Tuesday, July 30, 2013

The Rain Fly Worked!


Camping was lovely. I lived through this same storm twice–it travelled north as we did and I got a weakened version in Provo, which is kind of poetic for some reason I can't identify.

Thursday, July 18, 2013

There Was No Scandal Yesterday

"There was no scandal yesterday" is my favorite example sentence from Russian class so far.

Another quotable moment from classes: "A dive knife is NOT a weapon. It's a tool. Unless there's an angry shark nearby. Then it's a weapon because you use it to stab your diving buddy and swim away."

Tuesday, July 16, 2013

The Summer Landscape

At first I missed the Fall/Winter volume of students and by extension felt a range of annoyance<->ferocious irritation towards sports camps (who took over lower campus) and EFY and non-student families (who jointly control upper campus).

But now...? I don't know. I caught myself thinking it was adorable that there was a new batch of EFY kids on Monday. I think it's funny to watch how they change (the same ways every time) over a week. My favorite is Fridays when they're taking photos by the Benson and are already nostalgic about EFY being over (before it even is).

And the families! I love the families. Sure, they don't walk fast enough or know where the flow of traffic should head. But I love when kids walk out of the Bookstore clutching BYU-themed stuffed animals. I also loved it when a father of four stopped his wife and kids outside the Wilk and said to his wife, "This is where we met, right? Right here on this ramp."

The world turns on the tiniest things and the most nondescript concrete ramps. That's mostly what I learned yesterday, which was a dozily hot July day. I also learned how to say "I had..." or more accurately, "There was near to me..." in Russian, but that part doesn't make as good of a story.

Sunday, July 14, 2013

Things I Struggle With

Language confusion.

The Irish word for prime minister (taoiseach) sounds a lot like the Russian word for thousand (тысяча).

Conversation partner: "How much does that hat cost?"

Me: "Two Irish prime ministers."



It's a really nice hat, okay?