I believe, senza occhi per vedere
So, just a general announcement...
A) I have two college classes left, but I won't graduate until 2011. No big deal. This is a very good thing, it will remind me that I actually like learning, and prepare me to return to the world of midterms.
B) I am going to be serving a mission for my church (The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints [The Mormons]) from July 2009 to late December 2010 or early January 2011, depends on when they decide to send me home. I will be serving in the Italy Catania mission. :D
This is the map of my mission. I get Sicilia and the toe and the heel of the boot. And Malta.
Some Sicilian history:
~It was colonized by the Greeks beginning around 750 BC. They left some amazing things. The valle dei templi has a few temples that are still incredibly intact.
~Rome took over in the 200s BC, and it switched hands between the Romans, the Vandals, the Goths, the Byzantines, Muslims, and the Normans in the 11th century AD.
~Then it became the Kingdom of Sicily, with some interference from the Bourbons. It joined up with the Kingdom of Italy in 1860 during the risorgimento, led by Garibaldi, but they soon sought autonomy.
~When Italy became a republic after WWII, Sicily became an autonomous state.
~The mafia has had a huge influence on the island. Read "Il giorno della civetta" by Leonardo Sciascia if you want to know more about it. I'm sure you can find it in English somewhere, if you can't read Italian.
And now some pictures of Southern Italy. I'm not sure where exactly they are, sorry, this is mostly to give you a taste of how gorgeous this place is.
So, it's gorgeous. Exactly where I've wanted to go for as long as I can remember (although I do want to make it North to Rome and Florence and Venice someday). There will be a temple in Rome eventually, so I have an excellent reason to go back.
You don't need to tell me it will be a hard mission. Sure, as far as numbers go this is no South America. But I hear from very reliable sources that the members are amazing. And I have never met a single returned missionary from an Italian mission (there are currently three missions: Milan, Rome, and Catania) who said it was horrible. They all love it so much that they plan their careers so that someday they can go back, over and over. It's Italy, regardless of numbers, there's a culture that can't be beat. Plus, missions aren't about numbers--they're about service and learning and God.
I have been taking Italian classes since Winter semester 2007. As a Humanities major at Brigham Young University, it's required to take a language to an advanced (300) level class. This past winter semester, 2009, I finished my foreign language requirement for my major, completing Italian 321, the first class the returned missionaries take when they get home. I must admit that I was really excited to be done; the Italian department is really into making people loathe the language unless you're an RM. But I am thrilled to be able to serve in the Italy Catania Mission. Beautiful place, beautiful weather, beautiful culture, beautiful people. Kind of terrifying, but way good. Sarà belissima.
This blog will be taken over, beginning in July, by 18 months of letters home, for everyone to read. I'll try to write good things, I promise. Until then, maybe I'll remember to write here myself once in a while and keep everyone updated while I try and find Sister Missionary clothes that aren't absolutely revolting. :) Life is good.
A) I have two college classes left, but I won't graduate until 2011. No big deal. This is a very good thing, it will remind me that I actually like learning, and prepare me to return to the world of midterms.
B) I am going to be serving a mission for my church (The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints [The Mormons]) from July 2009 to late December 2010 or early January 2011, depends on when they decide to send me home. I will be serving in the Italy Catania mission. :D
This is the map of my mission. I get Sicilia and the toe and the heel of the boot. And Malta.Some Sicilian history:
~It was colonized by the Greeks beginning around 750 BC. They left some amazing things. The valle dei templi has a few temples that are still incredibly intact.
~Rome took over in the 200s BC, and it switched hands between the Romans, the Vandals, the Goths, the Byzantines, Muslims, and the Normans in the 11th century AD.
~Then it became the Kingdom of Sicily, with some interference from the Bourbons. It joined up with the Kingdom of Italy in 1860 during the risorgimento, led by Garibaldi, but they soon sought autonomy.
~When Italy became a republic after WWII, Sicily became an autonomous state.
~The mafia has had a huge influence on the island. Read "Il giorno della civetta" by Leonardo Sciascia if you want to know more about it. I'm sure you can find it in English somewhere, if you can't read Italian.
And now some pictures of Southern Italy. I'm not sure where exactly they are, sorry, this is mostly to give you a taste of how gorgeous this place is.
So, it's gorgeous. Exactly where I've wanted to go for as long as I can remember (although I do want to make it North to Rome and Florence and Venice someday). There will be a temple in Rome eventually, so I have an excellent reason to go back.
You don't need to tell me it will be a hard mission. Sure, as far as numbers go this is no South America. But I hear from very reliable sources that the members are amazing. And I have never met a single returned missionary from an Italian mission (there are currently three missions: Milan, Rome, and Catania) who said it was horrible. They all love it so much that they plan their careers so that someday they can go back, over and over. It's Italy, regardless of numbers, there's a culture that can't be beat. Plus, missions aren't about numbers--they're about service and learning and God.
I have been taking Italian classes since Winter semester 2007. As a Humanities major at Brigham Young University, it's required to take a language to an advanced (300) level class. This past winter semester, 2009, I finished my foreign language requirement for my major, completing Italian 321, the first class the returned missionaries take when they get home. I must admit that I was really excited to be done; the Italian department is really into making people loathe the language unless you're an RM. But I am thrilled to be able to serve in the Italy Catania Mission. Beautiful place, beautiful weather, beautiful culture, beautiful people. Kind of terrifying, but way good. Sarà belissima.
This blog will be taken over, beginning in July, by 18 months of letters home, for everyone to read. I'll try to write good things, I promise. Until then, maybe I'll remember to write here myself once in a while and keep everyone updated while I try and find Sister Missionary clothes that aren't absolutely revolting. :) Life is good.
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