A traveler's guide

Charmed and Enchanted with the streets of Alexandria

2011-07-06T18:59:00.000-07:00

I have been in love with this city from day one. The more that I explore and discover the more I feel that Washington D.C. and the surrounding areas are under-appreciated.

I am on the home stretch of my first full year in D.C. and my first full tourist season. As I watch the tourists file on and off busses , I can't help think that they are missing the charm that is D.C. They do get to see some amazing attractions; namely the Smithsonians, the monuments and the Capital building. However, they don't get to absorb the relaxing tranquility that can be found in unsuspecting neighborhoods or parks.

Today I spent almost 3 hours in Old Town Alexandria. There is a neighborhood a few blocks east of King Street that has been masterfully preserved. I can't express how much I love walking these streets. I know I haven't been to Paris or Prague, but I must say that my walk here could easily rival the streets of Europe. No, not every street is paved with cobble stones and yes the buildings are comparatively younger than Europe (Alexandria was founded in 1749). Maybe it is because I am still on a patriotic high after the 4th of July, but there is something about how American Alexandria is that has placed it high on my list of favorites. I have decided to dedicate more time to this area. I want to discover it all.

Here are some of the pictures I took while one my stroll.

Many of the porch lights are still flame

I have dubbed these benches my new spot. I mentioned that I was in Old Town for 3 hours... well most of it was spent here. You can't see it in the picture, but just across the Potomac is downtown DC. These benches are a perfect spot for writing in your journal while you admire the capital building at sun set.

As you can tell I was really happy to see our flag everywhere. I love the 4th of July and I LOVE America!:)

2011-04-09T21:25:00.000-07:00

I want to dedicate this post to one of my best friends Jesse. We are about to part ways, I am staying in DC and he is moving to Vegas. We'll always be friends but when moves like this happen things can't stay the same.

I don't think I can begin to explain what an awesome person Jesse is. I have often told him that he is my hero. He is an amazing example of what it is to live the American dream. He is such an example to me of what it means to work hard. If only all of you could get to know him and his amazing story. You would all become better people, like myself, for having known him.

Jesse and I have a special bond. We first met while we were serving our missions in Argentina. We had both been assigned to a small charming town 3 hours west of Buenos Aires. Our mission president put Jesse and his companion in charge of watching out for my comp and I. Typically, you don't stay in one area for more that 3 or 4 months. However, Jesse and I were both in Mercedes for 7 months. We overlapped 5 of those months. During that time we were able to teach together and care for the same families. We gave all we had to those people. I know serving a mission is nothing like the military, but I feel like I understand the bond that soldiers have with their comrades.

Since our friendship had such a spiritual foundation, there is also a great deal of respect between us. At some point, everyone we know has thought that we were a couple. We have never been a couple. We have been constant and loyal friends. I love that throughout the last 4 years I have been confident in our unbreakable platonic affection for each other. He has been a constant in my life.

Jesse, I know things are going to change when you leave DC. This had to happen eventually, but I didn't want you to leave without knowing how glad I am that you have been a part of my life. Looking back I am amazed at all of the things we have been through together. Thank you for being such a great friend. Thank you for being patient with me when I get bratty, thank you for making me feel special, thank you for being who you are. Having you out here in DC with me has made the transition from college life to the great beyond so much smoother. Thank you for being that support. I don't know what I would have done with out you.

I am so proud of you for getting into Teach For America! I know you will be great and that you will change the lives of the children you teach.

Here are some of the highlights of the past 4 years:

Making food for a family we taught in Mercedes

One of our favorite families

Picnic at rock canyon park

Niagra Falls

watching the Chicago Cubs play at Wrigley Field

at the Lebanese restaurant. One of many amazing restaurants we found in DC!

At the movies

Surprise flowers for my Birthday

Weekend in New York

Seeing Wicked on Broadway

Tin Foil Chef

2011-03-28T18:22:00.001-07:00

I have started a dinner group for C1 called 'Tin Foil' Chef. How it works: Each month there will be a key ingredient.
For example, this month the ingredient was lime. Each person needed to prepare one item that contained the key ingredient. It could have been a drink, side dish, main course or a dessert. They could have cooked on their own or have teamed up with some friends. Once we all had sampled the different delectable delights, we had an anonymous vote to see who would be awarded Tin Foil Chef title. The winner won the amazing trophy pictured above and they got to choose what the key ingredient will be for next month.

I am happy to say we had a great turn out and great competition. The winners on this month cooked a Key Lime Pie. It was delicious. They were pretty excited to take home the Tin Foil Chef trophy/title. As promised they were able to choose the ingredient for next month. They chose cream cheese. Next month they will have to bring the Tin Foil Chef trophy back and defend their title.

Honorable mentions: Chili Mac and cheese bake, Holy Guacamole, Lime Popcorn and those cool lettuce thingys (I wish I could remember what they were called!)

I am looking forward to this monthly tradition :) Good food and great people.

Phasing out...

2011-03-23T18:31:00.000-07:00

Little by little the west is phasing out of my life.

Before

after :(

I will admit, loosing my Colorado plates was hard.... I registered Faris (yes, that is my car's name) the Focus in Virginia over a month ago... and I just barely changed the plates over. I really do love the Colorado license plates. Now it sucks bc the Colorado mountains were the only way I would spot my car from across the parking lot. A lot of people have Ford Focuses and sometimes it can get a bit difficult to pick Faris out from sea of red four door sedans.

