Peru Study Abroad 2014: April 28th, Day 1 (Provo-Lima)

The three hours to our first layover in Atlanta weren't that bad. With all of my kids (ok, so they are all adults and all older than me...somehow I still feel responsible...don't ask) safely aboard and everything that I was going to bring with me, I managed to calm down enough to sleep/read most of the way. Stay tuned for a book review of "To All the Boys I Ever Loved". (Yes, teenage romance is a guilty pleasure of mine...it just gets so much more complicated after you grow up.)

Atlanta is a great city! Or at least it looks that way from the inside of their airport...

For lunch I opted to have some Chipotle, because this girl loves Mexican-American food the most and for some reason I thought it might be a little hard to come by in Peru...

Around FIVE we all piled into the enormous airplane that would carry us down south. Unfortunately we weren't paying to fly first class so our flight was accompanied by a pungent smell coming from just behind us in the back of the plane/latrine area. (I think the stewardess apologized at least three times in the first hour as she ran around trying to do just about anything to fix/mask the problem.) In all of my international flying experience I think that I enjoyed this one the most. Erika has the amazing ability to curl up into a tiny ball in the seat next to you...meaning you can spread out a little more. Thanks girl! However, I think that the pilot may have been bored because he decided to frequently interrupt any movie/music listening with announcements about how we may, or may not, encounter some amount of turbulence. Despite that I watched "The Book Thief" (I may eventually write a post about that...but after I read the book, so don't hold your breath.) which was most excellent, and then thought about sleeping but instead that Thor (round 2) was a much better way to spend my time. ( At this point I had just turned 21 and was, therefore, full of excellent decision making skills.)

We got into Lima about ELEVEN and we were all checked into our next flight around MIDNIGHT. Yes, you did just read that right. Less than an hour after landing we were already preparing for our next flight.

Tune in Thursday for how our airport adventures and third flight in 24 hours went....

Peru Study Abroad: May 5, Day 8 (Cusco)

The One with Thoughts from a Pearl...Listen

Scripture: Moses 8:23

As general conference time rolls around once again I think it is interesting to hear how everyone reacts to the “holiday” weekend. The most vocal people, at least around BYU campus, are those who generally say things like “OH-MY-GOSH-IT’S-CONFERENCE-WEEKEND-AGAIN!!!!! I-CAN’T-WAIT-TO-HEAR-WHAT-ELDER-(FILL-IN-THE-BLANK)-HAS-TO-SAY!!!!” Sometimes however, if you are paying attention, you can detect a slight undercurrent of those who really just wish that the brethren would come up with some new material.

The One with Thoughts from a Pearl...Journals

Scripture: Moses 6:5

Usually when we hear about writing in journals teachers in the Church refer to the words of modern prophets to encourage class members. However, I think it is instructive to look at the number of times in ancient scriptures that peoples have been commanded to either keep a record or refer to a record kept by someone else that they now have. Adam’s book of remembrance as referred to in Moses 6 is the earliest example of a record that we have.

The One with Thoughts from a Pearl...Who is God?

Scripture: Moses 5:16

Who is God? That is the question that Cain asked, immediately before deciding that serving Satan/himself was the better option. If we ignore the fact that Cain had parents who had literally walked and talked with God, then there are lots of people in the world today who ask this same question. Fundamentally they are all seeking a direct connection with God. Which I actually believe is a really good thing, because so much of my own belief comes from my direct connection with God.

The One with 28 sources and 3000 words... (not a joke)

By virtue of the more than ninety per cent of shared deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) every human being has something in common with every other human being on Earth. An in-depth look at humans, however, proves similarities and differences beyond the genetic code. People everywhere have, or desire, strong familial bonds, recognize differences in the genders, and journey through life searching for a fulfilling life. These similarities manifest cross-culturally because they all relate to how we define ourselves. Despite the similarities all people have one major difference, culture. Everyone has a culture, but each culture leads to differences between people of one culture and another. These types of differences include what motivates a person, how they see others, and how they view themselves. Through different cultures similarities become differences. Therefore, while all people may see the importance of strong family/marital bonds, they may have different motivations for choosing a mate, while all people may see others as having some value, what makes a person beautiful or respectable can differ drastically and each depends on culture. With all of these differences there are those who want to divide, divide, and divide again until each person is in their own box all alone. But, for me, we are not people when alone. It is only when we come together and seek to understand, and embrace, each other for similarities and differences alike, that we find our humanity.

Study Abroad Peru 2013: May 11: Day 15 (Lima to Home)

A few hours and one plane ride later meant that we all had finally arrived at the place this grand adventure started in...Salt Lake City.

So while we all gathered our luggage and each others, we had become serious experts at spotting everyone's bags quickly, and said our good byes we talked about the rest of the adventures that awaited us. 

For some jobs and internships...

for others more school...

and for me: four flights, two weddings, and an awesome summer were just around the corner. 

We will all be connected through the wonderful two weeks we spent changing the lives of those in Peru, and letting them change ours. 

Thankfully I had the opportunity to return again one year later. 

Stay tuned for those adventures!

The One with Thoughts from a Pearl...choices...

Scripture: Moses 4:3

Probably the longest lasting war is over the right for people to choose. The first recorded battle occurred a long, long time ago (in a galaxy far, far away…) when a parent gave his children the freedom to choose and a third of them turned their back on the advice of their parents, choosing what they wanted, probably despite knowing the permanence of that choice. Ever since then children have been disappointing their parents, making choices they know their parents won’t approve of all in the name of “figuring out who they are”.

