Oh CANADA!!

Yes, taking advantage of the proximity to another national border, I had the chance to visit Canada's capital city of Ottawa. The class I am TA'ing for is part of Syracuse's Freshman Learning Communities Program where students interested in a particular major get placed on the same floor as other incoming students and then take an intro class together before they get the chance to declare their major. The IR learning community also sponsors a yearly trip to Canada to talk about US-Canadian relations which gives students a great chance to see foreign diplomacy in action, learn about issues that extend beyond our borders, and do so without having to board a plane.

We spent the morning meeting with representatives from the US Embassy in Canada who talked about everything from the extension of non-traditional embassy agencies like the Department of Homeland Security to Canadian stances on NAFTA and NATO forces in Afghanistan.

We then had some free time and I went around with the 2 Peer Mentors who are undergrads that had previously been part of the learning community and are now in charge of facilitating students through this year as well as teaching classes once a week. We had a great time taking in the sights of Ottawa. I must admit, it was a BEAUTIFUL city. The streets are busy but wide and inviting, the buildings not overwhelming or looming, and the people were very laid-back and friendly. There is a lot of British influence and the emphasis on preserving the original architecture has resulted in a stunning conglomeration of high copper-plated turret-towers on stone facades alongside modern skyrise and banks of office windows.

We toured the Parliament learning of their bicameral system headed by ministers representing the more than 33 million Canadians. The architecture, again, was breath-taking including statuary built into the walls with faces of historic leaders and monarchs, walls made from limestone rich in fossils, and archways buttressing out in sweeping lines across the vaulted ceilings. A personal highlight was, while waiting for the elevator that would take us up to the top of the "Peace Tower" overlooking the city, I ran into a family from Mexico City visiting Canada for their first time too. They had tried to cut in line ahead of us, thinking that the group was waiting for a tour guide. Since nobody spoke Spanish behind me, they were successful in elbowing their way through until I heard them discussing their need to continue forward and I kindly remarked in Spanish that there was a line and we were all waiting for the elevator. The woman was seriously surprised to hear anyone address her in Spanish let alone to tell her that she couldn't go forward any more. But, we ended up being good friends as we talked about their trip and they complimented me on my Spanish skills.

Following the parliament, we had some more free time wherein I bought some authentic Maple syrup contained in little glass maple jars and a French baguette from a little bakery run by French Ontarians. It was interesting seeing all the signs in English and French, the measurements all converted in metrics, and hear the fluid interchange between the Angliphone and Francophone cultures. I realized just how little I really know about Canada and, being such a vital trading partner and ally, I should really take some time to get to know more.

It was a fantastic day trip--exhausting but fantastic! I got home to find out that my car had broken down and after an ordeal in the rain we managed to get it to a garage that will look at it on Monday.

In other news, I've had a great time getting out to some cultural events including a night of Spanish opera (Zarzuela) in the small town of Homer, NY. I had never imagined having access to world-class Spanish lyrical theater, but in a small theater that had been a church and now converted into a civic center, I found a gem of culture performed only once a year. Also, I braved the waters of Lake Owasco in driving a waverunner for the first time. Leaving the crammed and admittedly dismal city center of Syracuse, the open countryside and sweeping hillsides sprinkled with long-skinny "finger" lakes is a truly breath-taking and relaxing atmosphere. I'm excited for the full onset of Fall as the leaves are just now starting to change color and the promise of a colorful cascade of leaves awaits me.

Otherwise, these next couple weeks will be full of midterms, presentations, and projects so hopefully I'll be able to keep up. Classes are picking up in intensity and the weather is dimming down but Syracuse remains a constant adventure.





Inside Parliament, the House of Commons chambers. Usually, meetings are in session while tour groups pass through so they don't let you go inside, but since they are out campaigning in preparation for the October 14th elections, we were able to go inside.





No caption necessary

Ottawa as seen from the Peace Tower.

A beautiful bridge over Ottawa River

Katie and I enjoying our French baguettes and toasting to the maple syrup bottles

LOOK AT THIS PURPLE HOUSE!! I ran into this beautiful house right on a main thoroughfare of Skaneateles, a major tourist town about 30 min outside of Syracuse

A boat docked on Skaneateles lake overlooks a quiet park

This is inside a beautiful park called Watkins Glen. Amazing geology and lots of money for trail-making have made it a great afternoon getaway as well as the site for some incredible engagement photo opps.

