Hind-sight

The last day of class! It's been a good ride. We've had our lows (beginning the IRB) and our highs (finishing the IRB). I feel like we covered a lot this semester so here's a couple of things I learned in hind-sight:

#5: While learning journals may never become enjoyable...they can be tolerable...maybe even appreciated
#4: No matter how many IRB or proposal drafts you do...it's never gonna feel "finished"
#3: This is a learner owned project, but it's not an independent project
#2: Flexibility = goodness
#1: India group is the best! And you other groups are pretty cool too :)

There have been other lessons learned...but these came to mind first. In my opinion, the best classes are the ones that answer the "so what?" question. They help you to find applications which connect outside of the classroom. And the very best classes, are the ones you carry with you because somehow they changed you or your perspective. I feel like I have a glimpse of the "so what" application for this class, but I imagine it will mean much more in the field. Cheers to FS prep.

On and on...

I did my project presentation yesterday...and I feel like I could have talked forever. At first I thought, "10-12 minutes is an eternity," but then I got talking and there was so much information to share and so little time to share it all. Heck, I was going on like a motormouth. It was fun though because I finally realized how much we've been learning this semester, and that is encouraging. Little by little we keep building these projects. Somehow I feel like it's foreshadowing our experiences in the field. Little by little we'll be trying to enter the field and building relationships...and then we'll have to go home. But I think we'll be talking about these projects for a long, long time.

Culture Shock

While in class, Bonnie and I discovered the perfect remedy to culture shock. See here's the plan: we're going to stock up on bread, mango's, pack a joke book and then...we will weep together. All irritations will subsequently be swallowed up in the joy of corny one-liners and tears. It's fail proof!

We really have no idea what to do, but it sounded like a good idea. Sometimes I think "get me out of Provo and over to India pronto!". Then we talk about stuff like culture shock and I remember it's probably better this process goes a little slower. I'm actually glad we talked/read about cs, otherwise we may break into fits of uncontrollable sobs with no plausible explanation. At least we know what to look out for now. And who knows, maybe we can add some more things to that list by the time we go home.

Whatever happens in the field, I'm sure we'll learn a lot. There's always a silver lining, right?

"Life by Passion"

Again I sit in front of the computer and wonder what to write. I don't know how columnists do it everyday...or comic strip writers for that matter (have you ever wondered how they can be so funny everyday of their lives?). Props to the literarily inclined. On a different note, this morning I went to the funeral of a good friend's husband. He was one of those incredible people that really lives and loves life, so it was fun to hear stories of him. As I sat there, I was inspired. "Life by Passion" is what it says on the wristbands they had made for him - and it's perfect because together he and his wife are the definition of living by passion. It's ironic that sometimes the Lord reminds us to live through death. I'm grateful for people who live, love, laugh, and inspire...they remind us that this life is one heck of a ride, so enjoy it.

My brother once told me to "live life intentionally" and be "awake". Sometimes I think we forget to wake up...and then the unexpected events shake us from drudgery. So I say it's time to embrace sporadic - be a nut, go to India, skydive, smile, make a friend. Whatever it is, do it and mean it. Heck! We're going on a field study! I am so stoked!!! Let's live it up :)