Mormonad from lds.org

Accordingly, parents have attempted to restrict their children’s choices until the only choice is the one their parent sees as the best, or “right” one. In all of our battling however, between kids doing what they want and parents trying to coerce them into becoming a certain kind of person, we sometimes forget the most important message of that first battle, “we each have the God given right to choose”. In that first battle God decided to let a full third of his children walk away to eternal damnation because to force them to stay, or to give into the plan they wanted so that they would willingly stay, would involve taking away agency, or the right to choose, from part or all of his children.
So that’s how important all of your choices are. God let a full third of his children walk away from the chance of ever living with him, so that you could have the right and ability to choose between that blue or red shirt, this major or that, eternal salvation or eternal damnation. Ok, so maybe all of your choices don’t carry quite the same amount of weight, but many of them should probably carry more than we give them. These are the choices that we make every day to follow the straight and narrow path to the utmost of our ability, to do everything we can to become the person we want to be, or to not. I’m not saying be perfect I am saying be conscious of trying.

Study Abroad Peru 2013: May 10: Day 14 (Puno to Lima)

Our last full day in Peru found everyone hurriedly packing for the long trip home and all of our stops in between.

The LDS Lima, Peru temple. Photo from lds.org. 

The first stop was Arequipa. About an hour by bus outside of Puno, this is the nearest city to Puno featuring an airport that could get us back to Lima. An hour or so through the air and we arrived. After gathering all of our things together we loaded into a bus and headed for the Lima, Peru temple.

As I have mentioned once or twice previously one of the things that I love about being LDS is the ability to find members of the church in all corners of the world. In many countries this includes the ability to visit the temple. To learn more about LDS temples look here.

One final group pic in front of the temple. 

We all had a great time and enjoyed ourselves thoroughly.

Study Abroad Peru 2013: The Miracle of the Video Camera (Puno)

Of all of the amazing an miraculous adventures that happened on this trip, I personally think this is the most miraculous. I don't know if it is the eleventh hour nature of the story, or the number of times it would have been easier to give up, or the number of "coincidence". But here it is for you to decide...

Most of the time when you are travelling and lose something you give it up as lost. Particularly when you are in a foreign country. Particularly when you are in a third world country. Particularly when the thing you lost was a $70 video camera. Almost everyone would tell you to just give it up for lost. But for some reason Porter, Rydge,and Nelson are not most people, and don't give up easily. This is their story...

Study Abroad Peru 2013: May 9: Day 13 (Puno)

OUR LAST WHOLE DAY IN PUNO!!!

It was a crazy and amazing day when so many things came together, we really couldn't believe it. 

The day started off with Whitney, Porter and I back at the plumbing shops try to find a few remaining parts, or coming up with a way to make them/make do without them. We headed out to the Uros for the last time not too excited about our prospects, but ready for anything. 

The One with Thoughts from a Pearl...equality...

 Scripture: Moses 3:18

Studying the creation in the scriptures is always an interesting experience. There are so many fun and controversial topics to delve into and ponder about, because engineering seniors frequently have lots of spare time to ponder these things. There’s evolution, man’s relationship with nature and the one we’ll ponder today: man’s relationship to woman.

Study Abroad Peru 2013: May 8: Day 12 (Puno) Part 2

We finally got everyone together and working around lunch time.

The Reed team was busy showing off their new welded knife and demonstrating it to the delight of the islanders. They were also busy interviewing people to gather information for a potential second run at this project, as well as trying to get their reed whacker to work under water.

The Oven team was busy helping people cut, fold, and rivet ovens trying to get them all complete before we had to leave, knowing that the likelihood that they would get finished after we left was extremely low.

The Washing Machine team was busy demonstrating their idea and discussing its pros and cons with some of the locals.

Whitney and I had just settled into helping the Oven team, when Dr. Lewis approached with a surprise.

Study Abroad Peru 2013: May 8: Day 12 (Puno) Part 1

Me: This morning I woke up late!
You: What? How?
Me: Well I didn't have any alarm clock, didn't hear my roommates get up, and who doesn't sleep peacefully on a floating island that gently rocks you to sleep?
You: Wait why were you sleeping on the island???
Me: Well here's the long version...

Study Abroad Peru 2013: May 7: Day 11 (Puno) Part 2

Here's an update on the progress made by the groups:

Reed Group: The team came armed with gas and prepared to show off their "reed whacker". After explaining the concept to several interested islanders, the team pulled out their assortment of blades (all round, but of varying surface areas and teeth sizes) and got on a boat to test against some real reeds. Then disaster struck. When the team tried to use the first blade under water the motor stuttered to a standstill. Concerned, but not deterred the team put on a smaller blade (less surface area = less drag). The following is a video of the test with the big blade.

While the blade would turn while under water, it moved extremely slow and failed to cut any of the reeds. Wanting to see how it was supposed to work the team showed several islanders, and gave them a turn, cutting the reeds above the water. This display was met with great applause. The following is a test with the little blade.

Returning to work the team scratched their heads as to how to get more power of their little motor and make the reed whacker work under water. (The islanders wanted it to work under water so that they could get reeds of sufficient length.) A few of the islanders with knowledge of motors (some of the people use motors to drive their boats between islands and to the mainland) and the team worked together and eventually decided that the motor had not been properly adjusted for high-altitude (I mentioned we were at ~13000 feet (4 km) right??) and something about too much oil in the petrol. (I have no idea about more details than that, at this point I was busy with another project and mechanical engineer does not equal motor expert.) At any rate the islanders concluded that idea a bust. At this point the team brought out plan B and proposed to have a mainlander weld a blade to a sleeve and put that on the end of a pole. Luckily Nelson had a welder friend on the main land who was happy to bend the end of a steel pipe and weld a knife blade to it

Oven Group: The team had a day full of folding ahead of them. Out of all of the teams the oven team got the most attention from the islanders, because they were all rather tired of having to buy bread from town. So the team split up and did their best to discuss the design and help all of the interested islanders build their own. Overall they had a lot of pleased reactions but there was still much clamoring for a test, to see if it actually worked or not. 