I also had to get a new license.... :( I was bummed by that bc it was the one photo ID I had where I actually liked how the picture turned out. I am waiting to get my new drivers license in the mail. I already know I am going to hate the picture. It was raining that day and for some reason I never feel nor look cute on rainy days.
Lets hope the license is not as boring as the VA plates... if so, I might suggest they start personalizing driver's licenses like they do credit cards and license plates. If that were the case I would have them put the "Virginia is for lovers" slogan with a big heart in the background. Maybe that will improve my chances of finding a lover ;) You know... maybe some cute guy will need to check my ID and realize he needs a lover (and when I say lover, I mean it in the long-term-boyfriend sense of the word) and there I will be. Subliminal messaging works...

The end of an eventful decade

2010-12-30T08:07:00.000-08:00

I haven't been the best in keeping a journal. Nor have I been good at scrap-booking... but I guess that is what I use my blog for! As 2010 draws to a close I have been spending a lot of time reflecting on my life thus far. You know how some novels are divided into chapters and then the chapters are divided into even bigger sections called books? Well I feel like the end of this decade is the end of book two of my life. Book one was the '90s... growing up in C. Springs. The 2000's have been some of the most formative years of my life (Ages 15 to 25).

I have had a lot of ups and downs and there have been a lot of lonely and hard times. However, after time passes all of the negative memories lose their sting. They serve as important memories of lessons learned. On the flip side, I am glad that my positive memories are like wine and cheese, they grow in value and have better flavor with time.

If you are here bc I tagged you, tt is because you were part of some of the best parts of this last decade. I wanted to let you know that I am so happy you are in my life and that we were able to have good moments together. Our memories will always be important to me.

For record's sake here are some of the happy chapters of BOOK TWO, the 2000's.

I moved home from Guatemala,

This is a picture with a lot of friends from my high school in Guatemala. I loved that place!

I graduated high school,

I started collage,

This is from one of many prank wars I got in.... I feel like it is a very fitting representation of the early college experience.

I had some amazing adventures during my semester on Vashon Island (off the coast of Seattle)

and my semester teaching English in China.

Me on the Great Wall of China

A picture I took while we were backpacking the holy Buddhist mountain Emei Shan

I went on a mission to Argentina and lived among some of the most amazing people I have ever met.

Here I am in my favorite area. With two of my favorite girls from that area

My family away from home

(mi segunda familia)

I found the perfect major and fully enjoyed my classes and made some great friends with classmates and professors.

I got to take some of my closest friends back to Guatemala for some of the best 10 vacation days I have ever had.

We went zip-lining outside of Tikal

me and the best friend I have ever had kayaking in Rio Dulce

The water was amazing. We swam all day.

I was able watch my sisters go through major life changes as they got married and had THE MOST AMAZING CHILDREN ON THE PLANET. I love being aunt! My family is amazing!

The Pulsiphers

The Cherrys

The Palmers

I was able to work at ILP and made some lifelong friends.

I had the blessing to teach Spanish at the MTC. I will never forget how happy I was there!

This is a district I taught. They were so great!

I was able to get a grant and do research on my own in Bolivia.

Typical clothing for Bolivian women

Copacabana, the location of my ethnography

The extended family that let me spend the majority of my time with them

I went to Machu Picchu

Hannah and I met in Bolivia. She and I clicked right away! We had an amazing time at Machu Picchu

I Went to Italy

Andrew my LITTLE brother and I ;) on a Gondola ride in Venice

Mom, Dad and I in Sienna. Very Charming!

My new paradise! The Mediterranean coast. I LOVED IT!

I finished my capstone paper and GRADUATED COLLEGE!!

my parents took me to the Broadmoor to celebrate

I moved to the most amazing city, made some AMAZING friends and got a GREAT JOB!

Just a few of the amazing friends I have made here in D.C.

The next decade (Book), will definitely have a different feel. By 2020 I am going to be 35! I am going to make sure that it is full of adventure. I am excited to see what happens :)

Do you see what I see?

2010-10-02T07:21:00.000-07:00

Here are some pictures I took of my nephew Henry

I know, I know.... I have Aunt syndrome pretty bad.... but its hard not to when I have the cutest nieces and nephews in the world!

Roadside attractions

2010-09-08T13:31:00.000-07:00

While my friends and I were driving through Kansas on our way to Washington DC, we saw signs for "the largest prairie dog in the world". When I was younger we took a couple of road trips out east. That meant taking I-80 all the way through Kansas. I remember passing these signs and wanting to stop. Its not that I REALLY wanted to see the worlds larges prairie dog... it was more that I had cabin fever from being in the car and I was really bored because Kansas is so flat. However my dad would never stop. So this time around I realized that I was in control and could stop if I wanted. So we pulled into the dirt parking lot and entered the most foul smelling building I have ever been in. It was filled with animals that were dead and stuffed. However we didn't see the largest prairie dog. For that we had to pay 8 bucks to go out back and check it out. In my mind the prairie dog was going to be some dead stuffed animal that was super fake, but boy was I wrong.... It was an incredibly simple cement statue.

I mean I knew it was a scam all along and I knew I was going to get ripped off, but I didn't think it was going to be THIS bad. However, other attractions out back were other live animals. The nastiest was a 6 legged cow. Unfortunately that image will be with me for a while. Dad, you were right not to stop.

So do any of you have funny stories about unusual road side attractions?

My crush on Bernini

2010-08-26T05:45:00.000-07:00

Freshman year of college I remember taking a humanities class. Our teacher would show us a lot of different photos. I remember when he showed us the picture of Bernini's David. I said out loud to the girls sitting next to me..." wow... that statue is hot!" My friends laughed and my teacher overheard. He then told me that Bernini had made this statue as a self portrait. That is when my crush on Bernini started.

