Book of Mormon

So. Remember that part in Tangled when all the villains are singing about their dreams? Well, I have a dream:
Religion classes being held every. Day.
Two days of the week isn't enough! Professor Merril is the best teacher I've ever had! He's forthright, humorous (when appropriate), and knows anything you could ever hope to know about the scriptures! We just had a really intense class today; and I don't mean it in the slang sense of the word. I mean it quite literally. When Nephi's writing what's going to happen in the next handful of decades (chapters 11-14, for those who want to know. It's the vision scene), and you're reading it and looking even deeper into it, and then bringing in stuff from Revelations and conference talks...it's intense. And so exciting! Which may not be the normal reaction (fear's probably more par for the course), but think about it! I had no idea we had been told so much about the latter days! There were a bunch of conference talks from the 80's that Professor Merril quoted today, and it's really so interesting! How the world and the church will soon be physically seperated; things will be even worse in the coming days than all the mobs and persecutions of the early days of the church (ah!); and there was something about atomic holocausts...Professor Merril wished us luck. He said he'll probably be gone by then.
I think I'll be declaring a major in Ancient Near Eastern Studies next semester. I want to study the scriptures, learn as much as I can! I'm not sure whether I'll be going on the New Testement/Greek track or Old Testement/Hebrew track, but I don't think I have to decide right then. And then I'll get a job and start saving up for the Jerusalem Center. I heard a figure somewhere around $10,000.00, so I'll need to work as much as I can.
This is just so exciting! Professor Merril had mentioned a professor who retired last year or the year before, who taught a class on the Book of Revlelations: Revelations for the whole semester! But he said there's no class on that now: it all depends on when they have a professor who's willing to jump into it and teach it. They don't have Joseph Smith History classes for now, either (though I think I'll be taking Professor Merril's class on Isaiah next year). Anyway, this professor is the one who wrote the book Opening the 7 Seals, for those of you who know what that is. I remember reading it and thinking 'well this is obvious' and stopping after the first chapter...but apparently this professor is one of the best the church has, expertise-wise, on Revelations! So I'm going to have to get back to that book...
But since the class isn't offered now, Professor Merril said the best I could do was take a New Testement class from a professor who spends three-to-four weeks on Revelations; there are some who do and some who don't.
Ah! I'm just so excited right now! I can't wait to see what's to come! Probably a little morbid and fatalistic of me, but at least I'm not the only one. Professor Merril feels the same way, and there were a few murmurs of agreement when he asked "isn't this exciting?"
So...yup. I just wanted to shout my enthusiasm to the entire world. If you think I'm crazy(-er), feel free to call me and I'll recite the lecture to you. And probably send you a photocopy of my notes. :)

Utah

If I end up majoring in anthropology (which I might, with a minor in Ancient Near Eastern Studies), I think I'd do a survey of cultures within the US.
Being here in Utah has been enlightening (without sarcasm or any negative connotations. Seriously). I'm afraid I'll offend people if I start mentioning these differences too much, but really...I just find them so fascinating!
For example: those of you familiar with Johnny Biscuit...he's on to something. (those of you not familiar with him, become so).
BYU? Dead on. I saw a be-bicycled police officer stopping a young man - from the looks of it, to check his registration.
There are bike racks EVERYWHERE on campus, as well as speed limit signs. True fact. I'll be posting a collage of BYU-isms as soon as I have enough pics. :)

DATING:
1) Dating must be creative. Now, I was never really asked on a date in CT, but from what I know it's not nearly as elaborate, or labor-intensive, as out Wst. Not only must the date itself be creative, but the method of asking (and perhaps replying) must be just as intruiging. (Not that I mind, or anything).
2) You must date. If I had a nickel for every 'date night' sign I've seen...I'd have 20 cents. But that's more than I'd have back home, and I'm sure I'll get up to at least a dollar by the end of the month!