Study Abroad Peru 2013: May 7: Day 11 (Puno) Part 1

Day 2 in Puno dawned bright and early, and brought with it many great adventures and challenges.

The day started with Whitney and I making an empanada run down to a local bakery, because who would say no to a fresh baked empanada or two for lunch? For the uncultured an empanada is essentially a Hot Pocket, but approximately one million times better and occasionally filled with fruit.

When we got back to the hotel we were informed that we would get to go on an adventure with one of our professors to find so Peruvian stoves to take back to the US with us. I tell the following story not to mock anyone, but as a plea. To all those that every go on a study abroad please realize that if nothing else you are representing your country, and you owe it to this great country that guarantees so many freedoms and presents so many opportunities for you to be the best sort of representative. You should be an excellent visitor, you should respect all aspects of their culture, do your best to communicate in their language, and just generally realize to poor linguistic skills DOES NOT excuse DISRESPECTFUL behavior.

The One with Thoughts from a Pearl...graduation...

Photo Credit: Sean MacEntee via Flickr

Scripture: Abraham 2:3

    Today I am thinking about graduation. (Ok, so most days I am thinking about graduation.) But today I applied to walk in August!!! I don’t know if it is because it is nearly March, which is nearly the end of the semester, which is nearly time to head to Peru, which is nearly time to start my internship, which (12 weeks later) means walking for graduation AND starting my LAST semester, or what, but something has me thinking about graduation. I am stoked for graduation! (Yes, I am from California, so I do get to use the word stoked.)

The One with Thoughts from a Pearl...Egyptians & government...

Round 6...

Scripture: Abraham 1: 26 

A portion of the first chapter of the Book of Abraham explains the origins of the Egyptians. I do not know enough about the origin story of the Egyptians to comment on similarities and differences, I do, however, believe I know enough to comment on the evolution of the system of government. As far as I know Egypt spent many thousands of years, and in many ways still to this day as a patriarchal monarchy. According to the Book of Abraham this form of government began with Egypt’s first ruler, Pharaoh. (That name sounds extremely familiar...)

Study Abroad Peru 2013: May 6: Day 10 (Puno)

Our first full day in Puno was grand!

The first item of the day was to get ourselves out to the Uros Islands. We had scheduled a meeting with the islanders to talk about why we were there, give a brief overview of our projects, and invite them to come by for the next few days and learn more. (I have no idea if that was what Porter actually said, but they seemed excited about whatever he did say.)

Following that we headed over to Nelson's island to begin working on our projects. Because Nelson & Dora's main source of income is through a tourist restaurant they run on one end of their island, we were relegated to an area behind their storage shed to maintain "authenticity". Because Whitney and I were done with testing we split up that first day to help some of the other teams out. I spent most of my time with the Reed group, while Whitney helped out the Oven group.

Study Abroad Peru 2013: May 5: Day 9 (Manchu Picchu to Puno)

The trip back to Cusco was rather adventurous. Part of the train tracks had washed out along the route

Because you needed one last picture
of me at Manchu Picchu.

back, so we transferred to a bus. The bus managed to do fairly well, until it hit a rock crossing a bridge popping out and bending one of the lower side doors that held the luggage in. This prompted a 30 or so minute wait while the driver attempted to fix it enough to drive. It also prompted a discussion among the 20 engineers in the back of the bus as to what exactly had happened, and the likelihood of the driver appreciating the help. We concluded that our help was probably the last thing the driver wanted, so we all stayed put.

The One About the Definition of Gender...

How a person defines their sense of self reflects their interpretation of the many aspects that define a person, including gender. Gender, or the social role and characteristics associated with a sex, is, at least in part, defined by society. Therefore, how people interpret gender changes across societies. It follows then that how each person defines who they are as a person, changes based how they are taught to define each gender. Daily, and life choices then reflect this self-definition because it helps individuals decide how to act and be. 
Anthropologists continue to debate whether gender is taught or somehow directly linked to a person’s biological sex. Because of similarities in definitions of gender across the globe some people believe that gender is directly linked to biological sex. [1] However, because there are also distinct cultural differences in these definitions many people hold that gender is taught. [1] Deborah Tannen claims that young children learn what it means to be men and women from their parents, and then continue to learn how society believes they ought to act from family and friends in close relationships. [2] Regardless of where precisely the definition arises gender definitions do differ and they directly affect the choices that people make. Most noticeably gender definition differences arise in the cultural definitions of beauty. In some Nigerian cultures beautiful women have copious amounts of fat. [3] Contrast this with the definition of beauty from the United States: skinny. Therefore, because women from both cultures claim the female gender as their own, they make daily choices to fit those ideals. Many Nigerian girls spend their lives with the sole goal of gaining fat so that they can be beautiful. [3] While on the other side of the world many American girls spend their lives with the sole goal of losing fat so that they can be beautiful. In both cases the women and girls define, at least in part, their sense of person with how well they fit into their culture’s ideal mold of their gender. The females then make a series of choices in order to better fit this ideal. Gender roles and ideals also have an effect when it comes to relationships.