Every once and I while I get in an artistic mood and crave pencil and paper. I was in this mood a lot the semester I took my humanities class. So I decided to draw Bernini's David. Ever since then I always paid attention when some one mentioned Bernini and his art. When the book and movie Angels and Demons came out I loved it because Bernini was mentioned a ton.
My family and I just went to Italy and had an amazing time. While we were in Rome I was amazed at how Bernini's work was EVERYWHERE. He truly was the most amazing sculptor. When we took the tour of Vatican city

I was pleasantly surprised to see Bernini was everywhere. He lived the majority of his life in Rome and left Vatican City covered in his art and architecture.

Before we left I made a sure that I could see the David statue in person. We went to the Borghese museum and I had an experience that was more than I had hoped for. They had many of his sculptures there and my feelings went from crush to love. I mean look at some of these statues. Aren't they AMAZING?

This is the Statue Apollo and Daphne. She is turning into a tree. It is beautiful in person.

The Rape of Proserpina amazed me... these pictures explain why.

Here are some of my other favorites

we saw this in St. Peter's Basilica

So yes he is a man of genius and yes I am in love... too bad we were born several centuries apart. Oh well... at least now I know what my answer will be when people ask "if you could spend time with anyone from history, who would it be?"

A: Bernini.
Of course I spent the most of my time in the Borghese museum in the room with David ;)

Culture shock

2010-08-25T15:42:00.001-07:00

As I have mentioned before, I have lived in Latin America for about 5 years of my life. I always tell people that is where my heart is. I have gone back and forth between my life in white suburbia and Latin America more than 7 times.
When I went to live in Guatemala for the first time I remember how much it changed me. I was 14 and I had no idea what real poverty was. But then I found myself walking the streets of Zone 1 with some sister missionaries among the humble people of Guatemala. It was hard for me at first. I didn't know how to accept that dirty glass of juice that was made with water I knew I shouldn't be drinking. However, I always kept myself going by thinking about how I had a nice carpeted apartment with warm yellow light waiting for me. The cold cracked cement floors and florescent light was foreign to me and it made me uncomfortable. I hated myself for feeling that discomfort and so I pushed myself to get over it. I sought out opportunities to feel uncomfortable.
Little by little I was able to glide between both worlds and easily feel at home in each. When I lived in Buenos Aires, Argentina it was easy for me to live in that tiny apartment and take bucket showers.

I was able to eat what people offered me without being completely grossed out. But my family and home were still in my mind and I knew that I would be able to return to that comfort.

My trip to Bolivia has affected me in a deeper way than I thought. For the first time I was able to completely throw myself into Latin American life. This time, I didn't bring America with me. I was on my own. But I wasn't on my own.

The dear Barrigola family took me in under their wings and gave me some of the most genuine and pure love that I have ever had. I have been home for a month and I still miss them SO MUCH. I keep on thinking about them and their lives. How Eli had to work 15 hours a day and that her husband was hardly ever able to be home because of work. I think about how they had to send their son to live on his own in the city at age 12 so he could get a better high school education. Then I look at my blessed life and I feel guilt and sadness. Why me? Why not them? You'd think by now I would have learned how to deal with these emotions, but it is quite the opposite. Now I feel the tables have turned... now I feel uncomfortable in my privileged life and I keep on telling myself that I have a home in Latin America waiting for me.

Back in La Paz

2010-07-01T18:56:00.000-07:00

I have been having so much fun watching the world cup! Aguante ARGENTINA! I am glad I got to serve my mission in a country that ROCKS at soccer! I hope they go all the way.

I am back in La Paz for a week or so. I went to go watch the Argentina vs. Mexico game. Here in the Plaza del estudiante. It was so much fun.

There were hundreds of people there. It couldn't have been better.

the other day we went to this huge fair that they have in El Alto, and we wanted to get a fruit salad. We decided to get the one for 8 Bolivianos... we hoped it would be enough to share....I mean its only a dollars worth... but in the end, had more than enough!

now that school is out, my little brothers and I like to take it easy and watch movies on my laptop. Here are Jovy and I. We won the lazy award and Elvis lost. So he had to make us hot chocolate.

Happy New Year!

2010-06-23T12:54:00.000-07:00

Like I said in my previous post June 21st, the winter solstice, is the Aymara new year. They worship the Sun as a god. So to welcome the new year, every one climbs the hill that we burned before sun rise.

Here we are making the long trek up.

The whole town was up their waiting for the sun to rise. Luckily Eli made some hot chocolate.

right as the sun rises everyone raises their hands and prays to the sun. Here is my family. Elvis, Jovy, Eli and Theodora.

Afterwords we celebrated with the families favorite meal! Guinea pig!! When I took this picture, I had no idea that the next day I was going to help kill and eat this Guinea Pig.... it was traumatizing and yes, it tastes just like chicken.

In the name of participant observation

2010-06-23T11:32:00.000-07:00

For all of you that aren't nerdy anthropologists like me, participant observation is a form of research. In order to really understand a culture you have to try and see things the way they do. You have to learn their ways and do what they do. You know, try and stand in their shoes. My capstone paper is about how globalization is affecting the indigenous youth of Bolivia. So for a lot of my research I have to hang out with Bolivian teenagers. Its a blast.

So as you know, down here in the southern hemisphere it is winter. June 21st was the winter solstice. Also considered to be the Aymara new year. The Aymara are a group of indigenous that were part of the Incan Empire. Since it is considered to be the coldest night of the year, the people of Copacabana have a long standing tradition of setting everything ON FIRE!!! The pyro in me loves this tradition!

