Someplace Warm This Time

I decided more travelling was in order this summer. I signed up for the Mexico program with ILP, so once again I am abroad and helping teach kids English. This time I am a head teacher, there are only four girls in my group, and it is really warm all the time. I am still the only guy, and I'm still having a great time.
Our school is in a little city called Tehuacan in the state of Puebla. It is a quaint, conservative little place, but still has most of the modern conveniences you could ask for. The people are very friendly when you know them. Strangers seem to be a little scared by me, most likely because I am white and a foot taller than anyone else. I love how decent the people here are. Despite the heat, the women dress much more modestly than those of Ukraine and Russia. Families are very important her, and include aunts, uncles, cousins, and even the white teachers. I have been able to attend parties with a few different families, and all the members are very close. The people here are also incredibly generous. If you tell them that you like something they have or are wearing, they might just give it to you without a second thought.
The food here is delicious. I was especting things to be too spicy for me, like the food some of my friends back home eat to show off, and that induces vomiting to any average person. It turns out that I can handle a lot more spice than most Mexicans, though. I get warnings all the time that things are hot, but I don't feel it much. I haven't run into anything that was distastefully spicy. The best part is that it's really cheap.
I've been able to do some travelling already, but I think I'll write about that in a different post.

How did I get here?

I decided to make this blog because my older brother advised me to. I want to run a small business on the internet someday and he recommended that I start with a blog. I also need some way of keeping everyone posted on what's going on that is more efficient that personal e-mails and less intrusive than mass e-mails. This seems great to me because if anyone really wants to know what's happening they can come and check.

I'll tell a little about myself in case anyone I don't know reads this. I'm from Springville, Utah, a small, quiet, conservative city in a quiet, conservative state. My views on politics are simple: do what's right. How do we know what's right? Well, that's only as complicated as people have made it. Deep down everyone knows what's right but many convince themselves otherwise for various reasons or are convinced otherwise from childhood. If that is too vague then let me address some current issues. First, peace has a price and good men must pay it. If no one is willing then the good but cowardly majority will be enslaved by the greedy and selfish minority. It has been shown through history. Second, I had a loving mother and father, and I never regretted it. I think all kids should have the same.

That's enough for politics. As for religion, I am a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. I served two years as a full time missionary for my church in Russia, and I've never grown so much. I now speak Russian with adequate fluency, and have a good knowledge of the Holy Bible and Book of Mormon, both of which I still read daily and believe. One thing I want to mention about the Russian language is that it generally has no " 's" to show possession. In other words, you can't say "the dog's bone", instead you say "the bone of the dog". I bring that up to relate it to the name of my church. We are often referred to as "mormons", but as I said earlier, the official name is the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. In Russian that is the exact same as saying Jesus Christ's Church of the Saints of the Latter Days. That alone displays our faith in Christ and our Christianity. If anyone wonders what the Latter-Day Saints means, it is added to distinguish Christs church in modern times from the one in ancient times.

So, I've introduced myself and covered some of my political and religious views. Now I'll tell some news and publish this. I've been in Ukraine for the last three months as a volunteer teaching English to young children. I will be here until the beginning of June, when I will hopefully leave to tour Russia and visit some friends there. I will return to American in the middle of June. I came to Kiev, Ukraine through International Language Programs (ILP). So far it has been a great experience.

I'm here with a group of ten other young students, all of whom happen to be female. Sometimes I do wish I had another guy to hang out with, but I'm used to spending a lot of time with girls because I have six sisters. I see the girls here as my sisters, too. There is a rule in ILP against romantic relationships, since those tend to bring nothing but drama and trouble to any group. That isn't to difficult for me, since I only know how to treat sisters, and haven't had any serious dating experience yet.

There are some riots going on downtown that I'm sure any American who watches the news knows more about than I do. The president dissolved parliament for not supporting him and they are trying to gather a political block to veto the presidents power or something like that. It is a lot like the orange revolution in 2004 only without any real spirit. There are crowds gathered waving their colors, but it's more like a party than a revolution.

So, today is Friday and I'm ready for a weekend. The girls and I are going to have a movie night with a friend who works for the embassy and is also a member of our church. He is also the teacher of the Institute of Religion in English. He stands out to me as a good role model, and I'd like to have a life similar to his in the future. I'm sure we'll end up watching some cheesy chick-flick, but at least I'll enjoy the pizza and the company.

As for why I came to Kiev in the first place, its something a cynic would mock. There are a lot of reasons, but none of them really matter but one. Sometimes in life you have moments of calm and clarity, where you know what choice to make and there is peace in your heart instead of doubt and uncertainty. That is the feeling that the Holy Ghost gives us if we are worthy and seek his help. That is why I came here, because, even though I don't know exactly what good it will do me or anyone else, I know that it is something good, and that it will be for the best.

I'll try to be more consistant with this journal than I have been with past ones. Typing is easier than writing, and I find that knowing someone might read this helps me right about things that are really important to me, instead of just venting passing emotions and later being embarrassed by what I've written.

We form our lives and our world. Nothing can affect our happiness unless we allow it to. One thing I am trying to always keep in mind is that I have the power to choose the right in spite of all opposition. That is the inheritance of a child of God. Life flys by so quickly. One minute I'm a child, the next I'm in Russia preaching the gospel, then I'm working night shifts at home, then I'm in Kiev teaching English. I don't know how I got here, but I know that the Lord has carried me, especially when I was weary.

So, 'til next time.