End of Fall 2010

Finally it is almost the end of this semester.. We all get to go home and spend christmas there.. Also it is a very very short break from school, assignments and ofcourse the worse thing, TESTS! The break for christmas is too short.. I feel that we shud make winter from like 2 weeks of Jan till end of april or whenever... Who doesn't want a long christmas holiday??
Anyway since it is the end of the semester, assignments are all due and the pressure is building for finals.. But hey thanksgiving break is almost here so hopefully that is a stress-reliever break.. I feel that thanksgiving is a wonderful holiday when the whole family meets up and enjoy a huge dinner together as well as pray and appreciate all that the Lord has done for us.. There should be more holidays where families meet.. Spending time with family is a wonderful experience...
One thing I am going to miss about this semester is my MCom class( I am not saying this just because Mr. Clarke is going to see this).. :D This class has been the most exciting and amazing class..

Indian Dishes...

Cooking is something that I am honestly not familiar or good with. My mum has always been the one cooking. At first when I cook for myself, it never turned out as my mum made it.

Anyway, I was at a friend's house and we invited a few people over. Unfortunately, the girl that was meant to cook had a problem and feel sick so I had to take over(like i knew how to cook :s )... I somehow just managed to make some chicken curry... After a friend tried it, he turned around looked at me and said "will u marry me?".. hahahaha this made my day.. Ofcourse it was a joke.. Apparently it turned out to be good... (I am not boasting or anything but I am just happy people enjoyed it..)

Their compliments really helped me gain confidence.. So then I tried to be courageous and cook some south Indian dish.. Upma is the name of the dish and it is made of sooji... It ended up good but not good compared to my mom's.. :/

Halloween

Halloween is a rather interesting celebration. Back home, we had halloween parties but they were not as extreme as those in the United States. This is my second halloween in USA. The first one I spent the night just in a friend's house so was not able to experience the whole celebration.

This year, my friends and I decided to go for a halloween party. We all bought costumes(everything is so expensive; the costumes are like $25 and above). I was dressed as an Egyptian princess but many called me Cleopatra. I guess that is the best name for an Egyptian princess. Anyway, I thought we were all crazy for wearing costumes as people back home never did.

We arrived at the party and to my surprise EVERYONE was wearing a costume! I was left in a shock! The creativity and difference in each costume was magnificent. All kinds of costume were worn. The best was a boy who dressed as Willy Wonka. He had the perfect outfit and make-up and not to forget the hat.

Halloween has been the best this year! I know feel like I will celebrate it every year by wearing a costume! I encourage everyone to wear a costume as the experience is completely different and refreshing!

Different cultures

BYU is a school with the majority who are Mormons and Indians as a minority. There are just about 45 students who are Indian. Of these 45, half are always into their studies therefore making it hard to socialize with them

Today, I was lucky enough to have spent time with many people of the same religion and background as I. One of the families threw a baby shower party. There were about 15 couples, 7 children and a few other people. We all spoke in our mother tongue, Telugu. Being in that house made it feel somewhat like I was back in India. I was reminded of home and how comfortable the environments there is with people of the same background and language. Later, we all enjoyed the scrumptious South Indian specialty dishes while playing a few games.

This post may seem absurd and weird to people. But this is something that doesn't happen too often. I hardly used to get to spend time with people from my home town. The feeling is satisfying and marvelous.

Absence makes the heart grow fonder.

The phrase " absence makes the heart grow fonder" was something I didn't understand. But coming to USA, far away from home made me think about this phrase. This is a phrase everyone can relate to. It made me realize the value of family and home. Home can be anywhere depending on whether the people in the environment love and care about you. Having my family all the way in Kenya with different time zones make it hard to communicate. This is always a problem as there is a 9 hour time difference. Furthermore, this doesn't apply only to family, it also applies to friends. Not meeting a close friend for a long time will make you miss them. Some debate that in the process people end up forgetting there special people as time goes on. This is true in very few cases. I personally think that it is almost impossible to forget someone so close unless some problems arise.

Also, when a close friend or loved one passes away. Many people come to fully understand the value and impact of that person in their life. This has made me appreciate everyone I care about all the time. I express more so that they know what they mean to me and how they impact my life.

Buy a stranger a "COKE"

As an assignment, we were meant to buy a stranger a "coke" or something like candy, lunch or drink. I was confused when Professor Clarke mentioned this. Nothing happened during the week as I could not find anyone. Luckily, I happened to be standing behind a girl in the Museum of Art Cafe. She was counting every penny and note in her wallet. She even turned around and asked if I had $0.10. I did and gave it to her. Then, we ordered and went to the counter. While the lady was making her bill, I said " Please add my meal to her bill also." The girl turned around shocked and speechless! It was the best moment as her expression was priceless. I then explained that I was going to pay. She just stood there stunned and confused.
After getting my food, I went and sat down. 5 minutes later, the girl comes up to my table and asks me why I bought her food. She thought I was crazy! I then explained that it was an assignment. She laughed and thanked me. Her name is Jillian. We sat there for about a half an hour talking about school. Also, we decided to do lunch again someday. It was a amazing-feel-good experience! Not to forget to mention, I was also able to make a new friend!

Smart people or easy courses?

I don't know how many people feel the same way but does any wonder how SO MANY people are getting 4.0s?! Out of every ten people i talk to at least 3 have 4.0 and the rest are 3.7 and above.. I am not sure what classes these people are taking but I really want to know. All my classes are so competitive and hard. Literally, if I do not put 3 hours of work for ever class, I will maybe get a B in the exam. It is crazy! If I get a B in any exam I will be happy! There are some characters that when they get a 93 they are sad that they didn't get a 100. If I got such a high grade in some of the demanding classes I would throw a party! But this doesn't mean that all the students here are like that. There are some who are even below 2.0.

This is also influenced a lot by the programs as they require students to get all As or GPAs from about 3.6 to 4.0. This just makes the students stressed and sometimes this leads to an end to their social life!