For example this hill that is right to the east of Copa... it gets set on fire every year. However a few years ago it was made illegal. But old habits die hard.

So in the name of participant observation, I went with my boys to go burn down the hill! Here we are getting our torches ready.

We had to drench them in gas and then light them up.

Here is my little brother, Jovy starting the festivities.

Here's Papush, Ronald and Fernando

did I mention that I am a pyro?

afterwords the boys lost a bet with me and had to do a musical number. They chose to sing "la cucaracha". It was stupendous.

Dia de campo!

2010-06-07T06:56:00.000-07:00

So I have been teaching English in the elementary schools and high schools here in Copacabana and on the weekends, in Siripaca. This last weekend however, I did not get a chance to go to Siripaca because it was a five day weekend. It was the Catholic holiday Corpus Cristi and the Provence of La Paz had its 59th anniversary. So pretty much I got to play with my family all weekend. It was a good time!

On Thursday me and my family all loaded up in Jose's bus and they took me out to a plot of land 30 minutes down the coast, right on the boarder of Peru.

This plot is where Eli and Elberto's Grandma was born and raised. Their grandma died last year at 96, so this adobe house is over 100 years old. This particular part is the kitchen. That is Eli looking for fire wood.

This is what the inside of the kitchen looked like.

The reason they brought me out here was because they wanted to have a BBQ Bolivian style! First what they do is they build this. Then they build a fire in it. and wait until the rocks get so hot they start turning white.

Here I am pretending to my part in helping. :)

Here are Eli and Theodora with the food. They had two kinds of Potatoes. Normal kind and then oca. They had all kinds of meet. They had beef, pork, chicken and lamb. They put it in the most amazing sauce!

When the stones are hot enough, they put the fire out and threw the potatoes on the bottom. Then they put the tins with the meet in and put some of the hot rocks on top of it. After that they put sheets of metal on top of the stones and then this herb... I don't know what it is called in English, but it smells really good.

Then they cover it up to keep all of the steam and flavor from the herb in. We left it like that for an hour.

in the mean time I showed Jovy what people from the "campo" (countryside) in the US are like.

after the hour wait, we all sprawled out on a blanket and dug in. No utensils were allowed. We ate with our hands. By far the best BBQ I have every been to. I love my family!!!! They are so good to me!

Siripaca

2010-05-31T08:26:00.000-07:00

So every weekend I go to a town that is located on the other side of the Copacabana Peninsula. I am working with a local NGO that is trying to help small villages like Siripaca develop tourism. Siripaca has a lot of potential. However, for a long time most of the high school graduates leave and head to La Paz to work. The NGO I am working with is trying to reverse that and create more jobs in Siripaca. They have taken a few highs school grads and are paying for their college tuition and living expenses with the promise that they will return and work in Siripaca. I am going there every weekend to help give workshops in anthropology and archeology to help them know how to better present their culture to tourists.

It really was so relaxing to go and stay in this little village for a few days. No one has cars. In fact the only transportation that comes through is only on Thursday or Sunday.

the beach is BEAUTIFUL and would be a blast during the summer.

The hills that surround Siripaca are covered in terraces that an archeologist has said that are over 3,000 years old. That means they are pre-incan! Its pretty crazy to think how long people have lived in this little valley.

plus, there are llamas everywhere!

I decided to walk (I guess I should say backpack bc I was carting my backpack and two other bags) halfway from Siripaca to Copacabana. I had a teacher drop me off where the highway starts. After awhile I found this path. My professor told me that these are incan roads! So it was really cool to hike through the countryside. I think I might do it every week! It took about two hours.

Here are some other pictures I have taken lately.

here is Eli at her store. I spend a lot of time just sitting there with her. She makes me lunch every day, the sweety. We also watch our nightly Spanish soap opera (novela) "Mar de Amor" every night at 7pm. It is a a good time.

Here is my "little brother" Jovy. He is 14 and has an AWESOME obsession with Michael Jackson. He knows a lot oh his dance moves. We had an MJ dance session and he taught me some moves.

Here we are on the beach... that is one of my "dads" swimming. Ferna and Jovy just throwing rocks... I didn't get in this time.. I was too cold!

Calvario

2010-05-17T07:02:00.000-07:00

HI everyone!
Greetings from Copacabana! I have been having a very good time here in Copa. They people have been treating me great! Here are some pictures of Copa!

This is a picture of one the typical boats that the inca used on the beach of Copa.

Here is one of my sworn protectors/ little brothers, Elvis. He is 18 and just left Copa today to go to college in La Paz. He will be missed.

Here is Elvis's Mom, Eli. She is so sweet and I spend a lot of time with her. She is great as a friend and as an informant. She also likes to be my mother by telling me that I need to put on my coat and sunscreen. It is nice to know that I am taken care of.

Here is the view of Copacabana from the hill Calvario.Isn't it pretty?

This is when we were climbing down on the other side of Calvario so that we could go swimming. We had to scale down a bunch of terraces.

Here are Elvis and I taking it easy in the sun after taking dip in Lake Titicaca.

I Love being in the sun!

Here I am eating this amazing potato dish that Eli makes.

La Paz

2010-05-10T09:54:00.000-07:00

So the last week has been interesting! A lot of traveling; six cities in seven days. Lima (doesn’t REALLY count bc I was only in the airport for 7 hours), Cusco, Puno, Copacabana, Siripaca and La Paz. It has been fun. For that reason I haven’t been able to really get to work just yet. Things are traveling at hyper speed and it has all been a bit overwhelming. Once I get back to Copacabana I will be able to really settle in and roll up my sleeves.