I was amazed by this statue in the visitor's center at the Peter Whitmer Farm. Documenting the restoration of the priesthood by Peter, James, and John, the statue is incredible--yes the angels are really floating!

Finally, the peer mentors and I pose outside of Parliament.

moving toward election day

A report from the Inter-American Dialogue recently compared McCain and Obama's foreign policy towards Latin America.

Title: Obama, McCain Offer Stark Contrasts on Latin America Policy
Author: Interview with Michael Shifter
Source: America.gov
Date: September 8, 2008

By Eric Green

Washington — The two major U.S. presidential candidates offer stark contrasts in their positions on Latin America and the Caribbean, several specialists on the region tell America.gov.

Michael Shifter, vice president for policy at the Washington-based nonpartisan Inter-American Dialogue, said Republican John McCain’s “rhetoric” on Cuba and Venezuela is “certainly tougher” than that of Democrat Barack Obama.

But Shifter said it is “unclear how that will translate in policy terms.” He said that under a McCain administration, the current U.S. “stance” toward Cuba probably will continue, “and it might even get more hardline.”

Obama already has proposed “some modest steps” toward an opening with Cuba, including lifting U.S. restrictions on sending remittances to Cuba and on travel restrictions for Cuban Americans to the Caribbean nation, Shifter said.

Obama’s “willingness” to talk with Cuban President Raúl Castro, “with a carefully prepared agenda, marks a contrast with McCain’s posture,” Shifter said.

He said McCain’s rhetoric aimed at Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez has been “harsher and more confrontational than Obama’s.” Shifter said Obama seems to favor a more diplomatic approach in dealing with Chávez, and that Obama’s “moderate tone would not, however, conceal basic policy differences with the Chávez government, especially on such issues as Iran and Afghanistan.”

Shifter said “tensions between the United States and Venezuela under a McCain or Obama administration would likely persist.”

COLOMBIA

Regarding Colombia, Shifter said that McCain’s concern with national security questions suggest the Republican is likely to be a strong advocate of continuing U.S. support for the next phase of Plan Colombia called the “Strategy to Strengthen Democracy and Promote Social Development.” Obama is “also a proponent of continued security aid” to the Andean nation, Shifter said. (See “United States To Shift Focus of Funds for Colombia.”)

But Shifter said McCain and Obama “differ sharply” on a pending U.S. free-trade agreement with Colombia, with McCain backing the pact and Obama opposed to it because of incidents of violence against Colombian union officials.

“Ironically, it may be easier to get” the trade agreement through the U.S. Congress under Obama rather than with a McCain administration, Shifter said. He said McCain could have a more adversarial relationship with the next Congress — very likely to be controlled by the Democrats — than would Obama. “Obama could more easily put together a larger package featuring social protections and benefits for U.S. workers and that could help pave the way for eventual congressional approval” of the trade pact.

Regarding how high a priority the Americas will be for the next U.S. administration, Shifter said “Latin Americans should have learned by now to keep their expectations in check.” Situations in Iraq, Iran, Afghanistan, Russia and China are likely to command much attention from a new administration, “so Latin America is unlikely to get the attention it deserves.”

McCain has made several trips to the region, Shifter said. Obama never has visited, but either “will need to develop a more sophisticated understanding of an area” that has “undergone profound changes and no longer responds to Washington’s tutorial impulses.” (See “Next U.S. President Unlikely to Alter U.S. Latin America Policy.”)

McCAIN MUM, OBAMA VAGUE ON U.S. IMAGE IN THE AMERICAS

Reflecting Shifter’s comments, Greg Weeks, an associate professor of political science at the University of North Carolina, said the two candidates are divided on the U.S. trade embargo on Cuba. Obama, he said, has taken a “surprisingly skeptical view of the embargo and although he has not called for it to be dismantled, he has said that our policy toward Cuba has been a ‘failure.’”

Obama also has called for “engagement with the Cuban government, for which he has been criticized by McCain for being naïve,” said Weeks, who also writes a blog called Two Weeks Notice.

On whether either candidate could get immigration legislation passed by Congress, Weeks said that “my hunch is no, though the makeup of Congress after the elections will be important.”

He said that although Democrats won a majority in the last congressional election in 2006, many members of the House of Representative “were conservative and so opposed immigration reform. Given McCain's clear interest in [immigration] reform, though, he will be more likely to expend political capital to get it passed. Obama has said he would pursue reform, but my sense is that the topic is a lower priority for him.”

