Back to Civilization...I mean, English

And if by civilization I mean noisy traffic, terrible roads and the Boston accent, then my title is accurate. But I kind of feel it's not very accurate, it just sounded cool. In reality, I LOVED Vermont; really did. And perhaps even more civilized (despite the pervading dairy smell) than Boston. It was beautiful, open, green country that begged me to come explore it, either on my bike, or on the hiking trails. And I did do that, to an extent. Now, back in Boston, I'm inclined to be lazy in my house and undo all the good I did getting myself in better shape. Not that I lost much weight - wouldn't that be just too good to be true! No, I'm only four pounds lighter (maybe not anymore...), but my body is truly in much better shape. I worked out a lot, rode a lot of miles on the bike, and saw BEAUTIFUL rolling hills, lots of cows, and picturesque little farmhouses. What could be better?

While my body didn't seem to show the effects of my efforts, my head did. Kind of. I do in fact know a lot more Hebrew now, and feel pretty comfortable speaking it with just about anyone who is patient enough to let me get the right words out and help me find the ones I don't know yet. So, I guess that eliminates most Israelis. But it does qualify me to take a class I desperately want to take this fall (Minorities and Others in Israeli Society and Literature - awesome, right!?), and it's an excellent base from which to build. I have to tell ya, though, Hebrew is just plain tough. I never again want to hear a Spanish student complain about how hard it is! The little whiners! It's word play compared to Hebrew! But really, once you break a certain mental block, Hebrew becomes possible. It's just getting to that point - that's why the intensive Hebrew summer was important.

So, here's what I did every day: woke up (usually early - the poor people in the dorms on either side of me probably wanted to kill me because I was chronically unable to get up on the first alarm ring) and did the last bit of homework I didn't finish; quickly made myself presentable (I was much less concerned about my hair - it would probably just get sweaty and nasty later anyway, so usually some form of pony-tail); off to breakfast (cafeteria, about 10-min walk, 2 min. bike, but all up hill), which was actually pretty good for cafeteria food; class from 8:30-11:30 - we played word games in Hebrew, did some grammar, and later into the semester, discussed the short stories we read; lunch at 11:30 - again, pretty good for cafeteria, and I was diligent to eat mostly salad, but the choices were always so good I usually tried just a bite or two of things that looked interesting or tasty; 12:30-2:30 class; later in the day, they would have yoga, soccer, and other activities all in Hebrew - sometimes I went, and sometimes I slept or did homework. Homework always took at least 3 hours, and then I needed to study the new words. And in the evenings, they often had movies, guest lecturers, concerts, and other events in Hebrew, so there was really not a ton of time for my explorations, but I managed, especially on Saturdays.

So, that was kind of boring, but I thought maybe you'd like to hear about my summer. Some hot days (no AC in dorms), some good friends - but I was definitely the hermit in the group (I know many of you refuse to believe that I'm naturally pretty shy, but it's true, and being entirely out of my element among so many new people and of a different faith, I had a hard time putting myself out there), and good memories. And now, on to more adventures! This is the semester that kind of determines the rest of my life...dramatic, but true. I will be applying to PhD programs, which I have no experience in or understanding of, and hope like crazy to be accepted into one. So, stay tuned.

And now, I am getting off my duff and working out! Come determination! We will not be overcome by temptation of the so-easily-accessed Netflix movie!

A Time to Love, and a Time to Hate

Hate is a very strong word. I really seldom use it. But I just paid something called an "excise tax" for owning a car in the state of Massachusetts. I really HATED paying that. I don't understand what the tax is for, and I am getting rather tired (to the point of great perturbation) of all the nickel and dime taxes! I love living here, truly, but people are correct when they say it's expensive to live in Massachusetts! Expensive housing (a base just for a room would be about $500-$600 - just for a cheap, not very nice room - at least $1200 for a whole apartment), expensive utilities (and no AC), expensive gas, and a whole load of expensive, inexplicable taxes! So, there's the hate part.

Now I will try to rid myself of these negative feelings by offsetting my rant with an ode to the lovely summer evenings in Massachusetts. They truly are Heaven-sent. The heat subsides, the bugs aren't too plentiful (but beware when riding your bike at twilight - somehow they all find your mouth, you'll end up with a lot more protein in your diet than you planned), and generally the humidity is just comfortable. It demands a nice walk, or even a lengthy bike-ride, despite the unavoidable bugs in the teeth.