Right now I am in a café in La Paz.(I have been taking advantage of the wifi they have here) It is a very captivating city. You never hear about La Paz being high on people’s traveling lists. However, I must admit that I am glad that I have had the opportunity to come and see it. The poverty is very apparent, but there are parts that are very sophisticated and charming.

It is intense because the heart of the city is settled in a deep valley that has extremely steep walls. As the city has grown, the houses have climbed up the ravines. Its amazing that they can build houses on such a dramatic incline. I just hope a serious earthquake never hits them. To add to the majesty of the city, it is over looked by the mountain Illimani. It peaks at 21,194 feet!! No wonder, it is viewed as a deity.

(I didn't take these pictures, I just got them off of google images, the colonial alley way pic was of this blog: http://sergiostagnaro.blogspot.com/2009/09/la-paz-bolivia.html)

2010-05-10T04:54:00.000-07:00

Here is Cusco... The video of the floating islands is on my Facebook page.

floating islands

2010-05-08T06:53:00.000-07:00

My trip to copa!

2010-05-08T06:47:00.000-07:00

I have been on a lot of adventures in my life. All of them have been eye opening and intense. However I must say that this one is the craziest I have ever undertaken. It is weird because I have been actually very calm. For some reason the fact that I have packed up my life and have just moved to a small Bolivian town for three months hasn’t really phased me.
To get to Copacabana was a whole lot of traveling. I won’t bore you with all of those details. There are some highlights though. I flew into Cuzco and David, my professor, was there to pick me up. He has been very helpful in showing me the ropes. He is a great mentor and I have felt very well taken care of. Cuzco is such a charming city. I took a little video of me in the plaza and I will post it soon.

My friend Jayne, who I met last summer, is in Cuzco learning Spanish and I was able to meet up with her. She is so much fun! We were able to hang out for part of Monday and the majority of Tuesday. What made me WAY happy was that we were able to go salsa dancing!!! I LOVE going dancing! It was a good time. I am excited to spend more time in Cuzco on my way home.
Early the next morning, David and I took an 8-hour bus ride to Puno. It is a few hours away from the boarder of Bolivia and is on the coast of Lake Titicaca. That afternoon I was able to go on a tour to the floating islands (photos to come). It was interesting, they are made out of reeds. I didn’t know I was going to be able to go see those so soon, so it was an interesting little surprise to the trip.
Today I got to Copacabana and fell in love right away. Driving in you see a view of a city of buildings on an incline hugging the coastline around a bay. It is almost like Greece… not as nice, but the buildings are colorful and charming.
Copa is at 14,000 feet!! For those of you from Colorado… that means it is like I am living on the top of Pikes Peak! The air is thin and I can feel my heart beating after walking up a slight incline.
So I was a little apprehensive about coming to Copa and getting to know the people. I had nothing to worry about. David had set the stage and had told people a lot about me. They knew that I was coming and were looking forward to it. I am also following Mandy, a friend from the UVU anth department. She came here for three months to do her fieldwork. She did a great job and fell in love with the people. For that reason I received an extremely warm welcome. I can tell I am going to love the people so much. They are so sweet.
I love being back in Latin America! After I am done here, I will have lived in Central/South America for a total of 5 years. Those 5 years took place during very formative years of my life and the have left a deep impact. I have always felt that part of my heart is Latina. There are so many things I love about the culture. When I got off the airplane in Cuzco, I immediately felt like I was home again. The Spanish, the people, the crazy driving, and the smells are all a part my fondest memories. I can’t wait to continue to make more!

Where is Molly?

2010-04-27T18:06:00.001-07:00

About a month ago I conducted an online survey about Molly Mormons for my Anthropology of Mormonism class. Many that took the survey were interested in what the results were. I was going to just post the paper I wrote, however it was 10 pages long... and I am sure the majority of you (like me) get kinda bored when bloggers get too wordy. So here is an attempt to make it a bit more concise. Feel free to skim and read the parts that you find interesting.

My sample size was relatively small. I only had 35 respondents. I had hoped that all were actually LDS females, however, I found out later that my brother-in-law also took the survey. But I do feel that the data does reflect the rest of LDS female population.

First question: Please describe what a Molly Mormon is.
I broke the answers down into four domains that I felt were common:

Fashion-
I found it interesting that when an answer mentioned fashion, it was always the first part of the description provided. One can assume that those giving an answer felt it important to create a mental image of the person they were describing. When describing her clothing, informants explained that she dressed modestly, conservatively, old fashioned, and simple. One went on to say that this modesty came at the expense of fashion. Another commented that she looks like she stepped out of a “For Strength of Youth Pamphlet”, which is a small booklet of moral standards produced by the church for the youth in the church. When describing her hair it was said that she often wore bows, ringlets or French braids. For jewelry she wears a medallion that she earned in Young Women’s and a CTR ring, reminding her to choose the right. If Molly wears make-up at all it is reminiscent of the early 90s.
(I got this picture from http://awkwardfamilyphotos.com/page/9/)

When attempting to imagine the above description in my head, it could be construed as someone that is similar to a member of the FLDS sect. FLDS Mormons are often looked upon as fanatics. They separate themselves from the rest of American culture in many extreme ways. In secularization theory, the FLDS lies on the far end of the spectrum, it is a sect. Molly’s fashion shows that she is clearly not a part of mainstream Mormon fashion culture and therefore lies at the further most extreme of conservatism.