When asked how the candidates could improve the U.S. image in the Americas, Weeks responded that he has not heard McCain address this question, perhaps because doing so could be interpreted as a criticism of President Bush. McCain’s campaign has said it will ensure “top administration officials would have strong Latin American portfolios,” according to Weeks.

Obama has emphasized diplomacy and a policy of “helping the poor, shoring up civil society and strengthening democratic institutions, though the specifics are vague,” Weeks said.

He said that “ultimately, from a rhetorical standpoint, Obama offers more promise of policy change toward Latin America than McCain, whose policies [including immigration] remain very close to President Bush.” But because of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, renewed tension with Russia and myriad other global issues, “Latin America will not likely be a top priority once the new president is elected,” Weeks said.

Details of McCain’s and Obama’s positions on the Americas are available on the Web sites of the respective candidates.

The article highlights the possible neglect towards Latin America--and the sad tradition of paying attention only to the most vocal crowds of Venezuela and Columbia. Granted, the priorities in foreign relations will be those countries who represent the greatest security, diplomatic, or commercial threat. But, both of the candidates fail to recognize the loss of sentiment in Latin America as a whole representing a huge problem for future relations. We need to spend more time building up our allies than just breaking down our enemies, giving good press to the countries that stubbornly defend democracy against the squeaky wheels of Morales, Chavez, and Correa, and dedicate our diplomatic strengths to empowerment rather than subterfuge.

update

Hmmm...seems that it has been a while since I last posted. My bad. Honestly, I have made numerous attempts to sit and plunk out my blog, but have failed miserably until today.

By way of personal update, I officially finished another 3-credit 3-week intensive course at the Maxwell School. This time, rather than punching in numbers and working out budgets, I was in the middle of debates about the true meaning of democracy and what kinds of implications working in our form of democracy has on public administrators. With my personal international preference, it was often difficult to maintain a constant focus in the class though the dialog was a nice change.

I then had a week off which I blissfully spent doing just about nothing. Well, I had orientation for the International Relations side of my studies and so I got to make some great contacts and meet some new faces in the program. I went on a couple sidetrips familiarizing myself with some more wonderful country towns of the Finger Lakes region, started a Guatemala scrapbook (which is going to take me a year!), and revived my love for Yoga and Pilates.

Then, on the 25th of August, I started back into the swing of being a full-time student. With a mix of 4 classes (Managerial Economics, Intro to Statistics, Public Organizations and Management, and Global Information Technology Policy), one additional audited class in Business Spanish, and my time as a TA for an international relations introduction course, my time is flying by.

Finding the balance between class, homework, church, sleep, food, transportation, hygiene, and personal life is definitely a challenge. I was somewhat converted to the easy flow of South America and the general "tranquil" attitude of taking things as they came rather than trying to jam-pack every minute with challenging and stimulating activities. Somewhere between the hemispheres I lost my love of juggling and so I'm having to reteach myself how to work everything in.

At the same time, there are a lot of wonderful things going on around campus, with institute and the singles branch, and in life in general. After making brownies and a cake for my friend's birthday, I now have the reputation of a "baker" in my house. I whipped out my classic root-beer chicken crock-pot masterpiece and felt quite accomplished to actually cook a full meal for a potluck activity. I went tubing out on Lake Owasco near Auburn, NY where I was stung by a wasp for the first time in my life. As I agonized about the pin-prick-sized hole that was causing a giant welt on my foot, I learned that baking soda and water makes a miraculous compound for wasp stings.

What else...lots of casual friend outings, getting to know local restaurants, bars, and even the karaoke joint. I went through a great Michaelangelo exhibit here on campus, attended an Irish Fest where I got info for participating in a Feis in April, and went to my first on-campus Lecture by a Professor Vanden from Florida about social movements in Latin America.

So, really quick and not that informative I'm sure, but that's my life in a nutshell since I last reported.