Oh, I suppose I should mention that I am now the proud owner of a bike. Not a new one, but a refurbished one, and I love it! In just a few minutes, I'll be on my way to purchase a bike rack, so that I can take it with me to Vermont to enjoy nice long bike rides there! This is all part of my weight-loss efforts (which really need to step it up a notch!). Boston, it is worth mentioning, is a running town, but also a biking town. As a driver, you have to be constantly aware of the runners and bikes sharing the road with you. And as a runner or biker, you get to be king of the road! It's loads of fun! I wonder how it will be in the tiny town of Middlebury, Vermont. I'll let you know.

Actually, I will let you know eventually is what I should say. This is the last post I'll be making for about 2 months. I'm headed out in two days for my Hebrew program in Vermont, and will be unable to write or speak to anyone in English. And likewise, I'll be unable to read anything sent to me. It will be total isolation! But it will be good - I'll be a much more capable speaker of Hebrew once I finish. I'm looking forward to that. That's also why the bike rides will be such a delight - my escape when I'm about to explode from the overload of Hebrew. So, to all my readers (though few in numbers), I say, "Have a fantastic summer! I'll catch ya on the other end of it!". Shalom, vekaitz tov!

Did I complain about cold, rainy weather?

Silly me! But don't worry - now I have something new to complain about: heat. Humid, merciless heat. I know, never satisfied. Actually, I feel very satisfied when I'm in an air-conditioned building. Just not when I come home to my sultry, AC-less house.

So, in answer to your inquiries, yes, I'm back in Boston. And in case you haven't heard, the East Coast is experiencing a heat wave. Record temperatures. And I am lucky enough to be here for it! Yay! If one has a fan, it's not too bad, really. I learned on my mission to sleep with nothing on (except garments, of course), and that skill serves me well now. Boy! We've come a long way since the frigid days where I wanted nothing more than my heating blanket, eh? But I don't mind it, really. I'm like my dad - he could always handle the heat better than my mom.

I have been working on campus getting ready for a conference on Israel happening next week. I'm kind of excited for it! It's a big deal, and I get to meet a lot of really interesting and important people. And the building is air conditioned, so that's nice too! I'm told that the school where I have my Hebrew program in Vermont is not air conditioned. Yikes! And the food isn't too great. This may be the best weight-loss program ever! Bad food, heat that makes me not hungry (and this is true!), and a bike that I'll ride all over the countryside in my down time. I'm not allowed to read, watch, or speak English, so that may be my only escape.

I would like to end with how much I enjoyed my visit home. I saw so many friends, and had such a nice time with my family. I got to see several dear friends married, and wish others well that I won't be able to be with when they are married. I feel, and have long felt, very blessed for such wonderful friends. And for my beautiful family. I still believe that one of the greatest evidences of God's mere existence is the unexplainable phenomenon of love.

Where's the Good Weather? Not in Wyoming!

I have left the cold, rainy weather of Boston for...the cold, rainy weather of Wyoming. OK, to be completely truthful, I woke up this morning to blue skies and warmer weather. But previous to this anomoly, I have had only ONE day of sun! ONE DAY! And I brought almost exclusively warm weather clothes - flip flops, shorts, etc! What a pity! The worst of it came on Saturday night. It was our BBQ with friends and family to celebrate James' graduation (big congrats to him!) and my visit home. I prayed and prayed for good weather so we could enjoy it (the forecast was rain - shocker!), and my prayer was, for the most part, answered in the affirmative. But, it was rather cold, and we huddled in blankets and told embarrassing stories from the life of Amber (I can entertain for hours). About the time we were heading back home, the rain began in earnest. By the time we hit Ogden Canyon, it was snowing, also in earnest. And by that I mean it was a white-out. Seriously! By the time we got to Wyoming, the snow began to stick, and it was 30-40 mph the rest of the way. Took us quite a long time to get home, and a lot of white knuckles! I stepped out of the car into the 3 inches of wet snow, in my flip flops, and swore I would never live in Wyoming!

But my visit home has been nice. When I first arrived, my time was dedicated to finishing my last paper, which I did finish and turn in. But not before I looked up my grades from my other classes: an A and 2 A+'s (I must point out that I don't usually think people read my blog, so I don't worry so much about what I write - but I was recently informed that people do actually read it, so now I'm self-conscious about writing my grades. But, I will just go ahead and write them and hope no one thinks I'm a big, fat braggart - my dad does the proud, bragging thing well enough all by himself). So, the pressure was on to write a fantastic term paper for the last class that would complete the pattern. (May I just say, also, that I didn't realize that they gave A+'s in college - but I learned that they, in fact, do, and my friend in law school got a 4.3 because of it. Who knew? Certainly not me!) Well, to end the suspense, I did NOT get an A from the final class. My paper must not have been quite as good as I hoped. Got an A-. But not too bad, and I'm not complaining. I just hope it's good enough to get into a PhD program this next year. I'll keep you posted on that front.