Level of faith-

All of the informants agreed that one of Molly’s core attributes was her dedication to living according to the teachings of the Mormon Church. She is very obedient to the commandments taught by both ancient and modern prophets. She tries her best to follow every rule both from the church and what is expected culturally. She strictly obeys the word of wisdom, she doesn’t watch R-rated movies, and over achieves in her church callings. Other words used to describe her were devout and righteous. However, her spirituality seemed to have a negative twist. Several informants mentioned that her strong focus on being obedient was a way to get attention and respect from others. Others said that because she was so obedient, she had lost all sense of self. Her faith was blind, which entailed that she did what she was supposed to with out thinking about or questioning why. One informant stated, “she follows the letter of the law regardless of the spirit” which can be interpreted to mean that she is following the rules to such a rigid extent, that she looses sight of the big picture of what it means to be Christian.

Again, we can see that Molly is depicted as a fanatic. She appears that she will follow the teachings of the church at all costs. She does this because she firmly believes that if she meticulously follows the rules it will be like a scientific equation that will guarantee salvation. Only one informant mentioned that Molly was willing to serve her fellow human beings. The tone of the rest of the informants was that Molly is obedient to the standards of the church for purely selfish motives.

Relationships-
Unfortunately, Molly isn’t very good at relationships. She is very shy and has an immature view of men. She is “prude” and doesn’t have the best social skills. Being forward or easy with boys is not her thing. She won’t marry a boy unless he has served a full time mission and is usually attracted to domineering and fanatical men.

Personality-
In describing the personality of Molly, informants seemed to contradict themselves and each other. She is stuck up, yet nice. She is self-righteous while at the same time sweet. She is judgmental but perfect. She is well rounded and uneducated. These contradictions show that at a certain point, informants feel that Molly does have more than one dimension to her personality. She is not all cold and rigid. She does have some good.

What the informants did seem to agree on were that she personifies the female gender role from 1950. She hates feminism and believes that women belong in the kitchen. She has mastered all domestic skills and pastimes. She is willingly sheltered and will only watch television if it is the Disney Channel, PBS or BYU-TV. She is very embarrassed to talk about sex. She is, to many, childlike. Indeed while describing Molly, informants used the word ‘girl’ twenty times and the word ‘woman’ only six times.

One informant said that Molly is not fun to be around. Indeed, the collective voice of those surveyed would indicate that they feel that Molly has been socially retarded by her fanaticism. This is why she is a homebody that is innocent, pure, naïve and uneducated.

In many conversations that I have had with other LDS women, I have often heard of the term “Molly Mormon”. It is used to describe a certain member of the Mormon culture. I have often wondered who or what a Molly Mormon really is. So many people would use this term to describe others and yet, to my recollection, I do not recall ever hearing of an LDS girl referring to herself as a Molly Mormon. Why wouldn’t anybody claim the title? And so I began to hypothesize that the majority of female Mormons would avoid claiming the title of Molly Mormon for one of two reasons. First, because there is a negative connotation or second, because to some feel that Molly is the personification of perfection and they would not feel worthy of such a title.

That is why I asked the next question: Do you consider yourself a Molly Mormon? Why or Why not?

Again I was able to put the answers into four different groups:

NO- I do not, in any way feel like I am a Molly Mormon. (13 fell into this category)

Those that made it clear that they were not a Molly Mormon were more candid in discussing why the title has such strong negative connotations.

Here are some of the responses:

“No they are childish and I don’t relate”
“No, I break the rules and have less than worthy friends”
“EFY soundtracks extinguish my testimony”
“I don’t want to conform to buying all of my jewelry at Deseret Book and the BYU bookstore.” and
“I watch R-rated movies if they’re awesome. Also, I ain’t letting no man tell me that I belong in the kitchen.”

The most common answer indicated that they did not consider themselves to be self-righteous. They spoke of how they try to be inclusive instead of exclusive and love others instead of judging them. The sarcasm in this group suggests that they place themselves far away from Molly on the spectrum of identity. Though some did say that they were willing to break some of the rules, the over all feeling was that they were trying to explain that they had more mortal tendencies and unique personalities. They expressed that though they were imperfect, they did still feel Christian.

NO- But I do have parts of me that are like Molly. (13 fell into this category)

Those that were split in the middle did not seem to use any sarcasm. They tried to distance themselves from any rigidity or self-righteousness but absorb some of the good attributes associated with Molly. For example a common answer was similar to the following response;

“I would like the aspect of always being good, but I feel that there is a stuck up and prissy attitude associated with this title that I would not like.”

On the spectrum of female LDS identity this group would be placed a little closer to Molly than the previous group, however they would be distant because they choose to be.

YES!- (5 fell into this category)

The other two responses were the few that felt that Molly was not a derogatory title but instead a person that they aspire to be. Central to Mormon doctrine is the goal of reaching individual perfection. Mormons view life on this earth as an opportunity to learn from difficult times and to constantly improve one’s self. Molly is a figure that is working very hard to achieve this perfection. Only two of the thirty-five surveyed directly claimed this title.

The first said “I am, and proud of it”

and the other said “I fit my description and people tell me that I am”.

While the other three would not directly acknowledge or deny if they felt that they were a Molly Mormons, but they would say that other people do label them that way.

NO- I am not good enough (4 fell into this category)

The smallest group of responses consisted of those that lamented that their imperfections prevented them from being a Molly Mormon. Each of the four named off the faults that got in the way. They listed things such as a bad attitude, lack of skill in sewing, cooking and cleaning, sloppiness, or not being well rounded.

In my paper I used some anthropological theory to talk about how we create figures that are extreme in order to create a spectrum of identity.