            In heterosexual marriages assumed gender roles often play a significant part in how couples interact. In Japan the role of the female is clearly defined to be the person who cares for the house and children, while the role of the male is clearly defined to be the person who earns the money for the household to continue. [4] On the other hand in America these clear definitions fade into a greyer area where the husband works and the wife stays home, the wife works while the husband stays home or both might work outside the home. Japanese girls grow up knowing that their role will be raising the children at home, therefore they does not focus on developing careers. [4] Comparatively, American girls grow up with the expectation of developing their own career because they do not know what role they will take on. [1] Here again these females define another aspect of their person, their role in the home, largely on the cultural expectations (or lack thereof) for their gender. These females must then make daily and life choices, such as school attendance and career aspirations, that reflect what they perceive to be their gender role and even their definition of a person.

            When defining people, the category of gender is always considered. A person must decide which gender they are, and then interpret what that means. Much of these decisions are influenced by the definitions taught by family and reinforced by society. Once a person has chosen a gender, and accepted the associated characteristics and responsibilities, their life is then a series of choices designed to maintain the image of belong to that gender. Whether those choices involve beauty or roles in a marriage, all of them are influenced by how we interpret what it means to be part of a certain gender. What gender we see ourselves as a part of, regardless of what that means, in turn influences how we see ourselves as people.

Works Cited

[1]	D. Crandall, A Short Introduction to Anthropology, Provo, Utah: Brigham Young University, 2011.
[2]	D. Tannen, "I Can't Even Open My Mouth," in I Only Say This Because I Love you, Random House, Inc., 2001, pp. 3-28.
[3]	A. M. Simmons, "Where Fat Is a Mark of Beauty," Los Angeles Times, 1998.
[4]	N. D. Kristof, "Who Needs Love! In Japan, Many Couples Don't," New York Times, pp. 1,12, 1996.

The One with Thoughts from a Pearl...#yolo...

Round 5...

Scripture: Joseph Smith – Matthew 1:40 (Compare to the Bible (King James Version) Matthew 24:36)

 As I read through Joseph Smith’s translation of the Gospel of Matthew I happened across a verse that I know has played a part of many a talk on the Second Coming. But more on that later. My first thought focused on what might possibly have changed between the KJV Matthew 24:36 and JS – Matthew 1:40. So I looked it up.

Study Abroad Peru 2013: May 4: Day 8 (Manchu Picchu)

Look it is an almost smile at 4:30am!
And yes, I was reppin' BYU Women's Basketball
and California ALL DAY LONG!

So I keep on saying that I hate early mornings, and that every single morning started early, but really I think that we can all agree that waking up at 4:30am to be at the bus at 5:00 am is EARLY! But of all the days we woke up early, this one was ENTIRELY worth every second.

In a word Manchu Picchu is AMAZING. Literally one of my favorite places on Earth. The only other word practically synonymous with Manchu Picchu is hiking. We hiked everywhere, but that was totally ok, because as I said earlier (or impled earlier) I literally loved every single second.

Study Abroad Peru 2013: May 3, Day 7 (Cusco to Aguas Calientes)

Oh ya know, just me chillin' in Peru!
Thanks for the pic Rydge!

The day started early (ok, everyday started early) but we all had to be packed for our trip to Manchu Picchu today. Fortunately, all we had to do was put together a two day bag, and then throw everything else into our suite-cases which were staying in Cusco. Right after breakfast we all had packed ourselves into a bus for the couple hour drive down to the valley and the train station.
The bus ride was beautiful and full of good times chatting and playing cards. For the most part we were above the tree line and had a great view of the peaks all around us. We stopped at several points to take some pictures, of the whole group and of some of the guys entertaining us with their gymnastics.

The One about FOOD...

This is the third installment in the two page anthropology paper series...

Topic: Sustainable Farming

As the world advances in all aspects of life a greater number of scientists, politicians, businessmen, and

Photo Credit: Robert Taylor via Flickr

others have become increasingly cognizant of the possibility that current methods that support our way of life may ultimately lead to our demise. This awareness has brought up three important questions: 1) Do we want to maintain the current standards of living? 2) Do we need to change our methodology to maintain those standards? 3) Are we willing to change if need be? Currently, in mainstream America those answers appear to be: 1) YES! 2) Yes. 3) Maybe. Looking specifically at agriculture, market demand answers the first question, science has helped prove the second, but the last is solely up to us.

The One with Thoughts from a Pearl...honestly lazy...

Round 4...

Scripture: Abraham 3:17

We all have many habits and tendencies that we need to shed to become more like God. For most people these include tendencies such as less bullying, gossiping,ingratitude and others that seem to just come as part of our natural bodies. However, in the midst of listing all the things that we need to fix about ourselves, we frequently, or at least I frequently, become overwhelmed by the sheer number of attributes on the list and then accomplish little or nothing in growing more like God.

The One with the Interviews about Brutality (Part 2 of 2) ...

The exciting conclusion to yesterday's paper!

The examples provided by the interviewees showed that in each instance the actor decide to put their immediate happiness above that of another or others. Bethany Hayes reported one story of a child she knew that fit the definition of brutality. The child was known to frequently claim to have killed a variety of small defenseless animals, often suffocating or cudgeling the animals to death. The students reported frequently to teachers and other supervisors that the behavior “made him happy”. [3] Peterson related a similar story of a child who beat on a little girl so violently that the little girl required medical attention. [1] Further during the whole experience as the girl cried and pleaded for escape the boy laughed and saw no reason to halt his actions. [1] Vandes Price also told a short story of boys from his elementary school shoving another child into the ground repeatedly when that child attempted to play basketball with them. [4] This sort of self-centered motivation, looking out for one’s own happiness and safety before that of other’s also appears in a variety of articles.

The One with the Interviews about Altruism (Part 1 of 2) ...

Previously I've shared a few of my shorter anthropology papers, this is not one of those. I seriously pondered whether or not to split this into two posts or not, and ultimately chose to do it just for sheer length. There's only so many times that you can scroll down a page before thinking "really Erin you're still talking about this???" So here's the first bit and tomorrow the exciting conclusion!

