What do I do everyday? A play by play

What do I do with my free time anyways?

Monday nights are FHE. Sometimes it is really far away but this week it was just a 10 minute drive away! The FHE group that I am in are the people in the ward that I am the most familiar with and its a diverse little group; a few were born and raised in Vancouver, a few from other parts of Canada, two brothers from England, and one guy from Australia.

Tuesday night, Ivonne and I made dinner for Ingrid, Christian, and Cesar. Thanks to my father's help, I gave a prayer for the food in Spanish (they were all very proud of me) and afterwards we played frisbee They are converts to the sport. Or they are simply kind and humor me in my requests. I can't tell which it is.

On Wednesday, I went rollerblading at Queen Elizabeth Park. The park is situated on the highest hill in Vancouver, so there is a beautiful view of the city, mountains, and ocean. I went with a guy from my ward, can you guess what his name was? Yup, that's right. Jon. (--> this is Jon)

Thursday, I worked until 7pm. I actually greatly enjoy working late, especially that last hour when everyone is gone except the few dedicated souls such as my mentor. There is something about that time that makes me relax a little and open up to asking people questions. Maybe because the feeling that I need to prove I am working hard at running experiments is reduced, or maybe because there aren't as many people around to overhear my questions. I don't know what it is that induces this ease and confidence that I so often seek , but its my favorite time to talk to Kun or whoever about the purpose of the research we do, trying to understand the data that we get. And this is the best part about the research: trying to conclude answers from the questions, using reason, and making sense of what the data is telling us. I would work late every night if I didn't care so much about my relationships with other people :)

Friday night, a group of me and the Mexicans watched a movie at their apartment. They live in a high rise building on campus and have a pretty amazing view of the city and ocean (^ this is the view from their apartment). I think I have a thing for high places and good views. Don't tell any cute guys though, I would be at risk for easy wooing. The night was fun, comfortable and relaxing, and I made double chocolate chip cookies for everyone. I think that's why they keep me around.

Saturday was our Chinese culture day! Christian, Cesar and I went to the Dr. Sun Yat-sen Classical Chinese Garden, where we took a tour and learned about how the garden represents the necessity of balance in our lives, the ying and the yang. I thought it was funny that the scholar's chamber didn't include any running water like the rest of the garden because water has feminine attributes and the scholars didn't want to be distracted. So applicable to life. Then we went to the night market in Chinatown, where they sell lots of trinkets and strange food. My dinner consisted of squid and egg balls, yum! We wandered around the bay as the sun was setting, and I think I wore out Christian and Cesar. I am so used to walking that I forget not everyone walks as much as I do!

Thoughts: I am staying busy! It's always amazing to me how I think I will have much more time than I really have. When I pictured coming out to Vancouver, I thought about all the time I would have alone to read, study, hike. That time doesn't exist! I don't think I will accomplish everything I planned to, but that's okay because instead I get to meet and hang out with some of the most interesting people. And the fulfillment that we get from life is largely based on our relationships with others, thus I want to cultivate those as much as possible. I love to learn from others' perspectives, and it is so fascinating to be working and playing with people from around the world. I particularly like Christian; he and I get along well, have a similar personality and thus understand each other. I love it when I can find a person like this, it makes me feel like I do belong in this world and there are other people like me, and that's always comforting!