Since so much of my life has been dedicated to mental exercise, I must take just a moment to confess how out of shape physically I have become. It is a terrible realization. I went running with Cisco the other night - we did sprints on the football field. My hamstrings have spent the last week recuperating, and yes, I did say WEEK. (Sigh.) Then yesterday I played Ultimate Frisbee with my extended family for our yearly Memorial Day gathering, and could do little more than jog along, because my thighs were still tight. I took one flying leap for a low throw, and possible goal (but it wasn't even worth it, because I didn't come down with it), and my hamstring became very angry. I think it was a muscle cramp, because it doesn't hurt too much today (but my quads do from my squats yesterday - sigh again), but it sure made me feel like I've passed my prime! Did I ever even have a prime?

And, from those painful moments, we move on to this week's festivities. I have 2 weddings and a bridal shower to attend (and I already went to one wedding - it was lovely!), and then I had back to Boston. I'll have a short stint of blissful frolicking (by which I mean, kyaking, late-night playing with friends, and bike-riding), before I head up to Vermont to speak Hebrew 24-7. I have a lovely summer ahead of me! Did I tell you that I got $6500 of my summer program funded? What a blessing. So, haverim (friends), until next time, Shalom!

May...rain, flowers, and finals

You know the song on Bambi (I think) that goes "Drip, drip drop, little April showers..."? It doesn't really mean much in Utah. And in Massachusetts April was more significant for the final melting of the snow, and random additional snow storms, than for rain. So, I'm thinking, Bambi did not live in the West, nor on the East Coast. That's my conclusion.

But May. May is the rainy time. Interspersed with some warm(er) weather - and LOADED with flowers! Truly! I cannot describe to you the beauty of my street with trees full of fluffy, white flowers. And the magnolia trees! What can I say? I'm enthralled!

I visited Vermont with my friend Ruth a few weeks ago (I know, just before finals!), and it was still mostly covered in snow. But surely that won't last forever. I'm living there this summer, and told it is a lovely summer spot. I'm looking forward to it - and riding the rolling hills with my new bike. Yep, that's right, I'm buying a (used) bike tomorrow! Can't wait!

But back to present reality. Sitting next to my left arm, on the desk here, is a pile about 2 inches thick of articles that I have to read in the next couple of days. Articles I should have read weeks ago. Articles for a paper that was due today, but for which I got an extension until next Friday. That means I'll be working on it a little bit at home - which I'm not super crazy about, but it's better than not turning it in! I'm struggling getting through all of them because, well, I'm tired! That's all there is to it! I just turned in a paper on Monday, took a final (and wrote a paper for the final) on Wednesday, and have just about spent all my mental energy. I'm digging deep here. But I've been so incredibly blessed. I don't know why. I don't deserve it. I know we all have the insider view of our own weaknesses, but let me assure you, I double don't deserve it. But I'm grateful. And humbled. I got an A from my big paper last week (a 36-pager! Never wrote so much in my life!), and my professor, head of the department, said it was "terrific". I feel really lucky.

That one was on immigration in Israel. The paper I wrote for my History of Israel final was discussing whether Israel can truly be a Jewish state, and a democracy. And today's project: the politics of archaeology in Israel - which is the most interesting to me. I'm going to make it my Master's thesis next year. It should be interesting. That's assuming, of course, I actually read the material and get to the writing part...

One of the blessings bestowed upon me recently is a patient, dedicated friend who goes running with me in the mornings - every other day. Her name is Ashlee. She and I also went on Sunday to see the lilacs at the Arboretum (just learned how to spell that word), and it was magnificent. So, as I conclude, I'd like to share with you with some lovely pictures of lilacs, and other beauty, to brighten your day, as they have mine. Lilacs, you should know, were my grandma Fuller's favorite flower, and, consequently, a favorite of my mother. I thought of them both as I wandered through lilac heaven Sunday (Mother's Day). Enjoy.

Forget Boston in the fall! Let's talk Boston in the Spring! And new journeys!

(Waiting in the wee, cold hours of the morning for the darn Brits to attack. They finally did.)


I'm serious! Boston in the spring puts Boston in the fall to shame! You have never experienced the trees blooming like this! A world of fluffy colors all around! And Magnolias - my favorite! And the colonial day reenactments? So much fun!

And then there's Vermont, wherein lie the quaintest, pleasantest places to visit! Never mind that there's still snow - it is beautiful. And in case you were wondering, I get to live in it (Vermont) for two months this summer. It will be splendid.

