Looking backward on 2013, I have learned so much. Last year my New Year's Resolution was to "Pray Always." I think I did a decent job. Something I've noticed about people who are led by God... their lives are not predictable. They are happy, but not necessarily following a prescribed plan that they made up in 1st grade, or even in high school. When you turn your life over to God, He can make so much more of your life than you can. I have felt so tossed around in love, decisions, work, and my spirituality this year. But one thing I can say, is that I have done so because I feel like I'm following God's path for me step-by-step. Things I've learned in 2013: How to sew! How to sing for small crowds of people and look them in the eye, instead of at the back wall. How to put together a musical number in 30 minutes. My primary love language is "Quality Time." Heavenly Father really listens to our prayers and will grant us the sincere,...
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Darcy and I are on a 21 day no-sweets challenge. Day 3 has been killer. Everyone is eating root beer floats outside. I came inside after mingling so I wouldn't continue to tempt myself. I had this thought as I climbed the Y for the first time last month: Anything worthwhile is going to be hard work. And I'll continue to stick to that motto.
Well, it's that time of year. Christmas festivities are over, a new calendar year is coming up, a new semester of school starts for me, and just about everyone makes a New Year's Resolution. I don't have a very typical one this year, but I make this resolution with the hope that the world and I will be better at the end of next year. My focus is on the word LOVE. I will consciously think of love when I'm in frustrating situations, and respond with more love. I will notice those around me who need love, and offer it as readily as I can. I will try not to suppress any generous thoughts, but act on them and not be afraid of what others think my motives are. I will speak of others with love, and leave gossip behind. I will find a way to love my classes, classmates, room mates, homework, practice hours, and my church calling. I will give service and try to consciously do a good deed each day. This might sound like a crazy goal. I'm sure it won't be easy. I'm sure...
"In the course of always looking for what others have done and what others have thought and what others have felt, we never learn what we think or feel about a subject. We overlook learning what is in our own hearts, and in so doing we never make the most important of all discoveries. That is, How do I feel about the subject? What do I think about it? That introspection or exploration is perhaps the most important kind of study in which we can engage." - Boyd K. Packer I'm reading this book right now and encourage anyone who hasn't to read it- it is a fabulous book about how to teach moral principles, based on how Christ taught His disciples in the New Testament. I've been able to examine how I learn, and how I can teach others, even when I don't formally teach a class or have any kind of training. p.s. I just love the retro book style- this cover is the first edition, but there have been several since its publication in 1975
Study Abroad has been life changing. I have learned so much about the culture, about people, the food,the music, dancing, recreation, and day to day life of the Austrians. But there is one part of the Study Abroad which is completely unique and can never be duplicated in any other time or place. I've been blessed with an amazing group of supportive friends and teachers. Of course we didn't start out as close knit as we are now, but the joy was in the journey of discovering their lovely personalities and learning to create a working environment of love and learning. I'm going to copy what a few of my friends have already done in blogs past and write a bit about each character in the story of my Vienna Experience, just as a tribute to them and my gratitude for the things I've learned from them. Dr. Vincent is the leader of our group. He is the Opera Director at BYU. I first met him when I was a senior in high school- I arranged to have a voice lesson with him one weeke...
MAUTHAUSEN This camp began in 1938 as a concentration camp for German and Austrian "criminals". Prisoners of war were sent here, and Jews began to enter the camp in 1942. The average life expectancy of someone entering Mauthausen as a prisoner was 2 months. An estimated 50,000 people died here, and another 50,000 or so died at sub-camps surrounding Mauthausen. There is a stone quarry down the hill from the barracks where the prisoners would hew away stone and carry it up the hill to build more buildings. Sometimes for fun the officers would push prisoners off the cliff of the hill once they got to the top. They called it "parachuting". When a contingent of 500 Russian prisoners attempted an escape, those who were found were brought back to the camp in the cold of February, chained to a wall, and hosed down with cold water until they froze to death. In the summer, overseers closed all the windows and doors to their sleeping quarters. Their rooms reached temperatu...
OK, but not really. I spent the afternoon going on my seventh and final walking tour around the southern part of Vienna's inner city, between the Naschmarkt and Belvedere Palace. And it was so wonderful! First of all, it was nice to just be alone and stop when I saw cool things that I wanted to see... and sometimes I find strange things that I think are cool, like this: I find photoshop fun... It's not Elizabeth Arden, but it's a red door... and it is awesome. Found an art gallery on a street I passed. Don't you just love the old architecture and the beautiful sign up above? I can hardly even believe I saw this from across a really really busy street. And probably best of all, I found or walked past 4 vintage clothing stores! It was a shame they didn't have anything like a necklace or earrings out, or else I would've bought it! The clothes were ADORABLE, albeit expensive. I doubt that I'll have time to go back, but if I don't, a trip to Urban Exchange...
So much happens in the course of 12 hours. It's insane. I woke up and ate breakfast with my host sister and her friend. It's nice to have people in the house again. Then I left the apartment to go on Walking Tour #3 around the City of Vienna. Keep in mind that today is possibly one of the coldest days that I've ever felt in Vienna. And not only is it cold, but the wind is biting while we walk around in the city searching for landmarks. Quite honestly, the city of Vienna itself is a museum. Every time you turn the corner you see a sign on a building that says "Mozart lived here from 17-- to 17--" or Beethoven, or Shumann. CRAZY! One of my favorite places was the church of the Order of theTeutonic Knights- built in the 14th century or something- it had lots of crests of knights on the walls within it. Then there was a story about how Richard the Lionheart was crusading and on his way back to England he was captured and held ransom in Vienna, and the ransom money ...
One of my classes is called "Experiencing Vienna". We are required to take 8 self guided tours through the city, using a map and information written by my former German teacher, Professor Keele. He's a great man with tons of knowledge about history and the culture of the German and Austrian people. We are supposed to document some of our feelings about this whole walk and the things that we learned and enjoyed. For many things that we did there are pictures . For some things, I may just have to write about them. I will use my blog to keep track of that. Right next to Rupert's Church (the oldest church in Vienna) was the Morzinplatz, where the Hotel Metropol housed the Gestapo headquarters during WWII. These headquarters were destroyed by Allied bombing in 1945. And I ask myself: How on earth did Rupertskirche survive this attack completely untouched? I can only think that it is by the grace of God that it was preserved. Two blocks further from the Gestapo headq...