(I got the mormonad from this blog: http://aglimpseofmelissa.blogspot.com/2009/07/mormonads.html)

25 is going to be good.

2010-04-11T07:58:00.000-07:00

25 here I come!
So here I am in my mid-twenties. That's right, I just hit the big TWO-FIVE! Age is such a surreal thing. I know I am not old yet but I already don't feel like I am in my mid-twenties. I feel like on the inside I will always be 22. I always imagined that by 25 my life would be set. I would be married, maybe have a kid and be living in a permanent house. Ha ha... how naive I was. However, I must admit, I am so glad things have not turned out that way. The life I am living is so full of happy memories, growing experiences and amazing people. It is fitting for me that I am about to close a pretty big chapter in my life. I am graduating! (don't judge.. I took two years off for volunteer work in China and missionary work in Argentina). Graduation not only means that I now loose all of my student discounts, it also means that its time for me to pack my life up and leave my beloved Provo. The last couple of weeks have been a roller-coaster of nostalgia, anxiety, excitement and apathy. It is time to move on. However, there is so much I love about this place. So much that I am going to miss.
Luckily my immediate future is full of adventure and it is doing a pretty good job at distracting me. According to my countdown calendar widget on my desk top, I have 19 days, 14 hours and 42 minutes until I leave to BOLIVIA! I will be doing my capstone research for three months on the Copacabana peninsula of Lake Titicaca! I must admit I am FREAKING out! I will meet my professor for a few weeks so that he can introduce me to a few people and then he has to return to Utah. So for the majority of my time I will be on my own. I will be posting a lot about my trip on this blog. I look forward to going to Macchu Picchu on my way home! After Bolivia I get to go to ITALY for 10 days with the fam! I am very excited for that! After my travel filled summer I will be moving to Washington D.C. to become a grown up. The more I think about it, the more excited I get. D.C. really is the city for me. I can already tell that we are going to get along great. Our personalities are very compatible.

What I think of the "technology is ruining your ability to be social" lecture...

2009-11-05T15:39:00.000-08:00

Ok I know I could get a lot of flak for this but I must admit something. I am SO sick of getting lectured by the older generations about how new technology is ruining our ability to have healthy social relationships!
It is the same lecture every time. I don't know if I could count how many times I have heard it. It usually starts with an older person talking about how they were walking down the hallway at a university and how they saw that everyone was either talking on their cellphone, texting or listening to their iPod. They then proceed to talk about how things didn't used to be that way and how people used to be able to look each other in the eye. Usually the speaker is being over dramatic and mentions their fear that we will loose all ability to associate with one another. If society does fall apart, it will be the younger generation's fault.
Each time I hear this lecture, I usually listen out of politeness. But what I really want to do is lecture them on a thing or two.
First of all, this older generation created the America we live in today. We have inherited this system of capitalism and consumerism where we are always after bigger, better, and faster. They were the generation that invented the computer, cellphone and portable music devices. We got Nintendos, walkman and cell phones for Christmas. You spent all this time and energy make these things, can you blame us for using them?
Many of these items of technology were invented to "save us time" when in all reality it has just heightened expectations as to how we use our time. We are arguably busier and busier and we are expected to be able to get it all done. So please forgive me for using technology that will "save me time".
Now that we are more pressed for time, we have less "me" time. When I say less "me" time, I mean time in which I get to do what I want to do. This entails maintaining friendships, listening to music I like and just relaxing. In response we have become very good at multi-tasking and filling up all of those little moments of our day that can be used other wise. We talk to our friends on the phone in the hallway. Heaven forbid I call one of my sisters that lives far away. I wouldn't want to be on my cell phone, it inhibits my ability to develop social skills. If trying to maintain and strengthen my already existing relationships doesn't do that, what does?
Some of you are probably saying "Rachel, technology has had some negative affects on our generation". I would agree, technology has ruined some lives but lets be honest, those who decide use any form of technology in an extreme is a little off anyway. The teenager that would rather text than call someone or actually talk to another person face to face is a innately awkward. If they weren't gaming online all day and night, then they would be off playing Dungeons and Dragons or reading some weird book. I am sad for these people, but I don't think we should let technology be the scapegoat for their lack of desire to deal with people.
I guess the point I would really want to make would be that we are just trying to cope with all of the expectations that are piled high and deep on our plate. So I would appreciate you getting off my back and giving me some credit. I am an average Joe. I use facebook, I have a blog, I text my friends to ask a quick question or let them know I was thinking about them, I listen to my iPod (for both music and podcasts). I know that this is hard to accept, but technology is here to stay. But don't worry, we are humans and we are intelligent enough to adapt to our new world. Life and society will continue to function. It will just be different.

What I was meant to do!