Creative Regurgitation AKA the art of taking finals exams

Yes, I did say final exams. You may not have expected such a phrase arising so early in my grad school "career" but it's true. I have officially survived my first (of many) grad school finals. After three weeks of nonstop Public Budgeting including daily class from 9-12 and 1-4, group work assignments, daily readings of at least 50 pages a day, the creation of a full-blown yearly budget for a hypothetical Day Care, and then a day and a half devoted to studying for the final, I went in this morning and completed the course with an exam worth a whopping 50% of my overall grade! For those that do not know me, just surviving the transition from the Paraguayan paradigm into American life has kept me on my toes--not to mention the transition to a new Syracuse way of life--but this whole studying Public Budgeting right off the bat really did a number on me. I don't have a background in budgeting and with so much financial management thrown at me and the whole time struggling to catch up with concepts that all the econ majors were flying through, I sincerely feel accomplished for having survived this course. Well, I guess that conclusion is yet to come since I don't have a clue what my grade is going to be. But, in general, I'm amazed at the actual learning capacity of the human mind and that, in a few short but intense weeks, I have been able to cram so much completely unfamiliar information into my reeling brain. I have no idea how long it'll be in there, but at least I got a lot in.

When the 3 1/2 hour test finished (it was supposed to only last 3 hours but seeing that not one person had finished with 1/2 an hour to go, they gave us an extension...I had literally started the last section with that 1/2 hour to go and was freaking out and still didn't finish the whole test with the extra time), all my anxiety swelled up from deep down and I was literally shaking for a good 20 minutes, my hand had gone numb from all the writing stressing an already stressed nerve, and I couldn't get my heart to stop racing. I found a good outlet for it though--ribs. As a celebration, a big group of Maxwellis headed down to the famous Dinosaur Barbecue in downtown Syracuse. An established biker joint, it's also a fabulous diner catering to college and tourist crowds alike. I had gone there with my friend Megan just before she and her husband shipped out of Syracuse and headed for Idaho. And, I was excited to be back--especially for THIS celebration! My friends laughed at how involved I was with my half-rack of beautifully-smoked ribs smothered in Dino BBQ sauce, but I enjoyed every bite! That, alongisde root beer on tap made me almost forget the stress of the past three weeks...almost.

We then joined up with some other MPA students to see a Friday afternoon showing of the new Batman Dark Knight movie. It was INCREDIBLE! I was a little skeptical through the first part because it was becoming painfully predictable, but then everything turned around and I had no idea what to expect and was (as one of my guy friends so lovingly pointed out) "squirming" in my seat for most of the show. Twisted, sometimes really dark and disturbing, thought-provoking, and generally mesmerizing, I LOVED this show! I don't know if I could see it again any time soon, but generally amazing. It's a tragedy that Heath Ledger was so affected by his role that it would take his life, but to his credit, his performance was truly riveting. I don't want to reveal too much of the plot, but I will comment on the discussions it raises on human nature and the battle between good and evil. Basically, he is a psychotic villain mastermind "with no rules" that acts completely unpredictably, turning things around and defying any sort of logic or moral reasoning. Past any self-interest, the Joker is simply insane. But, in facing his twisted tactics, there were various responses from the "good" and "bad" guys and you learn that the line isn't always as clear as we would like to think. When you can justify self-interest, you make yourself the good guy. But, when that self-interest becomes a vendetta for revenge, you make yourself a new kind of bad guy. Anyway, it really makes some interesting commentaries...the bigger and better they are, the harder they fall; sometimes people deserve more than "the truth; heroism and villainy are often only a decision away; inspiring good will also provide fodder for evil; sometimes you have to endure injustice as a result of your moral decisions; and so many more! Yes, these stories are based on comic books and written with a lot of those POW! BAM! action scenes that glorifies violence and raises mortals to invincible hero stature, but they can also be pretty inspiring, honest commentary on some of the most difficult questions in life. So, while the guys are getting their fix of blood and guts, they may also get some subliminal ethical training on the side.

Finally, I've been house/dog-sitting for the past week and have found that having a loving animal in my life has been probably the most enjoyable and sincere stress-reliever around. The chair of the International Relations department went on a trip with his wife to see family on the West Coast and asked if I wouldn't mind dog-sitting. His beautiful terrier Sophie has been a gem of a companion and I'm blessed to make a new friend that doesn't mind how much I might grumble about budgeting. She's always happy to see me, sleeps alongside me every night (and the occasional nap), and is even patient when I don't let her go as far on a walk as she might like because I don't have enough time to keep her out. I'll post some pics soon. It makes me really want to have my own puppy...but my roommate is allergic so it'll have to wait. As for now, I am thrilled to renew this love I've always had for animals and it couldn't have come at a better time (at least scholastically).

