Sabbath Day

Saturday's here are the sabbath, we practice this due to the workers at the center, so they one, can practice their religious sabbath and two, because the work week is fashioned after this belief, so shops are closed and no one works on Saturday. It was neat having sacrament meeting on the old testament sabbath day. It was fast sunday today, we had choir practice at 9, which most of the students participated. Our w choir director is Sister Squires, she is an old Utah bread, sassy woman who is a little bit of a choir elitist. She was talking about how horrible the local choir was that she put together and I was uncomfortable because some of the local branch members were there early listening to us practice. It's easy to be a musical elitist when your husband is a humble sweet old man who plays the pipe organs like Van Halen plays the guitar. He studied with the Mormon Tabernacle Choir's famous organist (forgot his name) for many years. So we went through the song a few times then she made us perform in front of the local branch, which was made up of visitors, foreigners (foreign to Israel), and students. This experience of our last minute minute choir performance, which turned out beautifully, draws my thoughts to the musical culture of the church. I have played musical instruments my whole life, but my literacy is liked to that of Gomer Pile when it comes to sheet music. I play music by ear and feel, but especially those from Utah, where there is a stronger Mormon musical culture, can sing their different parts by looking at dots on a page. This is one part of the Mormon culture that I am really impressed and proud of, though I myself am not a product of this music culture. Sacrament meeting was beautiful, the chapel is an auditorium with huge clear windows behind the pulpit and a beautiful view of east, a bit of the west, and the old city of Jerusalem. Not only is it beautiful, but when you let your mind wander as you look out your thoughts naturally go to the Savior and how he walked, taught, healed, implemented the sacrament, suffered, died and was resurrected in the geographically area in which, from your seat in sacrament meeting, you can see. So that was a marvelous experience. We had gospel doctrine in a place called the dome theatre. It's up in the upper floor, and like it sounds, it's a domed building with small auditorium seating. We then had priesthood, the branch president and district president were in attendance. It is interesting because there is no high priest quorum, because we are not in a stake. We have an elders quorum and a district president who reports strait to two men who are in the presidency for the quorum of the seventy. I found the structure in a place where things cannot be in normal order very interesting. Also, we cannot proselytize and if someone finds the church on their own they have to go out of the country to join the church. The branch president is an older caucasian American who, when he opens his mouth has an amplifier for a voice-box and a Bruce R McKonkie command of the pulpit. He had the visitors introduce themselves, not the BYU students. He then asked me to introduce myself, I stood and shared my name and that I was from California. There was a moment of awkward confusion from him the I sat down with the expectation of the student to my left to go next, but instead he said, "ok is there anyone else?" He thought I was a visitor outside of the BYU program because I was wearing a blue dress shirt instead of a white shirt. This became the ammunition to some of the lamest jokes among me and the BYU guys in attendance. When people are unfamiliar with one another humor seems to be a resort to break the ice and to try and get "in" or on a more personal level with someone, and when they are not very witty this proves to be a sad and embarrassing social interaction. I had to respond to about 7 occasions where one of them would come up and say with a grin, "thanks for visiting today Paul!" or "how long are you visiting for?". It's nothing that I am annoyed with, I just observed this little social nuance and found it amusing. I just responded with similar corny rebuttals like, "yea, everyone has been so nice to me today". I received a calling today after waiting for a whole outside the office. During my wait I talked with the first counselor of the district presidency, a man whose last name I have forgotten due it's awkwardness. He is a young pleasant man with Asian features and awkward eye contact. He wore a suit that look like it belonged to his bigger older brother. He was a father of a handful of small children and worked at the UN as an administrator. He named his position which had more titles than Kelly Slater. I was called to be a family home evening group leader, which is ironic because I rarely go to FHE outside of here, but it should be fun. So I went and took a little nap then was awoken by my roommate Jed Jones, he and his brother Jordan are my roommates. I call them the Jonas brothers. They are from Dallas Texas, Jed is an energetic fo-hawk and tight jean wearing guy who would could be in singer in a dashboard confessionals/Goo Goo Dolls cover band. He is actually a pretty fun guy. Dinner was at 4pm due to it being fast sabbath. After I got the guitar, which there are 3 but i have a horrible one, so borrowed the good one. Michael, an articulate, socially awkward kid who rips at the guitar and plays blues like someone who would be named "Bubba the train" who grew up in Chicago in the 40s. Anyways, he was really reluctant to let me borrow it, but he eventually handed it over after an awkward moment of silence. I went up to the top level and on the way up this girl Emily asked if I could play her a song, she was sitting emailing home. I told her to come with me to explore the top and I would play her some songs. We went out on the grassy balcony on the 8th level. It was absolutely fabulous. We sat in the shade on some clovers and looked out to the city as I played her songs and we talked in between. We had a lovely conversation about each others lives, doing some hypothetical situations to get in each others heads. Emily is a sweet girl from a little suburb of a thousand Oaks, Ca. She looks precisely like Tapanga from Boy Meets World, beforre she got fat in the later episodes. She has beautiful eyes that make you feel comfortable and a even more reassuring smile. Some more girls came out and we talked and I played songs as we watched the sky turn red with a beautiful sunset and the points on the cross over the church of the Holy seplicure change colors as the crystals would catch the changing light of the sunset. The weather was perfect. We the. Went inside to the lounge called the shekel shack for peida bread and nutella and some games. We played baby if you love me give me a smile, I opened up and got a bit silly if you will. It was good fun. I am truly enjoying my time here thus far, there are some amazing people both in and out of the program and a beautiful culture that I am excited to learn about and experience first hand. This is a blessing and. Decision that I will ultimately never forget or regret.