What to do on the Sabbath Day? Go to Church? Well, why not? Today I got up at a reasonable hour, got a shower, blow dried and straightened my hair and put on some fancy clothes! Straightening my hair is such a hassle, but still, there really is nothing better than having lovely straight hair! After having a curly ‘fro it was nice to have hair that I could actually brush! But that’s enough about the hair! Once I was clean and presentable looking (well as presentable as you can be when living out of a suitcase, in a Hostel) I went downstairs, got a map of the city and decided that it would be physically impossible to walk to church while wearing a skirt in “Windy Wellington”. Instead I waited for and got a taxi! Getting taxi’s in a different country is so great – not because it’s a different experience, but because they drop you right at the door of where you want to go! I actually had a really nice taxi driver and we had a good chat – when he dropped me off he was like, “you can follow those people in that door, that’s how you get into the church” and he even waited until I was inside! Lovely man. If I wasn’t a poor backpacker I would have tipped him!
Once I was in church I found a nice empty pew, sent a few texts to my mother, mainly about how holy I am (I was in church on time) and that’s it really. In every meeting I have been in they have only had two speakers, which I think is nice – the first speaker was really good and the second speaker wasn’t too bad! The Bishop was really nice! He had such a great attitude and positive way about him. After sacrament he came over and talked to me and then introduced me to some of the YSA. I met a girl called Karina and she took me to Sunday School where everyone was really nice and friendly. We then went to a joint R.S and P.H meeting. It was actually so nice! The Bishop was taking it and he didn’t do a lesson, instead he talked about how we should all get to know each other because that’s what church is all about. So we all got name tags and had to write our names on them. We also had to pick a piece of paper with a number or a letter on it. He dismissed the “lesson” early and we had to try find people who had the same symbol as us – so basically we had to talk to everyone! It was a really nice way to get to meet people – everyone could see your name and you had something to talk to everyone else about, did they have the same symbol as you? Once that question was asked, the ice was broken and everyone started chatting! Then came the best part – Much and Mingle! That’s right, every 5th Sunday they have Munch and Mingle, so you have food (today it was jelly)and you all chat to each other! How nice!
After church a few people were going to the Institute building to make French toast! So a girl called Jessie (Karina’s younger sister) and I took a lift with an American girl called Michelle. We went to her house first, got some icing sugar and cinnamon for the French toast and then we went to the institute building! It was huge! Like it was a pretty old building, but it was quite cool – everyone was already there, up on the roof! It was a pretty high building, so the views of the city were really nice and it was really sunny and only slightly windy, which is good for Wellington! The guys ended up cooking burgers and hot dogs and then we had French toast for dessert! Yummy!
I got chatting to the guys – all five were from America and had all went to BYU. Yippee. At first they seemed really nice and there were a few that seemed quite genuine... But... let’s just say, there not exactly the kind of boys I would want to spend long amounts of time with. One boy was really sarcastic, but not in a funny or witty way, in the mean way that I can’t stand. For example, he was like, “I went to BYU for 8 years” and I was like, “wow, that’s a long time” and he was like “haha, I was lying, I didn’t even graduate.” (me) “oh”, (him) “haha I did graduate, I was lying”. Oh. My. Gosh. That is the funniest thing I think I have ever heard. You should be a stand up comedian. Personally I think that boys who lie to people they have only just met, in order to make their new acquaintance look and feel like an idiot are just the funniest people around. Oh wait. No. I’m lying now. I think people like that are idiots. I HATE when people lie to you, thinking that it’s funny when you believe them. I’m a trusting person and if you tell me something I am inclined to believe you. If I find out that you were lying, in an attempt to be funny, then it is highly likely that any respect that I ever had for you will vanish and never return. Can you tell people do this to me often? It really annoys me.
They were also very, how do I say this, BYU. I told them that I went to classes at UVU (where people were really nice to me, they were friendly and helpful and just genuinely nice) and they just slagged it off, saying how it should still be a community college and that it’s just a big high school. Which it so isn’t. I cannot praise UVU enough and I think you know how I feel about BYU – the place where not one single person spoke to me, even after I made several attempts at starting conversation. If anything, BYU was more “high school” when I went there, what with its group of cool kids who wouldn’t talk to the new kid. I don’t want to offend anyone because I know that some great people go to and have went to BYU, but student wise, I’ve only ever had bad experiences and these boys reminded me of everything I hate about Utah and BYU. They had an elitist attitude and when I told them that I was meant to go to BYU you could see their eyes widen as they tried to think of something to say. The more I think about it the angrier it makes me. Maybe I got them on a bad day but let’s just say I won’t miss them when I leave. A few of the boys seemed quite nice, but overall, they were elitist and rude and I think they all genuinely believed that they are Gods greatest gift to womankind. I hate arrogant jerks. While I did talk to and get on really well with some of the girls, there were a few that I wasn’t impressed with. They didn’t do anything to offend or upset me, but they just didn’t talk to me or even acknowledge my presence. I think it’s just an age thing. The younger girls, who were actually about my age, didn’t bother speaking to me – I had similar experiences when I was in Utah, I think it’s just an age and insecurity thing. Honestly, I think people like that need to grow up. They need to get out and see the world. They need to go backpacking! They would realise soon enough that you don’t get anywhere in life if you aren’t prepared to make the effort and actually talk to people!
I did meet some really nice people. Michelle was really nice, Karina was really nice and she really looked after me when we were in church. There was another girl and I can’t remember her name, but she was really, really nice. We had a really good chat – she was actually willing to make conversation, I was impressed! Another girl that I really liked was a girl called Jessie. She was Karina’s sister and she was just really lovely. She was 20, but she seemed really shy – quite strange but she reminded me of Winona Ryder in “Little Women”, I think they look alike, but that’s probably just me being a weirdo! Anyway, Jessie went to the church school they had in New Zealand - I think it’s the same idea as BYU but it was a High School here in New Zealand – they are closing it next year I think, and now she goes to university here in Wellington! I was actually really surprised at how nice she was. She was just a really cool, really genuine person. I’m learning a lot about the people I would like to be friends with on this trip – nice, genuine people like Jessie are definitely the way forward!
Well, I seem to have went on a bit of a rant there... I do get mad when I think about the kind of people I encountered in Utah and BYU. Don’t get me wrong – I met some amazing people there, some people that I’m really fond of and I do know that Utah and BYU are full of really great people – but it’s the idiots that stick out and ruin it for everyone!
After the BBQ and French Toast we played a game called Apples to Apples, which is really cool, basically you have seven red cards, each with something written on them. It could be anything, a famous person, a country, a food, an item of clothing, a phrase – anything! Someone overturns a green card and the green card can have anything on it too – but basically you need to pick one of your red cards that best describes/fits with the green card. It can be straightforward or ironic. For example, the green card said “Refined”, so I chose one of my red cards, the card that said “George W. Bush” – I was being ironic, because we know there is nothing refined or eloquent about Georgie. So that was fun. Then at about 6pm I walked back to the Hostel.
At this point I was quite hungry so I got myself a Dominoes Pizza – they have Super Sundays so you can get a medium Hawaiian Pizza for $5.90! Can you believe it! Back home a medium from Dominoes is like £14! With the exchange rate you’re paying like £2.50 for a medium pizza – beautiful! So I sat and read my book and ate my pizza! Such a nice way to spend a Sunday night!
Xx
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