Anyway, just wanted to give an update. No, I guess these activities aren't as "exotic" or book-worthy as my romp in Paraguay, but this is, after all, just a day in the life of Kristine. And, these days, this has been my life. I'm back to the grindstone on Monday with another 3 week, 3 credit course, this time on Public Administration and Democracy. So, look forward to another analysis of my next creative regurgitation on that final...wishful thinking that I make it that long? I hope not.

Takin a break

Going to the Hill Cumorah Pageant. I had just gotten finished with a Federal Budget Simulation where I took the role of Mrs. Claire McCaskill from Missouri. Everybody in the class was given either a Senator's name, was assigned to be in the Press Corps and keep us on our toes, or on the Executive Committee alongside a self-elected President and Vice-President to try and work the room to lobby their position. We had sub-committee meetings on plans touching everything from Medicare to National Security with a mission to balance the budget. We then met the next day in the full Senate and voted one-by-one on the proposals. While being a Democrat for a day wasn't business-as-usual for me, it was a fantastic experience and I loved seeing the debate and hear everyone get into their parts. I presented the Democrat's position for the Medicare bill, but froze up with stage-fright and struggled to really argue effectively. In the end, our bill was tied and the Vice-president had to make the deciding vote--a decided Republican, he voted to pass a bill that would privatize Medicare within 10 years. Anyway, that was last Friday. I then headed out with this fine group of single adults to Palmyra, New York to see my very first Hill Cumorah Pageant. I loved seeing the groups of Mormons milling about the grounds--set up to support more than 9000 people seated plus standing room for many more. Not too chilly, not too many bugs, and not too long to make me fall asleep. Well done. We commented on how great it was to be in a large gathering of people and not feel like your purse was going to get stolen, not being enveloped in a cloud of smoke, and actually seeing happy people all around. Even drivers were courteous and the night was a breath of fresh air compared to the tense crowds of the bar scene. We then waited for the crowds to clear out while laughing at the remaining protesters on bullhorns pleading to the public to "repent of your phony repentance" and leave your "Mormon Gods". It was almost inspiring...all that babble over a bullhorn simply must be the signal I've been waiting for my whole life to put me in the right direction! Ah, but seriously, how sad to see people waste so much time and energy in destruction-seeking and trying to take other people down. I would never dream of the Missionaries picking up bullhorns and degrading Hindu, Bhuddist, or even Catholic gatherings. It's completley contradictory to any message of love or peace that Christ offers us. But, they have their free speech as much as anybody else. After all, it did provide some post-show entertainment. We then headed over to a dance at the Palmyra Stake. I felt a little awkward with my wrist-brace on, but had a great night.

Moving forward to this weekend, the 18th was my first official Karaoke party in the States. Amidst constant heavy metal and angry screaming, there were some good 80's pop rock and even some ballads belted out from the Singers' stage. They had an impressive collection of Karaoke favorites, compiled into massive volumes of spiral-bound goodness floating about the room seeking requests. Here we see the whole group, pre-show, and then Dave and Jason, two friends from the MPA cohort, belting out I Am the Warrior, complete with BANG BANG emphasis. My submission never made it to the lineup before it hit midnight and we were all ready to leave, so we'll have to plan subsequent karaoke nights. It was a lot of fun and a great interruption tothe grindstone of public budgeting. I'm learning a TON and moving quicker through financial material than I had ever dreamed possible, but it's nice to get out and see what the Syracuse night life has to offer (including the first of many Shirley Temples). I have quickly received the reputation of coming from the "jungle" and having "crazy survival skills" living in "extreme" conditions. Haha. Very true in many senses, but still not Tarzan-worthy. That, mixed with the intermittent discussions of whether the Polygamist colonies are considered Mormons or not, how to classify Mormon religion, and why it is that I want to spend so much time with Church-folk really keeps me on my toes. So, doing great! I probably have a pinched ulner nerve in my right arm and discovered that I have no medical coverage other than partial emergency room reimbursement and urgent care coverage at a clinic 100 miles from here. But, it could be worse. Thanks to a great physical therapist-brother (HAPPY BIRTHDAY btw!) I'm working on self-treatment. Oh, and Happy Birthday to Suzanne and her new little bundle of joy Isabel! Even though they stole my Spanish name from childhood, I'm glad to welcome her into the family fold.

"Beaches," babies, and the Bishop's Storehouse

Me at the Palmyra temple







The gang after the Bishop's storehouse enjoying a walk around the temple.


The Sacred Grove...a beautiful natural wonderland of Western NY forest.


Standing on the line in-between Wayne and Manchester counties...I'm supposed to look confused if you can't tell.