I love having set a goal of doing "firsts" - because firsts pop up around the corner all the time! Going to Vermont - a first. Visiting the birthplace of a prophet of God - a first. Seeing a squirrel with an acorn in his mouth - a first. Arising at 2:30 a.m. to watch the British soldiers beat down the poor colonists in Lexington (but don't worry - they get stopped in Concord! And we win the war!) - a first. I'm having a blast. Now, if I could just get the terrifying firsts out the way that are looming over me - writing two 25+ page papers. (BIG sigh.)

Loving life - and needing more time in which to enjoy it. But so very grateful. I have been so blessed. Enjoy the pics of my latest adventures!

Today's Reasons to Love Living in Boston

Despite the loveliness of fall, and the (initially charming and truly abundant) snow of winter, I think that spring, particularly April, is shaping up to be my favorite time of year in Boston. Hmmm...maybe I just love whatever season I'm in. I tend to feel that way about wherever I live. But I am LOVING the spring weather. I say this after months of bitter cold weather, including inside my house, where utility costs are such that we couldn't keep the heat above 55, and even a not-so-warm spring, to date. But all the cold sure does make the warm spring breeze all that much more invigorating and appreciated!

Now, let us remember that spring means end of the semester, which, of course, means high (really high at the moment) levels of stress. But the stress of tomorrow just can't overpower the beauty and joy of today - and I mean that literally, not just figuratively. There is nothing like walking the lovely streets of Boston in the spring. They really are picturesque! And I'm not speaking with the tourist gaze anymore (but maybe still with the wonder of an out-of-towner).

So, picture this (my afternoon): driving home from church, windows down, warm breeze blowing in. Stopped briefly at a rotary (turn-about - Boston's full of 'em), and the breeze carries in the sound of penny whistle and snare drums. A glance to the right reveals the source: up on the hill of the lit

tle Powder House Square park is a small group of coloni

al militia-men practicing their demonstration for the upcoming Patriot's Day celebrations. You ignore the grumbling tummy and pull over to climb the hill and take a closer look. You talk with some of the reenactors, wearing period clothing, who explain various aspects of colonial life, particularly that leading up to the Revolution.

That's part A. Part B: After a quick meal of yesterday's leftovers, it's time for a Sabbath stroll with a good friend. Again, gentle breeze, trees budding, some blooming. Any walk in Boston is full of classical architecture, lovely (usually historic homes), and often small lakes the locals call ponds. Today is no exception. You join up with Minuteman Trail and bask in the sunshine. Down the trail a bit is Spy Pond.

You sit for a bit on some granite steps next to the water (granite is everywhere in Boston - steps, curbs, fence posts). Light scatters every direction from the tiny waves, and in the middle of the lake some canoers glide along silently. On the way back, you are passed by 2 or 3 different groups of unicyclists. The trees are lovely.

Finally, Part C: You've been invited to enjoy a dinner of Boston-baked Beans with some friends at a family's home. Boston-baked beans! And good company - and both were delightful.

Sometimes I ponder on things, and I wonder why I am so blessed. Really, I don't deserve it. And I've been truly blessed lately. Not just today, but really, almost every day. (I need to pick up a small journal for me to carry around and write down all my little blessings along the way, because they're so many!) On Friday, I went to Harvard Hillel (for those of you who, like myself until Friday, don't know what Hillel is, it's an organization named after a 2nd-century rabbi, Hillel; it's the Jewish college student organization, on most campuses all over the states) for their Sabbath meal, and then a meeting with Mark Paredes. He is basically a self-proclaimed Mormon-Jewish ambassador who works to strengthen ties with Mormons and Jews. He spoke about the relationship between Mormons and Jews, and it was fantastic. Later I was able to speak a bit with him, and he is a great person for me to know. And I found out where I can attend a Seder dinner (for Passover), and made some great Jewish friends. What a great night! The Lord keeps putting experiences and people in my life that inspire me, and open doors. I suppose I'll just keep walking through until I stumble upon what He has prepared for me.

Those, my friends, are my thoughts. I'm so undeserving of these blessings, but I am truly grateful for them. As this school year winds down, I can hardly believe that a year ago I was grappling with the decision to come here. It was a tough one. But the right one. Now I am here - driving places without a GPS (sometimes), and loving life, in between the tough days of school. I love Boston. I do. I love the passion for life, and for their heritage, that New Englanders share. I love the woods, and the culture, and the history, and SPRING! And now, I'm going to bed. I will probably not feel this sense of well-being in a few days - it's going to be a tough few weeks of paper writing and studying and overall sleeplessness, but today was the blessing. Today is spring.

p.s. The picture to the right, of the blooming tree framing the statue of Mary - that was taken last year at this time. By myself.