2009-09-17T23:25:00.000-07:00

I must say I am really lucky, I really have found what I am meant to do! I LOVE ANTHROPOLOGY! I am in my last year of classes and I love every single one! I get really excited about all of my reading and homework. This is why I have spent my whole life in school, so that I could get to this point and study what I am passionate about.
I really think this all started when we moved to Guatemala when I was 14. I had grown up in white and conservative suburbia and then I was thrown into the third world. I will always lay claim that that experience as the one that has molded me to become who I am today.
Every since my time in Guatemala, I have become fascinated by travel and throwing myself into other cultures. I love to observe and just enjoy how other cultures view the world. They often have insights to the beauty that life here on this planet has to offer. Not that any of you care, but I just want to share some of my favorite anthropology moments. If you don't care, I understand and you have my full support in just looking at my pictures.
I think that by far, my favorite moment was when I was 17. It was my last April in Guatemala. At the time I was dating Jonny. He was half Guatemalan and half American. In Guatemala there is an extremely dominant presence of the catholic church, therefore Easter is a very important holiday. In fact they make a whole week of it. They call it 'semana santa' -holy week. Guatemala is known for the amazing processions and reenactments of the last week of Jesus Christs' life. Antigua Guatemala is especially well known for its alfombras that are made of saw dust.
For this last semana santa in Guatemala, Jonny and his mother took me to a small Guatemalan town named San Critobal for a few days. This is where Jonny's mother had grown up. Her sisters and cousins all lived there. San Cristobal was situated in the middle of the Guatemalan jungle. They had even had reports of jaguars killing off some of the livestock in the area. It really was a charming little town. The streets were all made of cobble stones. I remember walking around with Jonny the night before the processions. Everyone was preparing their own alfombra and the streets were lit by candles. We were pretty far removed from any large city, and so the stars and moon were clear that night. The air was calm and warm. The only word that I can think of that captures the atmosphere of that night was - charming. I would actually say the same of the whole weekend. I spent the week cooking, dancing and participating in their 'semana santa' traditions. It was something that I will never forget. Experiences like those, fueled my addiction and now I am trying to turn it into my career. This really is what I was meant to do!

The homework fairies are comming back into my life

2009-08-23T21:47:00.000-07:00

I must say I am a nerd! I love this time of year. You are just ending a fun filled summer. It is still warm and you are satisfied. Then school starts. For some reason I think I am in the minority, but I absolutely love the first day of school! There is an exciting energy in the atmosphere. You have new classes, teachers and classmates. Life is presenting you with the same old routine that you have followed since you were 5 and yet there are new possibilities. Like any fresh start I always feel the hope that I can improve upon the person I was last semester. I usually fill myself of expectations on how I am going to be the best student in class. I tell myself that I will always stay on top of my homework and establish a great relationship with all of my professors. In the back of my mind I am also pumping myself up with the confidence that I am going to rock the social scene. Those moments are quite enjoyable. I have succeeded in convincing myself that all dreams will become a reality this semester. There are no foreseeable obstacles in my path to perfect happiness. So I head to my first day of class in my favorite outfit and listen to all of my teachers read their syllabus'. I try not to buy into their intimidating speeches about how demanding their class will be. Life is going to be a perfect balance of school, work and fun, no matter what my teachers say. My blissful honeymoon attitude lasts for a while, life is great and is going to get better. I go to class, learn and then I go home and have fun. This all comes to a screeching halt on the day of that first quiz or paper. Then I remember that I was supposed to be doing school out side of school. The little homework fairies... or should I say devils... start doing their little dance in my brain and slowly stamp out all of those hopeful expectations of a healthy, happy balanced semester. After they have completed their work of destruction, they bind me in chains and lead me to that cold library and up to the corner seat on the fourth floor.... to become a slave to my education.
I guess what I am saying is that I am excited for the first day of school this semester, but I am also excited that it will be my last full semester before graduating.

Coming Home to a Sold house

2008-05-31T20:00:00.000-07:00

So my house, was built by my parents. It was their dream house and we moved in when I was 6 months old. Its been a long span of time. Alot of memories and events. Its weird because I am not a sentimental person, in fact I can be right down cold and unfeeling when it comes to little nic-nacs and keepsakes. I am not a pack rat and I hate clutter, so I don't really attach sentimental value to objects, but my blue house is one MAJOR exception! I love this house so much because it represents so much to me. My little brother, after being born was brought here to this house. It's the only place he knows. In fact I must say that my first memory that I have is sitting in our family room with Andrew as a new born. All of us went through school, as we lived here. My sister Serena had her wedding reception in the back yard. As a family 55 became our base point, and it is much more than a number at which people would send us mail.

So seeing how this is my last weekend in my childhood home I decided to go one last time to "my spot". Its the place where I would often go to write in my journal. Its right in our neighborhood and has a great view of the city. When we were really little all of the neighborhood kids went and carved our names into the sandstone. You can still see them, even though time and rain has worn them down a lot. In my middle school days my best friend and I decided to bury a time capsule there... but unfortunately I got mad at her shortly after and dug it up. But after that it turned in to my spot where I would go to think.

It was nice to sit and reflect a little on how this big move fits into my life. So here is a little passage from my journal:

"Its weird and a bit ironic, most of these years that I have called 55 woodmen ct. my home, I have spent feeling confused and frustrated, not understanding who I was and hating that nothing ever seemed to fit. So I left, in search of myself. I spent 5 years looking. From Guatemala to Rexburg, to Vashon Island, to China and to Argentina. Like before I spent most of that time frustrated. Until I got on my mission in Argentina and to a point to where I realized that the answers were waiting for me at home. I am my family. My roots define my fruit. So my mom and Dad asked me to come and stay home for a few months. I felt good about that and agreed. I have loved it and have really come to appreciate my family. I am enjoying making memories and building the relationship of love and friendship with those who I am eternally bound. For the first time I have really come home. When I walk through that big read door, I don't feel frustrated nor alienated from my family. In this house I am one of them. Taking them on as my identity is leading me to REALLY find myself and to really use and reach for my potential. So I say that its ironic, because after 23 years I finally came home and it was a sold house. But I guess that is how life works. He puts us in a situation that is hard, until we learn a lesson and once we have, he takes us away and starts us on our next lesson. ... So I guess its fitting that I came home to a sold house. I've learned my lesson of family and Identity. I guess it will be exciting to see what 1215 cascade has to teach

GOODBYE 55 WOODMEN CT!!