Inside the visitor's center at the Hill Cumorah, admiring a collection of Book of Mormons--now in print in 107 languages throughout the world. I couldn't find K'iche' or Guarani among the mix, but there was Kaqchikel (in the old orthography), Chiapan Mayan, and Tzotzil.



The momument atop the Hill Cumorah. Soon to be overlooking the famous Hill Cumorah Pageant.


Playing disc golf...that's right it's actually a sport including regulated holes, tee-off points, and "discs" not to be confused with Frisbees.



Yes, the official Jamesville Beach State Park Speed Limit is a whopping 17 mph...as a future public administrator I guess I should know why that is, but at this point in time, I thought it was just worth a picture.




Luis and Jason njoying the 4th of July barbecue...mmm mmm mmmm!


Despite the official start of graduate school last week, the four-day colloquium was a real get-to-know your classmates and didn't involve any real class work. It was a great introduction to the people in the MPA department, my new classmates, and the general layout of Syracuse University. But, all that cake-walking is coming to an end as I head into Public Budgeting (affectionately called Boot Camp) on Monday.

Celebrating my last weekend of freedom before entering the gauntlet of graduate school classes, I discovered disc golf with a few other classmates at nearby Jamesville Beach State Park. The "beach" was really pretty and well-maintained but the real splendor lied in the 18-hole disc golf course on the grounds. We rented a set of discs and I soon learned just how much skill was involved in chucking a small round piece of plastic towards an iron basket 400 feet away. There were 3 discs in the set--one for long-range, one for mid-range, and one for putting/approaching. And, as we learned, each had it's own technique and purpose. I had no idea such a sport would be so technical! Plus, you can't throw it like an ultimate frisbee--the only way I really know how to throw--but more like a discus. After the first nine holes, we were all pretty exhausted, so we hunkered down to some picnic food and chatted about international politics.

In the middle of the joys of beach bumming, I got a phone call from Suzanne confirming that she had, indeed, given birth to a bright-eyed baby girl on July 2. I had been desparately trying to call anyone in the family to get the latest news but had to wait 2 days before getting anything official. So, welcome new niece!!

Later on, a front porch barbecue ensued, followed by some chillin on the side deck with a group of MPAs. We decided to drive over to the fireworks being launched at the State Fair Grounds only to find ourselves in an hour-long traffic jam to get off the freeway and get parking. My leg was throbbing from holding the clutch in for so long and I couldn't help but complain about the aggressive drivers that felt entitled to zoom to the front of the line and then barge in...at one point a lady in an Expedition rolled down here window and signaled that she wanted me to let her in, but I shook my head and promptly received a barrage of colorful language and hand gestures as they drove off looking for another entrance. Again, welcome to New York driving.

We didn't get far after parking the car before the fireworks started, so we just plopped down at the nearest patch of grass. I can't honestly say if it was worth the drive and frustration, but being my first 4th of July in the United States since 2004, I enjoyed at least the chance to be part of the tradition of barbecues, fireworks, and good company. Interestingly enough, all 4 of us in my car heading for the fireworks turned out to be non-drinkers. We commented on how it was hard to find people that don't drink because, well, you don't exactly congregate to not drink while those of the alcohol find themselves together a lot easier. So, the Lord definitely has His way of letting me know that things are OK and that I'm not alone even if I'm in the minority.

Early Saturday morning, I headed down to a small town outside of Palmyra NY to do some service at the Bishop's Storehouse. One of 4 from the singles group, I had a great time filling bags with dairy and meat along an assembly line of volunteers. There was an older lady in charge of the fresh produce that completely stressed me out as she rushed everybody into making mistakes are really defeating the fun we would otherwise have had. But, in the end, we found little ways to enjoy the tasks and ended up filling 40 orders for families throughout Central New York, filling 2 trucks with basic foodstuffs as produced by the Church's welfare department. The best part of the trip, though, was the following couple of hours as we visited the sites around Palmyra.

First, we hit the Hill Cumorah, complete with the preparations for the Hill Cumorah Pageant that will start next week. Groups of youth practiced their fight scenes while others mastered the choreography of the trumpet-blowers. We headed into the visitor's center and I immediately saw that the Sister Missionaries that greeted us had their nametags in Spanish. I began to converse with one, finding out she had come here from Puebla, Mexico and, with only 4 months of experience, understood my pain of trying to transition into another language and culture.