Many aspects of the world have an opposite, up has down, in has out, and so on. Even some human emotions, attitudes and characteristics have opposites. Most commonly people recognize happy versus sad. These emotions form the bases for many human attitudes, including those of altruism and brutality. More directly the question of one’s own happiness (the desired emotion) put below  that of another corresponds to and results in altruistic behavior; or brutal behavior, our happiness put above another. Therefore, humans have both of these attitudes, altruism and brutality, because we seek after happiness but occasionally come to believe that the happiness and well-being of another are more important than our own happiness and safety in a particular moment.

Study Abroad Peru 2013: May 2: Day 6 (Cusco)

On our last full day in Cusco Whitney and I headed up to Mattinga with several good helpers. After

Three of the very scary chickens...according to Whitney.

 setting up to measure in the President's house again I headed down the road to a new house that Hernan and Porter had found the day before. I set up to record emissions from that stove as it burned for lunch preparation, and then sat down with Kristen to help the women prepare lunch. It turns out neither of us is very good at peeling potatoes, yuka, or alba verde. But we are better at that than we are at communicating in our very broken Spanish and extremely limited vocabulary.

The One where I write a completely unnecessary essay...

...because I am exactly that stubborn and determined to prove my point, if only to myself. For reference visit this post where I rant about the terrible education I am receiving.

Ever since Joseph Smith first began publishing pieces of the manuscript that would eventually become the Book of Abraham, people have risen up in opposition to the very possibility of a such a book existing. However, as in all such attempts to discredit the Prophet, Seer, and Revelator Joseph Smith Jr. scholars of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints have proven to any reasonable being that with the knowledge available to us, we have no reason to doubt that the book is real and does come from the source that Joseph Smith claimed it did. Further if we have no reason to doubt the Book of Abraham and can accept it as a true book of scripture then we learn so much more about the character and nature of Abraham because of the insights contained in that book that have since been lost through the Bible.

When seeking to know the truth there are many sources towards which a person can turn. Most in the world turn to anything that they do not have to take on faith, or rely on the Spirit of God to have confirmed to them. Therefore, it is sometimes difficult for people of the world accept scripture, because for a person to be absolutely sure of a book of scripture they do have to turn to faith, prayer, and personal revelation. However, in his article titled, “As Things Stand at the Moment”, LDS scholar Hugh Nibley provides a basis for the academic seeker to begin to find the truth of the Book of Abraham. [1] Set in the context of a tennis match, and focusing specifically on the Facsimiles, Nibley pairs argument and counter argument from scholars within and without the Church. [1] Interesting to the searching academic is that Nibley does not rejoin every point with “have faith and pray”, but rather used the available knowledge to refute and prove as best he could. [1]

As one specific example, and a fact that I found extremely interesting, consider the original title Joseph Smith gave the manuscript that would later become the Book of Abraham, “A translation of some ancient Records, from the Catacombs of Egypt, purporting to be the writings of Abraham, while he was in Egypt, called the Book of Abraham, written by his own hand, upon papyrus”. [1] Nibley then reports that documents subsequently recovered from Egyptian ruins indicate that any copy of any work by an original author would forever be considered “written by his own hand”. [1] Therefore, simply because the papyrus Smith translated from claims to be “written by his own hand” does not necessarily mean that said document must be as old as Abraham himself. Such a notion is not entirely strange to those familiar with copyright, in which any subsequent use/reproduction of a work must (in almost all cases) be attributed to its original author. Further Nibley reports that “the writings of Abraham” does not necessarily mean that Abraham himself penned the words originally, but rather that at the very least he paid to have the work done and dictated the words to a scribe and that by doing so he was almost guaranteed to have his work pass on through the centuries because the Egyptians do take such care to preserve their records. [1] This concept may seem a little foreign to modern readers who usually only encounter works in the name of the actual author, but consider for a moment your bible. If you have ever looked at the first few pages of the King James Version of the Bible, you will note that only the name of the king appears and not the name of the men who labored years to bring the book to fruition. So many this is not such a strange notion. Following this example Nibley goes on to use other bits of knowledge from “recent” studies of ancient Egypt to make his points.

However, the reader should also note that Nibley clearly sweeps aside any false assumptions of Mormon doctrine and culture, while also admitting that there are simply things we do not know. [1] Clearly a better version of this document would include more recent discoveries in the realm of Egyptology which might point out factual bases for the things that Nibley did not know more than forty years ago, at the time of his work. The best version of this document would include all of the knowledge that Nibley currently has, which is certainly more than the rest of us have learned in the last forty years because he has since passed into the realm of his Father where he has access to all knowledge. Unfortunately we are left with what he gave us at the time. Nevertheless, the open reader can find plenty of reason to believe all that Nibley has to offer and even to further make the matter the subject of a sincere prayer to which they will most assuredly receive the answer that it is true. Once a reader has accepted the Book of Abraham as truth this provides the opportunity for deeper instruction on the doctrines of the gospel that only this scripture can provide.

