And then he told me he used to teach in Kyrgyzstan...

Recently I have been having random experiences that involve really awesome people and the sense that God orchestrated this chance meeting. Do you ever have that feeling? Like, I would think this is coincidence except it is just too awesome to be coincidence!

Like a couple of weeks ago. One of my Arabic professors emailed me and asked if I wanted to go to an elementary school to volunteer there with an activity they were doing involving Arabic, Spanish, and Chinese. Even though it meant I would have to leave work early and leave one of my classes (not to mention the drive to Lehi...) I only thought about it for about 5 seconds before agreeing to go. I mean, how awesome would that be, right?

Although I actually ended up doing almost nothing (they had a real Arab there. What did they want me for?) I met two very cool people--one (the real Arab) was from Morocco. His name was Mohammad. He used to be Muslim. And now he is Mormon. In addition to the coolness of that alliteration, I felt that this was an important person for me to meet. I mean, how many Mohammads from Morocco do you know that have been baptized into the church? And 10 days after September 11, 2001...his story sounded pretty crazy and awesome.

And the other woman there? An American (also Mormon) whose husband was Arab, from Ramallah. And his family still lives there. When I mentioned my desire to write a book about Palestinian women in the West Bank, she said, "Well I know a lot of those..."

And I just thought, wow.

And then! Just when I thought things couldn't get any more crazy and ideal in my life, I stayed after one of my classes a minute to talk to my professor (the one who knew the guy from 1837...). Since he is a visiting professor from Chicago, I asked him if he knew anything about the center for Near and Middle Eastern studies there, since it is one of my options for grad school. Although he didn't know anyone who taught there personally, another student who was waiting to talk to the professor said, "That is where my husband just finished his PhD! In fact, we are flying out to defend his dissertation next week!" And then she invited me over for dinner to talk about grad school at Chicago.

Finally, another day I was talking to said professor about a paper that I am writing for his class. And he mentioned something about "when I was teaching in Kyrgyzstan..."

And I thought, "I used to think you were cool, but now I know you are cool!" Because I have been reading about Pakistan recently (in "Three Cups of Tea") and I have suddenly become a bit more interested in that area of the world. Because actually all the "stan" countries (Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Afghanistan, Kazakhstan, and Tajikistan) lie between the "Middle East proper" and China.

A sort of bridge between my two worlds.

Weird, huh. And then I thought, I want to go to Kyrgyzstan!

What a crazy life I have, eh?

"I knew his brother"

Today in my Critical Theory class the professor was speaking of a critic, von Humboldt, and mentioned that he had never taught this particular critic's theory in a class before. In fact, he said that he wasn't even very familiar with the critic himself, but was more familiar with the critic's older brother, who was a scientist.

"Although I wasn't familiar with von Humboldt's theories," he said, "I knew his brother."

I glanced down at the page and saw that von Humboldt had died in 1835. Now, my professor might think he is old, but not that old. I shrugged it off and figured that professors live so much in their minds that knowing someone in his mind must have meant the same thing to this professor as actually knowing him in person.

But then a girl raised her hand and asked, "I'm sorry, but how could you have known his brother if he died in 1835?" And the professor looked startled for a minute and then realized what he said.

And started laughing.

The rest of the class was laughing, too. Hysterically. In fact, he couldn't even speak for a couple of minutes because he and we were all laughing so hard. And then he tried to start talking about the critic again but couldn't keep the laughter inside.

"I've been doing this for too long," he said. "I have been teaching for way too long."

I just laughed because it did prove my point that professors do live inside their heads...

Seat Thief

You know the security that comes from always sitting in the same seat? When you walk into a biology class or an English class--or even church, for that matter--you don't have to pick again and again where you want to sit. Pick once, and the laws of applied physics will almost guarantee you don't have to pick again. Because everyone else wants to sit in the same seat, too.

Today, that security was stolen from me.

I walked into class and was shocked to see someone sitting in my seat. And he didn't even look sorry about it. Not that there aren't 15 empty seats in the class that he could have chosen without taking my seat. Not that I don't have two classes in that classroom this semester and I carefully categorize my class material by where I sit in the class (a different seat for each class). Not that he didn't know I sit there every day (although this one is debateable, I guess. Maybe some people don't pay attention to things like this).

Needless to say, the karma of my whole day was thrown off.

Children...(not mine)

Since I don't have children of my own, I just take pictures of other peoples' children. Good thing I have so many willing subjects, too, since on my mission my first nephew was born. And my second, and my third.

Crazy.

Anyway, I like to pretend that these fellows won't smile for any other camera but mine. I'm just gifted like that. :)

From the beginning of time...until forever

Does anyone else find this as funny as I do? This is a list of most of the jobs I have held at BYU. And as you can tell from the list, I have been here forever.

Literally.