The Spirit was overpowering as we toured the Smith farm--from the log home where the family first lived and where Joseph had first seen the angel Moroni to the fields he had tilled and worked to the sacred grove and the sight of the First Vision. Incredible. I received my own testimony of the Church a long time ago but more as an extension of my witnesses of the Book of Mormon itself and the doctrine of the Restoration. But, I had always struggled with the reality of a boy prophet and the conduit of that restoration coming through a typical 14-year-old. I had accepted it but always struggled to really say that I knew Joseph was a prophet. That may sound odd, but it's true. But, as I walked the fields and stepped into the replica of the log home, somehow it just came alive and I knew that he had, indeed, been called of God. The Spirit was just so strong that nothing else fit in my head, neither the constant intonation from the tour guide nor the intermittent distractions of the surrounding countryside and the subtle sounds of the other tourists in the visiting centers...nothing could dissuade the strength of the calming reassurance that the place was sacred.

We finished touring around and headed into Palmyra where we grabbed a pizza at one of the 2 restaurants in the entire sleepy town. We then scuttled over to the one LDS bookstore in the area, surprisingly complete, sporting everything from scripture totes and Spanish scriptures to youth T-shirts and Relief Society lesson ideas. I was really tempted to grab some CDs or even replace the scriptures that are reportedly in the mail since I accidentally left them at home...but decided to wait it out until at least pageant-time.

So, anyway, things are going at lightning speed, like normal. Hope all is going well with everyone in their respective homes. Until the next post...

it's all in the orientation materials....

So, yep, officially started graduate school yesterday. Admittedly one of the most overwhelming days of my life. Between the orientation packet I have yet to finish reading from May to the mounds of contact information, office hours, and acronyms thrown at me in the past 2 days, I'm still amazed that I can successfully walk from my house to campus and back without getting lost in a maze of newness. I did ride the bus successfully from campus to my house, have navigated at least 3 separate routes through the park that stands between my house and campus, and have actually gone into 3 different buildings and come out while still knowing which direction to walk to go home. I can't remember my first few days at BYU to be honest, but I definitely don't remember feeling COMPLETELY lost while on campus. And, should anything happen, I could always look up and find the mountains to give me a cardinal direction and a way home....quite handy in fact, though quite absent in the rolling hills of Syracuse.

Today was great though. We had a guest lecture by a Mr. Arthur C Brooks, author of various books and current visiting professor in both the Maxwell School and Whitman School at Syracuse. He was honestly one of the most articulate and engaging speakers I've seen in a long time. While explaining his current research interests of proving whether money can or can not buy happiness, he cited studies from social psychology as well as principles from economics, and even threw in some cross-cultural comparisons from large research firms. I loved the interdisciplinary approach and, even when asked some very obscure questions, while not completely answering the question per se, he always had something to say and was impressively able to channel any comment or question into more evidence from his research that sounded enough on topic to keep the person from asking another question. Amazing public speaker. I'd love to read his books and find out more about the actual details of his research. Oh, and mom, very conservative--he's an economist for heaven's sake!--and argues that in order for people to be happier, the government should actually do less, step out of the way, and facilitate more philanthropy and charitable giving rather than actively pursuing programs to redistribute wealth and 'fix' the money problems in our society.

In getting to know the new surroundings, I had a great time on Saturday when we explored a local farmer's market--the largest one I've ever been to with 4 long buildings filled with booths, tents, and walled-off restaurants with everything from seasonal flowers and produce to cheeses, chocolates, and yes, even a booth dedicated to free trade Guatemalan textiles. I went crazy when I saw them and started talking with the vendor with tentative plans for an exhibition/presentation in the near future.

Then, last night, I attempted to attend a free Syracuse Symphony concert, but was sad to see it rained out. And, when it rains in Syracuse, it POURS! I was reminded of Guatemala rains, which few places honestly live up to that caliber of downpour. So, this could get interesting. But, today, in coming back from class, the weather couldn't have been more ideal. Bright blue skies overhead with just a smallest smattering of fluffy white clouds while a gentle breeze rustled the forests of trees in the giant park. In addition to the emotional roller coaster of the whole graduate school and meeting everyone in my program thing, the weather's capriciousness is giving me a headache!!

So, just wanted to give an update. I am going to Institute as well, getting to know a VERY small singles branch, and adjusting to the constant drinking that is integrated into what would otherwise be a very professional and academic setting. Hope everyone's great. More updates sure to follow.