Here let us consider Thomas Mackay’s, “Abraham in Egypt: A collation of Evidence for the Case of the Missing Wife”. [2] In the article Mackay essential opens the reader to considering the Book of Abraham in conjunction with other writings on Abraham’s stay in Egypt, and using such a collation to clear up misgivings as to the nature of Abraham encountered in some of the scriptural accounts. When reading in Genesis 12 it appears that Abraham decides on his own that Sarai ought to lie to Pharaoh and tell him that she is Abram’s sister, instead of his wife. [3] However, the Book of Abraham is the only book that adds that God commanded Abram and Sarai to tell this lie. [2] Therefore if one only reads the Bible it would appear that Abram is a self-centered liar, two characteristics men of God should shun. But Mackay points out that if we take all of the scriptures together we can see that Abram was indeed a man of God and always did what the Lord commanded him to. [2] Mackay also adds an interesting side note where he relates a Middle Eastern tradition in which a man’s father adopts his wife and thus she becomes his sister as well as his wife. [2] Therefore, Abram and Sarai’s “lie” may not have been all that bible readers sometimes make it out to be. A better version of this research would include a clearer explanation, unfortunately, as Mackay used all of the literature resources available, we are unlikely to obtain such an explanation until we reached Abraham’s presence.

Without a doubt when we accept the truth of the Book of Abraham we allow ourselves the opportunity to gain a better insight into the doctrine and principles contained therein. The Book of Abraham has been thoroughly vetted using all of the other resources available to us. When considered with the aid of might prayer The Book of Abraham contains valuable insight into doctrines lost in other books of scripture and allows us to more fully understand the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Open your mind and heart to see.


Works Cited

[1]     H. W. Nibley, "As Things Stand at the Moment," BYU Studies Quarterly, vol. 9, no. 1, pp. 1-24, 1968.
[2]     T. W. Mackay, "Abraham in Egpyt: A Collation of Evidence for the Case of the Missing Wife," BYU Studies Quarterly, vol. 10, no. 4, pp. 429-451, 1970.
[3]     God, The Holy Bible, Heaven: The Lord, 0.

The One with Thoughts from a Pearl...perfection...

The third installment...

Scripture: Moses 7:21

While many aspects of Mormon culture today benefit its members, such as service, a fair number also provide negative feedback. One such aspect is that which demands perfection now. Mormon culture teaches members that they ought to be perfect in every aspect of their life (and be humble about it) right now. Rarely, indeed if ever, does this teaching provide a benefit to members, but rather puts most in fear of acknowledging and/or admitting to their short comings for fear of rejection.

The One where I conform...sort of...

The version that I actually turned in...everything written in red is the how I would have answered the questions while under the influence of sarcasm...check back later to see how I turn this into an essay.

FIRST ARTICLE

What is the topic of your FIRST article?  (Eight words or less.)
For example: “The First Vision” or “The Joseph Smith Translation”

Abraham’s sojourn in Egypt  That one time that Abraham went to Egypt and lied about his wifey

What was the main thesis of this article?  (One sentence – three lines maximum.)

That by collating various sources of information about Abraham’s time in Egypt we can better understand not only Abraham himself, but also resolve seeming conflicts in his moral character such as when Abraham “lies” and calls Sarah his sister. That if you have the good sense to allow yourself to accept the Gospel as taught in the LDS Church you will quickly realize that we have access to better scriptures which clearly explain that everything Abraham did was an express commandment of God, even if your mother told you that lying is ALWAYS bad.

Summarize the top four points of this article.  (One sentence [two lines maximum] per bullet.)

·         The story of Abraham’s journey into Egypt as recorded in the Book of Abraham appears to predate all other accounts of the story. The version of Abraham's story as recorded in the Book of Abraham in the Pearl of Great Price is not only the most correct translation, but also (if you need science on your side) the oldest and therefore the most correct. ·         Because of the above and the fact that the Book of Abraham records that God commanded Abraham to lie to Pharaoh, we can absolve Abraham of all wrong-doing.  Considering that  God commanded Abraham  to lie, as recorded in the Book of Abraham (the most correct of all records of Abraham) Abraham might still be a good guy. ·         While in Egypt Abraham used the Priesthood to heal Pharaoh, and because Pharaoh wanted the power and knowledge Abraham had he attempted to trade his throne for these. There's a random couple of paragraphs devoted to Abraham, the Priesthood, and whether or not Abraham taught the Egyptians astronomy.  ·         Many sources conclude that Sarah was, in some sense of the word, already Abraham’s “sister” and therefore telling this to Pharaoh was not a false statement. Even if you ignore the fact that Abraham was commanded to tell Pharaoh that Sarah was his sister, Sarah was in fact (by some definitions) his sister, so this was less of a lie and more ok.

Explain: (1) how this particular article is connected to the Pearl of Great Price, and (2) why you selected this article.  (Two sentences – four lines maximum.)

This particular article is directly connected to the Pearl of Great Price not only because it examines a story found there but the author also uses it as a direct source for his commentary. I selected this article because it met the minimum requirements established and the title caught my interest. This article is connected to the Pearl of Great Price because it talks about the Pearl of Great Price. I selected this article because it was the first one on the list when I searched for articles.

What was something new you learned from this article?  (Two sentences – four lines maximum.)

Something new that I learned from this article is that some ancient peoples has a process whereby a man’s wife could also become his sister. **This question I actually liked, I just wish I had more room to expound on the topic.**

What could the author do to extend the research for this article?
How could it improve the article?  (Two sentences – four lines maximum.)

As a method to extend his research for the article the author could have consulted other versions of the story of Abraham. This would improve the robustness of the article and it might improve the validity of the research among non-LDS circles, because currently the article almost summarily dismisses all records that do not agree with the Pearl of Great Price. If the author was any sort of real researcher he would have provided actual evidence for the things he was claiming instead of basing his claims on the word of so-and-so, as if we can trust him. This would improve the article hy making it actually a legitimate research article, instead of just giving it the appearance of one.

SECOND ARTICLE

What is the topic of your SECOND article? (Eight words or less.) 
For example: “The First Vision” or “The Joseph Smith Translation”

Joseph Smith’s translation of the Book of Abraham Is Joseph Smith a crazy man who has duped millions of people? (part 394,752,168)

What was the main thesis of this article?  (One sentence – three lines maximum.)

