry is until college started.  It's not like I didn't do my own laundry at home, I've done my own laundry since the age of 12.  However, being at school seems to amplify the laundry hatred by 1,000.  Back home I would use a towel only once and an article of clothing could get a few hours of wear before I would stick it in the laundry.  Now I use the same towel three times, and try to get as much use out of each article of clothing as much as possible until it gets too stretched out (where it's basically falling off my body) or too smelly, just to avoid doing laundry.  I think the biggest aspect of why I can't stand doing laundry is because if you do not have it out of the machine 30 seconds after it is done, someone takes it out and leaves it thrown around somewhere so that they can have a turn with the machine.  Laundry is a stressful affair here.  Oh well, at least I have clothes.

Freshman Dating at BYU

Being a freshman girl at BYU, you are stuck in a very...different situation than most freshman girls at other schools.  When dating, you do not wanting to get emotionally attached to another freshman boy because they are just leaving for their missions in a few months, if not sooner.  Also, you do not want to get emotionally involved with a boy that is not a freshman because that means they are off their mission and the possibility of marriage is real.  At first it is frustrating, but now I have to come to realize what a blessing this "odd" situation is.  Going on a date freshman year can be just for fun whereas at other schools one date means commitment.  Also, we WANT the boys to go on missions so as much as it stinks that we cannot allow ourselves to get emotionally close to them, we know that is it for the better.  Also, it is not necessarily RM's that scare us, it is just the possibility of getting married.  It is different with them because they are actually able to, and marriage is not in the sights for most of us during freshman year.

The Quality of BYU Students

I am continually shocked by the quality of people that are here at BYU.  I'm not used to being surrounded by people with high moral integrity.  Back home, I was the person that most people looked to for an example, I knew that, and I knew that they needed someone so my goal was to be "that person" for them.  Since I've been at school, it has been an extreme humbling experience.  This humbling experience is different in nature though, because most of the time humbling experiences come in a negative sort of light, but I am truly grateful for this experience.
I am learning so much about life and the Gospel from those around me.  I can learn something from every person that I come in-contact with.  It also seems that every person is great at everything, and at first it may seem scary, but I can't help to be in awe of the amount of effort that means that people put into their lives.  BYU students are used to being the cream of the crop back home, and here all the creams are put together and they produce a very successful harvest.

My Career Aspirations

In the academic world there are two types of people: those that know what they like and want to base a career off of that, and those that know what they want they want their career to be and base what they like off of that.  I'm the type of person who knows what they want their career to be.  Right now, I am a pre-major in Social Science and History Teaching.  It is a program that you must apply for, and I will not be able to do so until the end of my sophomore year.  This program is perfect for me in so many ways.  Once I graduate with this degree, I will be qualified to teach the following: Geography, History, Economics, Government, Sociology, Psychology, and Anthropology.  I have two career options in mind (and will most likely be doing both in my life).  I feel that my career MUST be involved with helping people, but I know it's not with medicine, but more like being an inspiration to others.  The first career option is to be a teacher and a soccer coach, most likely at an inner-city school.  And the second option is to work with the government or NGO's in foreign/humanitarian aid.  If I was able to get this job, I would prefer my "specialty area" to be Africa.  My major is great for me, because along with getting the teaching degree, the classes I am taking are perfect for foreign relation skills and basic knowledge of such.

 

A Very Needed Devotional

Ever since beginning BYU, I have not really liked my Book of Mormon class.  I'm not fond of the idea of being graded and tested on material in the Book.  Don't get me wrong, I really enjoy learning the facts and additional information that our professor gives us, but I feel that once we are tested on the material (for me) it turns what should be a spiritual matter into a stressful matter.  I had been having a hard time getting over that fact before President Thomas S. Monson came to give a Tuesday devotional.  For part of his talk he spoke on the importance of the Book of Mormon.  He started off the topic by saying, "We are not human beings having a spiritual experience, we are spiritual beings having a spiritual experience."  That really got me to start thinking that even though I don't prefer the stressfulness of the class, I really appreciate the additional knowledge and insight that I am gaining.  President Monson told a story of a man who got a doctorate degree at Standford or Harvard and was a highly successful individual in the corporate world. The man had attended BYU and said that a student might use the things they learned in their major once a year, but they will use their knowledge of the truthfulness of the Book of Mormon every day.

Amazing Professor

I LOVE my Sociology Class!  I find it incredibly interesting.  My professor, Professor Childs, is only about 28 years old, it is the first and only class that he's ever taught, and he is AMAZING!  You can tell he truly and genuinely cares about his students.  We have a class of 120+, and he literally knows the name of EVERY student in our class.  Not only does he know their names, he knows little jokes he's had with them since the first day of class.  He calls on everyone by name, even the students who are not "regular callers" as he would call them (those who do not speak up in class).  Whenever the teacher evaluations comes out he BEGS us to take them, because he wants to be as best for us as he can be.  After the first evaluation results were given to him, he took half of a class discussing the issues (very few) that some students had with him.  He told us he was sorry for those and he was going to try and improve himself.  One of the best things about Professor Childs is he is sooo funny!  The best thing is, he doesn't even try!
Instead of just lecturing us day after day from powerpoint slides he assigns us reading homework, and quizzes us on the reading to make sure we have done them.  The readings are sociological studies or journals, and to many people that would sound very boring, but he makes to pick readings that are incredibly interesting and thought provoking.