This week has been crazy!!!! Thursday was the semi-finals for the Volleyball tournament. Because BYU was ranked #1 the games were played at BYU. The first game was between Long Beach and U.C. Irvine, it was a good game but because the winner didn't matter as much to me I wasn't so invested in the game. The next game was BYU playing against UCLA. This was one of the best volleyball games I have been to this season! BYU lost the first 2 sets and everyone was disappointed. Then on the third set BYU started playing better and won the set! The fourth set was close but BYU ended up winning that one too. We then started the fifth set and it was intense! Both teams played well but in the the end BYU pulled ahead and won the set 15-10. The cheers in the Fieldhouse were deafening! It was so exciting to win the game and move on to the Finals! Saturday night I went to watch the finals and it was great but the game was not as exciting as Thursdays game. BYU won the match with a sweep and won the title! I am so glad that the volleyball team did well this year! I love the games and they are something I look forward to every year!
I also worked a lot this week... There were a lot of events going on due to graduation. I love working the graduation events but this year was interesting. Technically I would have graduated this year (I have been at college four years already!) but because of changes within my major I don't graduate until next year. Although I don't graduate for a year I have many friends who graduated this past week and it was crazy to me to see everyone decked out in their cap and gown with their family everywhere! I am so excited for graduation and seeing everyone else graduating has made me even more anxious... I can't believe I have to wait another year because of my internship!
In other news... My internship, I had a meeting the other day and we talked about themes and decorations for a classroom. I am struggling with ideas for my classroom theme. I don't want to do anything too cookie-cutter but I have not had any extremely creative ideas at the moment... Oh well, I have about 3 months to plan for it!!! I get to go to my school and meet my facilitator in a couple of weeks and I cannot wait! I have so many questions and I can't wait to get started actually planning my year! :)
By the way... I have created a new group blog (see it here.)! I'm super excited for it... The idea is for everyone to post little things that make their life better. A gratitude journal of sorts. I think that it can be a good thing to have when I need something to cheer me up!
Well I think that's about it for now but I do have one last thing to share... There is a new Mormon Message that talks about love and loving as Christ loves I hope that we can all come to accept those who are different from us and that we can realize that "different is good!" I truly believe that if we put forth the effort and learn to accept people for who they are we will see them as Christ sees them and recognize who they can become!
I have been re-reading one of my favorite books. This book focuses on living your life with a focus on the Gospel and growth in your situation. I have been contemplating some of the ideas within this book and I would like to share some of those thoughts today...
I would like to address the idea of goals. I am not the person I want to be. I like to think that I am a good person but I know I can be better. In making goals to improve myself I need to remember that "the achievement of some important goals in our lives is subject to more than the timing of the Lord. Some personal achievements are also subject to the agency of others... Do you see the difference between committing to what you will do, in contrast to trying to plan that you will be... married by the time you graduate from college or that you will earn at least X amount of dollars on your first job?" This thought was poignant to me it is important that I not make goals that depend on someone else. The book goes on to state that though we cannot justify goals that are 'subject to the agency of others' we can develop goals that will help us be better prepared. "Life has some strange turns. Do your best and then trust in the Lord and his timing." If we can have patience enough to accept the Lords timing we will be blessed! That does not mean that we wait to live our live we need to make plans an prepare to move on with our lives but we also need to stay focused on the Lord and strive to follow his will. Elder Oaks stated "Do not rely on planning every event of your life- even every important event. Stand ready to accept the Lord's planning and the agency of others in matters that inevitably affect you. Plan, of course, but fix your planning on personal commitments that will carry you through no matter what happens." I know that I can grow in many ways and I know that as I struggle to improve myself I can always trust in the Lord and ask for guidance and he will give it to me!
First day of finals and I have finished all of my finals... I can now say that I am officially done with my last semester of classes at BYU!!!! All I have left is my internship and I will be graduating college! I am so excited and I cannot wait to start teaching but in the meantime Summer sounds like a nice idea! ;)
My experience...
Fun times with the neighbors
Monday Movie Nights
Wish with all your heart!
CES Fireside (Pres. Uchtdorf)
Cousin Fun
Halloween Party
Breaking into the house with out FHE boy's help.
Locking professors out of the classroom...
Realizing that together our apartment starts the ABC's
So life after practicum has been crazy! Here is what has happened...
1) I got an internship!!!! Starting in July (year-round school) I will be teaching 3rd grade at Jordan Ridge Elementary, if you want to know more about the school you can look here! I am so excited and I can't wait to get started and meet my 3rd graders!!! I will be on A track and I have a friend also on A track so we are planning exotic vacations to China and Africa... Well maybe in the future, but very possibly California.
2) My grandmother died. On Friday April 5th I was out shopping with a friend when I started feeling uneasy, we ended up heading home soon after and I felt like calling my parents, they had just gotten home and went to grandma's room to find that she was not breathing. She died soon after. This was tough for me because I have never had anyone close to me die before and I have never really gone to a funeral of someone I knew before. But I know that she is in a better place now (More to come on my amazing grandmother later). The night before the funeral we had a family meeting (Samoan tradition) where all the extended family (my grandpa's mother's brother's children included) came and were able to share rememberances of my grandmother, it was lovely. On Saturday we had the funeral and we actually watched them lower the coffin and the concrete into the ground before leaving the cemetery (Samoan tradition). This morning I got an email including a video of my grandma that I want to share, it was taken soon before she passed away.
