So as many of you may know, I am actually living in Foreign Language Student Residence (FLSR) this fall. Many people ask me, "Why Italian?" and wonder what I can do with it. I take it because I love it and I have always wanted to. I don't want to be one of those people down the road who wish they would have learned this or taken a certain class in college and never did. It is such a beautiful language and I really do see this as a great privilege and opportunity to learn it and participate in such a unique program. I moved in earlier this week with the help of my mother and sister and I am still calling them up to find where they put certain things. I still haven't found my grapes I bought....
I also have the special and divine privilege to be ROOM roommates with the Resident Facilitator (RF), who speaks fluent Italian after serving a mission. She is basically the person who helps and supervises the rest of us to make sure we are always speaking in Italian and helps us with anything else we may need. She has been such an awesome help to me and already I have learned so much and found that I know at least a little more than I think I do. The program is very well organized and layed out; we can only speak Italian in the apartment to each other and also to the boys in the Italian house. Church is in English for Sacrament and Relief Society, but Sunday School is in Italian. The Sacrament Prayer is spoken in a different language each week (today was Spanish). We are not supposed to watch any English television or movies aside from the news. Five nights a week, Sunday through Thursday, we are to attend dinner group with both Italian houses and engage in Italian conversation.
So today, the boys of the Italian house were so kind as to invite us over for lunch after church. The boy's RF I believe is straight off the boat Italian and is very friendly. We of course introduced ourselves, said where we were from and what our major was. I must say that there are some points where I feel incredibly lost and this was one of them. Following dinner we played 2 Truths and a Lie. I think it went ok. Whenever I was asked a question, I just made a statement and hoped that it was the answer to what I was asked. And I wanted to say some things at one point, but didn't know how. And several times I leaned over to the person next to me and whispered "cosa?" meaning "what?" I do have my moments wondering what in the world I have done, but then I get back to the comfort of my own apartment and study and try to talk to some of my roommates and feel much better. And I'm not the only one with limited Italian experience; one of the girls hasn't taken any classes yet. All in all, I must say that I am having most likely one of the best experiences I will have in my entire life. I do pray for help from the Lord, and I also am having a growing faith in the belief of the gift of tongues!
Sunday, August 30, 2009
Sunday, August 23, 2009
Refutation.
IN REBUTTAL to my mother's most recent blog post entitled "Funniest Story Ever" (found at fransonfunnyfarm.blogspot.com) I want to bring up a few points in no particular order:
1. Upon hearing the intense and loud rattling, shaking sound, I did not know what it was, and I did not want to find out. I am afraid of mainly two things in this mortal life: being spiritually dead in the next and snakes. All fears are miniscule in comparison, and other fears or grievances I can at least handle. These I cannot bear to think about. So, in the case that the shaking, moving thing was a snake, I didn't want to take a closer look.
2. If fears can be inherited (and in this case I most certainly believe they can be) then ALL of my family- with the exception of Judson who has no fears and my dad whose feelings toward snakes I am not certain- have the deepest, most intense fear and loathing toward any form of snakes. Pictures, toys, stuffed animals, movie clips, sounds, ANYTHING. Once I saw a film about freak animal stories. There was one where a snake got in the plumbing and was in the toilet. I now always check. So, in light of this fear that runs in my family, I believe that has it happened to any one of us we would be at the least a bit startled.
3. I was the child that, because I was the bravest, was nominated at or around the age of 9 to clean out the spider infested window well. At the far end lay the doormat that was blown in by the wind. As I went to pick up the mat and put it in its proper place, I saw several slimy and long tailed creatures. I thought they were snakes then too, but again I did not want to stick around long enough to find out. Turned out, it was four salamanders and six frogs (I think) and we kept them all as pets for a short period of time. One of the frogs was a chameleon-like and we later found its skeleton roasted to death on top of the space heater. I can stand to look at reptiles and amphibians only from behind glass. These experience have made me forever cautious.
4. My mother had warned me earlier that day that she had found several hobo spiders in the laundry so I was to keep an eye out for any in mine. Hence, I was already a little wary of finding something. I do not handle nervousness well.
5. And, of course, as most people say in their defense when something foolish happens, (i.e. it was bigger, scarier, harder, meaner, etc.) the noise WAS indeed louder the first time it happened. It is true, this is no lie. And it shook harder. In fact, the second time I spun the wheel it was the closest sound we could make to it, but not quite as drastic as I remembered. I was still afraid to find something later on in my suitcase.
6. The point about waking up Judson: yes, I went down and was the one who put him back to sleep. In literally less than two minutes time. I told him I was sorry that I scared him and that it's ok and he can go back to sleep. And he did with absolutely no trouble at all.
7. Lastly, it was late. We were all tired, and when one is tired, everything, fears, sounds, funny moments, are amplified. And that was most certainly the case in this situation. So yes, it was funny, but remember that blonde is not a hair color, it is a state of mind in which we all fall victim to from time to time.
1. Upon hearing the intense and loud rattling, shaking sound, I did not know what it was, and I did not want to find out. I am afraid of mainly two things in this mortal life: being spiritually dead in the next and snakes. All fears are miniscule in comparison, and other fears or grievances I can at least handle. These I cannot bear to think about. So, in the case that the shaking, moving thing was a snake, I didn't want to take a closer look.
2. If fears can be inherited (and in this case I most certainly believe they can be) then ALL of my family- with the exception of Judson who has no fears and my dad whose feelings toward snakes I am not certain- have the deepest, most intense fear and loathing toward any form of snakes. Pictures, toys, stuffed animals, movie clips, sounds, ANYTHING. Once I saw a film about freak animal stories. There was one where a snake got in the plumbing and was in the toilet. I now always check. So, in light of this fear that runs in my family, I believe that has it happened to any one of us we would be at the least a bit startled.
3. I was the child that, because I was the bravest, was nominated at or around the age of 9 to clean out the spider infested window well. At the far end lay the doormat that was blown in by the wind. As I went to pick up the mat and put it in its proper place, I saw several slimy and long tailed creatures. I thought they were snakes then too, but again I did not want to stick around long enough to find out. Turned out, it was four salamanders and six frogs (I think) and we kept them all as pets for a short period of time. One of the frogs was a chameleon-like and we later found its skeleton roasted to death on top of the space heater. I can stand to look at reptiles and amphibians only from behind glass. These experience have made me forever cautious.
4. My mother had warned me earlier that day that she had found several hobo spiders in the laundry so I was to keep an eye out for any in mine. Hence, I was already a little wary of finding something. I do not handle nervousness well.
5. And, of course, as most people say in their defense when something foolish happens, (i.e. it was bigger, scarier, harder, meaner, etc.) the noise WAS indeed louder the first time it happened. It is true, this is no lie. And it shook harder. In fact, the second time I spun the wheel it was the closest sound we could make to it, but not quite as drastic as I remembered. I was still afraid to find something later on in my suitcase.
6. The point about waking up Judson: yes, I went down and was the one who put him back to sleep. In literally less than two minutes time. I told him I was sorry that I scared him and that it's ok and he can go back to sleep. And he did with absolutely no trouble at all.
7. Lastly, it was late. We were all tired, and when one is tired, everything, fears, sounds, funny moments, are amplified. And that was most certainly the case in this situation. So yes, it was funny, but remember that blonde is not a hair color, it is a state of mind in which we all fall victim to from time to time.
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