There are many questions to be asked about the Book of Abraham, but usually when the non-Mormon critics take a look at the matter they base their analysis on many false assumptions and use “facts” that have no or little credible base. Hugh Nibley believed that most people who criticize the Book of Abraham ought to just read the book and pray about it where they would discover that it was in fact true, accept that we don't know everything yet, and continue on their merry way doing useful things in life.

Summarize the top four points of this article.  (One sentence [two lines maximum] per bullet.)

·         When non-LDS scholars attempt to discredit the Pearl of Great Price, they often do so in ambiguous language and with poor understanding of true Church doctrine. Hugh Nibley believes that before you go around making accusations you ought to have all of your facts straight, especially when the Church has Hugh Nibley on its side. ·         Commonly among Egyptians any document that contained the words of Abraham would be considered an “original” and “by Abraham” regardless of who physically wrote on it. Hugh Nibley believes you ought to not get your knickers in a twist over the fact that the first manuscript says "original" and "by Abraham" those things have many meanings.  ·         Those attempting to discredit the Pearl of Great Price have recently begun to employ more sound arguments, however the Church maintains that we don’t know everything. Hugh Nibley applauds people that have recently gotten smarter and are using actual evidence in their attempts to prove the Pearl of Great Price wrong. ·         Furthermore, these arguments continue to be shrouded in misinformation in an attempt to sway the public against the Pearl of Great Price. Hugh Nibley believes that although some people have gotten smarter the Church still doesn't claim to know everything and so most of these arguments are invalid.

Explain: (1) how this particular article is connected to the Pearl of Great Price, and (2) why you selected this article.  (Two sentences – four lines maximum.)

This particular article is connected to the Pearl of Great Price because the article centers on the argument of non-LDS scholars against the validity of the Book of Abraham. I selected this article because I am interested in attempts to discredit the Pearl of Great Price, and I was particularly interested to discover how Hugh Nibley addressed the topic. This article is related to the Pearl of Great Price because it talks about the validity of the Pearl of Great Price. I selected this article because it was the first one the list by Hugh Nibley, and who wouldn't want to read a Hugh Nibley article?

What was something new you learned from this article?  (Two sentences – four lines maximum.)

Something new that I learned from this article is how ancient Egyptian and Hebrew ideas of authorship differ, and are similar, to modern ideas of authorship. Anciently any copy of a work that was either physically written or commissioned by a person remained the “original” and “by the hand” of the first person, which is similar to current ideas of “copyright”. **See the above**

What could the author do to extend the research for this article?
How could it improve the article?  (Two sentences – four lines maximum.)

To extend the research for this article the author could use more recently available articles that have more thoroughly investigated the origin of the Joseph Smith papyri. This would improve the article because it would provide a better base from which to disprove those attempting to discredit the Pearl of Great Price. Because Hugh Nibley has since passed away he now has access to all knowledge and could speak with authority on the subject. This would improve the article because who (in their right mind) is going to argue with an angel?

Study Abroad Peru 2013: May 1: Day 5, Part 2 (Cusco)

For lunch we went down to the soccer stadium. While there we met some kids with a soccer ball and a few of us started a match with them. Even though the kids were about half of our height, they had great ball handling skills and significantly more energy than we did. Because it was a holiday (Labor Day) all of the kids were out of school and our match drew many of them to play and watch.

Just hanging out with our new hairdressers.
Please excuse my blindingly white skin.

Some of the little girls decided to sit right behind us and watch. (Possibly based on their knowledge that we had candy, and would probably hand it over at some point) This eventually turned into a them braiding our hair. Almost all Peruvian women have long beautiful hair worn in one or two long simple braids, so their little girls know how to braid earlier than most American girls. They were very talented and not at all afraid to yank hair exactly where they wanted it to go.

The One where I flashback to the second grade...

Each year as I moved from grade to grade I always thought to myself that I had grown, if even in some small way. That in getting to say that I was now a third grader, sixth grader, ninth grader, college freshman, or college senior I was now going to be judged by a higher standard and would now have to prove myself to be a better person than I had before. So naturally I approached my classes this semester expecting to be challenged in new ways. I only worried that my Anthropology 101 class would have such a rigid structure that it would bore me, instead I found just enough wiggle room to make the class my own and actually enjoy the experience. What I didn't expect was what came at me from my 300-level religion class on the Pearl of Great Price. In that class I found a rigidity, structure, and total commitment archaic teaching methods that I had feared from my Anthropology class.

I can deal with most of that. I understand that there is a large group of teachers who believe that students only learn through thoroughly reading the dictated material and then having an in-class discussion. I completely disagree, but I understand that this is the method they were taught, and they aren't the type of people to question the methods and knowledge handed down to them from on high (or the past). The part of this class that completely caught me by surprise and absolutely blew me away was one assignment in particular.  The "Gospel Scholarship Assignment" (seems innocuous, yes?) essentially requires the student to find, read and report on two scholarly articles related to the Pearl of Great Price. GREAT! THAT assignment I can do, what can't I do?

 I can't sit idly by and let the above assignment, which might actually teach me something and let me develop a personal connection to a topic I find interesting in the book of scripture I am currently studying, turn into something I last saw in the second grade...a worksheet. Go back, read that sentence again. Yes, I really said that a WORKSHEET! When was the last time you filled out a worksheet? I am going to hazard a guess that it was in about the second grade. And then, after filling out said worksheet you took the information found there and turned it into the higher form of academic synthesis more commonly known as an "essay". But no, this assignment is to simply fill out the worksheet.