3) I had my last day of classes as an undergrad today!!!!!! I still have finals but I am so close to done and I cannot wait to actually graduate. In the meantime I will be satisfied with having my own classroom for a year! But seriously, being done with classes is great but I will miss the amazing girls that I have met and befriended on the way to graduation! I hope we can all stay in touch...
4) General Conference happened and was great! Although I enjoyed conference I was not as focused as I could have been so I will go back and reread the talks but I loved the ideas presented. I especially liked Sister Wixom's talk about children and the way we speak to them.
Okay so maybe it is only four things... I feel like there has been much more that has happened but at the moment my brain is not cooperating so those four it shall be.
Yesterday was just plain depressing, I had my interview for an internship and it was my last day of practicum with my fifth graders! It had its highs but it also had its lows...
I woke up early to get ready for my internship interview and left for the interview I got there (quite nervous, I was finding out if I got a position that night) interviewed (It was fine) and then drove to school. I was a little late to school and when I got there I had this spread waiting for me on the back table. Every student had written me a poem (some two or three) One girl made me cookies and a few others brought presents for me. I felt so loved!
Let me share with you a few of my poems... You don't have to read all of them but please read the Limmerick, it's one of my favorites.
Acrostic Much Appreciated In all aspects, amazing So very fun Super fun
Fantastic-ly fun Is awesome Super nice Over the level of awesomeness
Marvelous Intelligent Special Smart
Fun Important Smiley Optimistic
Haiku:
A dark stormy night
An awesome teacher appears
And kills dark monsters
You are amazing!
I love it when you teach us
Don't go Miss Fiso! :(
Concrete:
The words for this one: Please don't go and we all will miss you and you are a part of this class! Please don't, Don't leave, we will all miss you!
Telephone poem:
Nice, loving, caring
Awesome substitute teacher is Miss Fiso
I hope you come back to visit us
The class loves you
We're going to miss you
You're super super super nice
So goodbye Miss Fiso we'll all miss you always
(And last but not least) Limerick:
There once was a student teacher,
And I'm really gonna miss her
Her success was definite
Her love was infinite
Goodbye, Miss Fiso you're a winner!!
We went through the morning, I taught math, we did reading, recess and then lunch. I told the students I would eat lunch with them on my last day of lunch so I did. While we were eating the students were talking to me about things and they found out about my internship interview. It was at that point of lunch that the students started cheering for me and chanting my name to the chagrin of the lunch lady. It was so amazing! After lunch we did some more school-ish things and then the students got ready for the end of the day and said goodbye to me. While the students were in various parts of the room getting ready to go home this is what I heard...
Did someone bring string? We can tie her up and she can't leave...
It's okay we can just kidnap her. (As he comes up to me to put his sweater on my head to "kidnap" me)
We don't have to tie her up for too long, just enough to make her stay with us
and then everyone came back to give me hugs and look at me with sad eyes. I told them to stop the sad eyes and that is when they started their sad faces. :(
But the bell rang and after we finally ushered everyone out of the room I went to collaboration with my mentor teacher. It was good but nothing special. After the meeting I went to the car to go home and got the phone call that I was not offered a teaching position but I could try for Jordan District. I was devastated. I have nothing against Jordan but I was really looking forward to Nebo. Wish me well, Interviews for Jordan are next week.
**Also I am so so so excited for my friends who got their internships! They are all amazing!**
I went to my parent's home and I couldn't stop crying which is odd because I am not a crier... I was just so devastated. My mind was telling me that I was being an idiot. I originally wanted to do Jordan and it would be a new experience for me but I was a mess. My mom had the idea that we go to the Temple. So we did. It was great! I still was a little teary but I love going to the Temple and it calmed me down a lot.
Well there is my sad and sordid story but I'm sure the 'sun will come out tomorrow' My 5th graders are having a party and I just might stop by...
I have so many family and friends at the moment who are on missions or leaving soon on a mission so I get a lot of missionary emails. I love reading these emails and seeing how much these family and friends have grown and applying their knowledge to my life. One of my friends recently challenged those back home to share a message every week that will strengthen or comfort someone else. I am going to try just that...
While looking at the Mormon Channel on Youtube I found this video. The video focuses on courage and perseverance. It refers to the story of Ester and the faith and courage that she needed, to accomplish the things asked of her. The story of Ester is one of my favorites. I'd like to think that I could be as faithful as her if the situation ever arose, so likening Ester to modern women of the church really made an impression on me. I know that we can do hard things. Like Ester and many others we are not alone, we have the support system of our family, friends, ward members, Father in Heaven and Jesus Christ. As long as we are striving to be our best we will have the strength and courage to go on. I hope you enjoy this...
This week was the BYU Lu'au I have been practicing every Saturday since January so it's nice to be done but at the same time I love participating in the Lu'au. This year I danced for Tahiti and Samoa. It was great! Samoa had a sick Sasa this year and Tahiti had a lot of time devoted to costumes as well as the dances. Both sections were great and I was so happy to participate in them! I'm so thankful for everyone who came to watch... I've heard that this year we can get a copy of the performance... I can't wait!
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