Cambodia: Week 1 (Almost)

One Month Away!

It's weird to think that I have a month left before I leave for Cambodia. It seems like just yesterday that I was sifting through piles of fliers, trying to decide what internship experience would be best for me. And now I'm here, trying to get myself to focus on my last bits of homework, but instead losing myself in my summer plans.

[Cambodia is the small (light pink) country between Thailand (light green) and Vietnam (salmon-ish).]

My journey up to this point has been an interesting one. It all started when I was sitting in my molecular biology class last semester. It was just a normal day; Dr. Griffitts was going on about homologous recombination or Holliday junction resolution or something else that was way over my head. Anyway, I suddenly had a prompting that I needed to make some summer plans abroad. At first I thought it was just of my own accord; you see, sometimes I get in these moods where I panic about not having enough extracurriculars for my medical school application. I shift into super-motivated mode where I go buck wild and take on way too many responsibilities. It wasn't until later that I realized my stupor of thought wasn't of my own invention, but thanks to a very loving Heavenly Father I was led in the right direction.

So here I am, a month out. Finishing the semester strong has been a struggle because I have my mind on Cambodia. What began as a pre-medical internship has now morphed into an internship with an NGO better known as RACHA (Reproductive and Child Health Alliance). I'm hoping to get some experience working in rural health clinics with doctors and nurses, as well as work on some public health projects addressing pertinent issues.

Don't know much about Cambodia? Don't worry, I didn't either. However, if you want some more info, feel free to click here. It's a beautiful country with a rich culture and history.

Festival of Colors 2011

About a week ago, I had the awesome chance to partake in the joy that is Holi Krishna. I had been wanting to participate in the chalk-throwing extravaganza for the last few years, and I'm so happy to say I finally got my chance. Enjoy!

[The above video comes courtesy of Alyse Saarelainen. It was so great of her to take a video!]

Spring!

In honor of the first day of spring, I have decided to create a list of my top five things I love about spring. I hope I'm not speaking too soon; I know how bipolar the weather in Provo can be. Regardless of that, I'm going to do it anyway. Well, here goes nothing...

MY TOP 5 THINGS I LOVE ABOUT SPRING! [In no particular order]:

1- GENERAL CONFERENCE. Twice a year we are given the opportunity to listen to the most inspired men in the world. My testimony grows stronger with every speaker and I come to a greater knowledge of what an amazing blessing it is to be a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. I come from each session feeling strengthened, uplifted, and inspired to be on the Lord's errand.

2- MARCH MADNESS. This is a given. You could blame it on the success of BYU's team this year or Jimmer Mania. For me, though, I think the reason this past season has been a stand-out for me is how the school came together in support of Brandon Davies during his time of trial. It was a difficult road for him, and probably still is, but the fan base was there to let him know that they still loved him regardless. And just so the world knows, Charles Abouo is my favorite player, hence the picture.

3- FLIP FLOPS. Particularly of the Old Navy type. Seriously though, these things are great. They're super cheap and they last a lot longer than you'd think. Well, at least for me they do. Anyway, I'm definitely going to be investing in a few pairs of these for when I go to Cambodia. I'm going for my annual flip-flop tan.

4- HOLI: FESTIVAL OF COLORS. One day when I was a senior in high school, I was meandering through the happenings of Facebook and came across someone who had pictures of them at the Festival of Colors at the Holi Krishna Temple in Spanish Fork. It looked like a blast and I promised myself I would go the next year. Unfortunately the next year came and I was unable to attend for reasons I don't even remember (lame, I KNOW), but this year I'm going to make sure I don't miss it.

5- With the coming of spring, that means we're one season away from SUMMER!

Hunger Banquet 2011: Peace By Piece

Going into this week, I was pretty skeptical about what my chances were going to be of coming out alive. On top of all of the busy work that my professors assigned, I had three midterms to study for and take, plans to make and contracts to prep for my summer internship, a health curriculum to work on for Sustain Haiti, and the advertising campaign for the Hunger Banquet to plan.

My hopes for finding some joy in the week were focused on watching Jimma-Jamma and the Cougars take on New Mexico on Wednesday night. Turns out my hopes were in vain.

I thought I was going to explode.

This week probably wouldn't have seemed so crazy had it not started out so rocky. My stress level skyrocketed on Monday as it became apparent that our graphic designer we hired had bailed on us and thus we had no logo for the Hunger Banquet ON THE DAY IT WAS DUE. Neltje, Colleen, and I ran around like chickens with our heads cut off, trying to figure out what our options were. We decided that going on a witch hunt for our flaky designer was probably out of the question, no matter how much better it would have made us feel. The last thing we needed was a warrant out for our arrest.

After a lot of scrambling, we finally came up with a game plan. Neltje's quick thinking found us another graphic artist and her vision was put into motion. When I caught up to her that night after classes and FHE, I was surprised to walk into a lobby filled with freshmen working on a 1500 piece puzzle, pieces spread between two large tables. They didn't even know who we were or really what the Hunger Banquet was, yet they knew that we were in dire need of extra hands and they were there to help. I was so grateful to them for their willingness to be there. I knew how hectic my week was and imagined that some of them had weeks similar to mine, and yet they were there to help, all without complaint. Would I have done the same thing had I been in their position?

Hours passed...

Still no completion of the puzzle.

Visiting hours ended...

The group got kicked out...

The puzzle making moved outside.

Work continued.

No sleep.

4 AM came.

And then...

It was done.

I think it turned out great! The logo is an actual photo, not something that was generated by a computer. In hindsight, I think the trouble we went through to come up with it was a great example of what the Hunger Banquet is all about. Through the hard work and effort of people who didn't even know us or fully grasp our predicament, peace was able to be brought to our situation. The creation of peace must come from a multidisciplinary background, and our little logo fiasco was a microcosm of that. Each person that helped us out had something to contribute and was a solution to our problem in one way or another.

Together, we can make a difference, PEACE BY PIECE.

Mr. Feeny ... Mr. Feeny! ... MR. FEENY!!!

I don't know why, but recently I've been itching to watch Boy Meets World. That show was a huge part of growing up in the 90s. I remember sitting at the kitchen table, eating Rice Krispie Treats cereal (super healthy, right?) as I enjoyed Eric's outrageous antics, Mr. Feeny's undying wisdom, and the development of Cory and Topanga's love. That crew had a way of sucking you right in.

Last night I got a bit nostalgic, so naturally I took to YouTube and searched for Boy Meets World. What did I find? A treasure trove of memories. I had forgotten how funny that show was! I watched the pilot episode from 1993 and the series finale from 2000. [There may have been a tear or two shed as I watched the last episode, but that's off the record.] On the record, I love this show. One of these days I think I might invest some of my moolah into buying the entire series...

Anyhoo, here's a video I found on YouTube of some of the funniest moments of Boy Meets World. It's a pretty good compilation, but let's face it, the best compilation of comical moments from BMW would just be the series itself. The whole thing is hilarious, there's no getting around it.

Condie Rice Forum

This past January, BYU had the wonderful opportunity of hosting former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice. The Marriott Center was completely packed as students and faculty came to hear her speak on a number of different topics. What an amazing and truly inspiring experience!

If you would like to read her remarks, go ahead and click here. You won't regret it!