SLANG:
1) They do say pop. It takes getting used to. What I want to know is, out of 'soda-pop,' how did the East take the 'soda' and the West take the 'pop?'
2) My roommate says 'oh my fetch' all the time. It's - dare I say it? - funny, just cuz it's one of those sterotypes you're not used to real people doing...
3) So, I went to the JSB for BoM, then over to the JKB for French -passing the Swicket on the way - but then I had to go to the Wilk for a DTR...and then to the bookstore to pick up my CTR (ring). Every. Building. Is. Abbreviated.

• JSB = Joseph Smith Building


• JKB = Jesse Knight Building


• Swicket = SWKT = Spencer W. Kimball Tower


• Wilk = Wilkinson Center


• DTR = Determine the Relationship (I'll let you know what that is once I figure it out)


• CTR = Choose the Right (a popular Mormon/LDS...anthem? Theme? Motif?)

So, when they do that example at Pageant of "oh, I talked to my EAC over at the MTC, and he said I should do the HCP this summer," they aren't exaggerating. (Did you know people out West don't know about the Hill Cumorah Pageant? They only know the Manti Pageant...)

Again...I really hope I'm not offending anyone with this post. I just find the cultural differences truly interesting, and I swear I'm not making fun of anybody! I love you all!

Things I've Done at BYU This Week

(not in this order)
1) Learned to dance from the man's position for my Folk Dance class; if that doesn't mess with your brain, nothing will.
2) Got asked on my first date! Yay!!!!!! :D
3) Found out that my Anthropology 101 professor's British accent is fake: he studied at Oxford and likes to be a bit pretentious. ;D

4) Discovered that I love Texans: they make me smile (you know who you are).

• 
  
  Found out why Austin is different, why my one friend will wear a pink cowgirl hat for a week, and to never, EVER take the rivalry between UT and A&M lightly.


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  I also learned that Texans really DO get upset if you remind them that, should Alaska split, Texas would be the 3rd largest state in the Union.

5) Got a temple recomend!!!
6) Came to the sad conclusion that the Canon Center will make me fat.
7) Found myself wishing I could major in Book of Mormon.
8) Went to a birthday party, watched How to Train Your Dragon and Emperor's New Groove, and ate triple chocolate cake prepared by the birthday boy himself. Yum!
9) Went to the BYU carnival and stayed up until 3Am with some friends...talking...finally, when we were so tired we couldn't stand up straight and the temperature had dropped 20 degrees, we decided to go back to the dorms. :)
10) Went to my first BYU devotional. :)

If you want me to expound upon any of these subjects (that reminds me...just a minute), post a reply and I'll see what I can come up with. :)
What that reminded me of: Professor Merril, by BoM (Book of Mormon) professor, showed us all the Hebraisms that characterize the BoM as a Hebrew text: not an english one.

• And it came to pass (everywhere)


• "...and his gold, and his silver, and his precious things" (1 Nephi 2:4)


• "....I have dreamed a dream" (1 Nephi 3:2)


• "...river of water" (1 Nephi 2:6) "...alter of stones" (1 Nephi 2:7)


• "...like unto this valley, firm and steadfast" (1 Nephi 2:10)

See, the 'river of water' tells us that the river ran continuously there: it wasn't a dry riverbed, that only flowed some of the time. This narrows down their location. The 'alter of stones,' rather than 'stone alter,' is similar to Spanish or French or what have you, where you have to say 'house of mine' or 'horse of Billy.'

The reason Lehi is wishing his son to be like a valley is actually really obvious, if you know the topography of Israel. The mountains are DEAD. It's the opposite of Utah, in that the valley's have life and the mountains...don't. You wouldn't wish an absence of life and fertility and suchlike on your child (I hope).

The thing is, one of the devotional speakers spent five minutes talking about how crazy similar Israel and Utah are...which is really interesting (there's a National Geographic article on it), but a story for another day. :)

...wow, tangent. Anyway, I hope y'all are doin' well! Please reply, at least to tell me you're out there! (and that's my desperate fanfiction-author side coming out...)