Please notice the start date and end date of my jobs at BYU.

beginning of time - 7/02/2005
FOODS ELWC/ELWC Catering
7/2005 - 7/2005
SPECIAL EVENTS/Special Events
7/2005 - 11/2005
FOODS ELWC/ELWC Catering
11/2005 - 1/2006
FOOD MTC PART/MTC Cafeteria Proper
1/2006 - 2/2006
CHURCH HISTORY/Church History & Doctrine
2/2006 - 5/2006
FOOD MTC PART/MTC Cafeteria Proper
5/2006 - 8/2006
ANCIENT SCRIPTURE/Ancient Scripture
8/2006 - 8/2006
PAYROLL/Cew Byu Provo
8/2006 - 9/2006
ANCIENT SCRIPTURE/Ancient Scripture
9/2006 - 9/2006
CHURCH HISTORY/Church History & Doctrine
9/2006 - 12/2006
ANCIENT SCRIPTURE/Ancient Scripture
12/2006 - 12/2006
KBYU ADMINISTRATION/Administrative
12/2006 - 5/2007
CHURCH HISTORY/Church History & Doctrine
5/2007 - 6/2007
HP Intra Extramurals/Invitational Track Meet
6/2007 - 8/2007
PAYROLL/Faculty Consolida
8/2007 - 8/2007
ANCIENT SCRIPTURE/Ancient Scripture
8/2007 - 12/2007
PAYROLL/Faculty Consolida
12/2007 - 12/2007
ANCIENT SCRIPTURE/Ancient Scripture
12/2007 - 1/2008
KBYU ADMINISTRATION/Administrative
1/2008 - 8/2008
ANCIENT SCRIPTURE/Ancient Scripture
8/2008 - 4/2010
PAYROLL/Faculty Consolida
4/2010 - 5/2010
DEAN'S OFFICE RELIGIOUS ED./Associate Dean
5/2010 - forever

I'm never getting out of here. I really will be here forever!!! (And no, I didn't add these in myself. They are on my job payroll login...)

Isn't BYU always home?

The other day when I stopped by the records office to get some issues figured out, I mentioned to the girl at the counter that I had just returned from my mission (thus the records issues). She said, "Welcome home! Well, if you call BYU home..." to which I responded, "Isn't BYU always home?"

It is for me.

But even BYU does not remain stagnant as I leave to explore other countries. I thought a list of things that have changed in the last two years would be fitting.

1. Motion-sensored toilet paper rolls in the bathroom? I must admit that I had never seen these before and was slightly startled when I put my hand near one and it moved automatically. Perhaps this is to cut down on toilet paper waste? The only place I have found this interesting phenomena is in the Wilk.

2. Snack zone in the library?!! I guess the complaints and suggestions finally made it through to the top, because the library now has an "official" snack zone--on the 3rd floor at the south end. When I first saw a picture of a chocolate chip cookie in this area, I thought perhaps the library personnel were mocking us starving students, but it is actually an official place for "sandwiches, cookies, fruit, and other non-messy foods." So I guess I can't bring in my sloppy joe or steak, but the good news for me is that now instead of leaving my LRC station for 10 minutes to run outside to eat a sandwich, I now only have to leave it for 5 minutes and walk down the stairs to eat. What a delight.

3. All A lots have changed their "Faculty parking only" hours to the late hour of 7pm. Even on Friday. It kind of bothers me--but some of the lots now no longer have "No parking 1-5 am" signs on them! Does this mean overnight parking is allowed?

4. The traffic office. It's gone. The other day I drove my car up by the bell tower to stop by the traffic office--an area I am quite familar with because I used to work there. And it was gone! All those houses (a little out of date for offices but quaint nonetheless) were razed. And the houses on the south end of campus were gone too. I guess they wanted offices where the bathrooms weren't pink and green?

5. No earphones in the LRC. Signs say this is to quell the spreading of "The Flu"...but still, the whole purpose of the LRC was the free and convenient headphones. Now you have to check out a "clean" pair if you want one...with disposable ear covers.

Well, that's about it. I wish I could list some great and wild things that have gone on while I was exploring distant lands, but I guess BYU really doesn't change that much in two years...

(Still no south entrance to the Library, which is at the top of my wish list.)

I know where all the English majors have gone...

As much as I take pride in being an English major, sometimes I leave major errors in papers I hand in because of lack of time spent (or available) proofreading. Like last week. I turned in a paper that I had spent several hours on in to my professor. I had spent several hours writing it, but obviously zero hours proofreading it, because the FIRST LINE says "Aristotle puts asks the question"...I decided to change the wording last minute and didn't delete the old, obviously.

And so the professor circled it and wrote in huge letters, PROOF CAREFULLY.

Thank you. I know.

It was really embarrassing.

And so the other day in class, he had us pull out our syllabus so we could discuss a paper. And he had numbered things 1-6, and then instead of 7 there was another 6! Which was probably awkward for him, too, because he had to say, "It's under the second number 6..." clearly indicating that he, too, did not proofread carefully.

I felt vindicated. I wanted to say, "Ha! I'm not the only one who doesn't proofread!" But I didn't.

So I know where all the English majors have gone. They're still here, they just don't have time to proofread.