All of the times over the last week or so as I have attempted to complete this assignment, I have been reduced to a helpless wordless rage that mostly resulted in copious consumption of Dr. P and Psych episodes. (Well, the rage wasn't that wordless, but I try to not use those words...I try to carefully articulate my opinions...) But now that the deadline has come I have finally sat down and just filled out the ______ (choose the adjective of your choice that means "a waste of my precious time") worksheet. However, I got part of the way through (to the question that asks why I choose that particular article to read) when I realized the worst part of this assignment: THERE ARE POINTS ASSIGNED FOR TAKING THE ASSIGNMENT SERIOUSLY. At that point I faced a serious dilemma, one of my most frequently employed tactics for dealing with the things I decide are a waste of time is sarcasm, (Just ask my capstone coach Jim, but that's a story for another time.) but clearly that wasn't going to fly here if I wanted all of the points...and I am hardwired to want ALL of the points. After about an hour of deliberation I eventually conceded to the part of me that wants all of the points, with the caveat that I was going to write this blog post to expose the lunacy of this assignment.

So here I am, writing this post solely to help myself feel better. I don't expect anyone in the Brigham Young University Religion Department to be paying enough attention to a lone student to sit this professor down and explain that this kind of assignment it to up to par. That this kind of assignment is not in line with the BYU mission statement which says that my time at this institution should be

"a period of intensive learning in a stimulating setting where a commitment to excellence is expected and the full realization of human potential is pursued". 

 (See BYU's mission statement here.)

At any rate if you are curious to read the actual assignment (and how I would have liked to fulfill the assignment, because that's how passionate I am about this) stay tuned. I'll be posting these in between my regularly scheduled posts. (So don't worry if you come back tomorrow and there is a post about Peru or something...I'm significantly more stubborn than someone who would let it drop like that.)

Study Abroad Peru 2013: May 1: Day 5, Part 1 (Cusco)

Propane stove in Mattinga.

Today started out pretty early (if you haven't sensed my hatred of mornings...you aren't paying attention) as we were trying to get up to Mattinga in time for lunch at 10am. We recorded lunch at the house of the President of Mattinga and the house of another woman named Ide.

We learned many interesting things from her. Ide had a traditional cookstove, a rocket stove, and  propane stove. **TECHNICAL NOTE: A "rocket stove" can mean slightly different things to different people, in this case I just mean a stove with an extra hole to provide more air access to the fire and hopefully increase combustion. This is different from traditional Peruvian stoves which only have a small opening on the front for fuel and oxygen.**

The One about New Technology and New Ideas...

This is the second installment in the series of random anthropology papers...

Our history of the world shows us that undoubtedly the world has changed since its conception.

Photo Credit: Lisa Brewster via Flickr

As the world changes with, what appears, to many, as, an increasingly rapid pace, some have begun to question how new technologies develop, how new ideas develop and how these relate to changes within the lives of individuals. Clearly both new technologies (hardware and software) as well as new ideas (the applications) come from human thought, however that transition takes place, technology to ideas or ideas to technology, it clearly depends on people believing in a different social norm. Each transition then alters the way that the rest of the world lives as they shift to accept the “new norm”. Recent changes to the computing market clearly illustrate the process from technology to ideas and ideas to technology, with each changing the world in its own way.

By the late 1900s IBM had established its monopoly on the computing world. [1] They had built their company, and success, on ideas proposed by anthropologists and thinkers like Karl Marx and Michel Foucault. Marx and Foucault, along with others, believed that those who controlled the knowledge had power over everyone else. [2] IBM thought that this meant they would always control the computing market because they controlled, essentially, the “knowledge” of the technology. [1] However, they did not account for the possibility of change brought about by those who Anthony Giddens said “might choose to act contrary to a shared idea or practice” despite the social consequences for doing so. [2] Thus opening the door for people like Bill Gates and Steve Jobs to use the knowledge (or technology) from IBM and apply it to a “new” area, the personal computer. Because these men had a vision for a different sort of normal, the one where every person had access to their own computer, the acted contrary to the idea put forth by IBM that only large corporations needed/used computers. Gates and Jobs further opened the arena of personal computing by taking old technologies, from Xerox for example, and applying it to their new idea. [1] Further illustrating that because they did not care about any social consequences of using this knowledge, they were able to create, and perpetuate, this new idea of a personal computer. One of those social consequences they did not account for was creating a new generation of tech companies that do not make people products they already know they want, rather they open entirely new markets for products the general population had not yet conceived possible.

One of those companies is Qualcomm. Long before the age of the “smart phone” engineers at Qualcomm worked to develop the technology that not only allows people to talk on the phone, but to transmit any sort of message over any distance, and to make founder Irwin Jacobs’ idea of a palm pilot strapped to a wireless telephone a reality. Here again the people perpetuating the social changes not only ignored all social convention, but also the current technological paradigm which said it could not be done. Thomas Khuhn theorized that “individual minds are intimately connected with the events of the world and the thoughts and actions of other people”. [2] As Qualcomm and its partners took a new idea and developed the new technology needed to make it a reality they forced a shift in the entire world’s technological paradigm. Further Qualcomm, as well as Apple and Microsoft, proved Karl Marx wrong when he proposed that only those with the media resources could control the available knowledge. [2] These companies harnessed the greatest power to spread social change, we, the people.

All of these new tech companies defied the paradigm of the time and brought new ideas and technologies to the world. Subsequently they contorted to the best resource available to them, word of mouth, and forced the world into the reality that best suited them. These companies used the ideas articulated by anthropologists, such as Mikhail Bakhtin and Michel Foucault, to suggest, and then insist, that everyone needs their own computer and cell phone. Bakhtin and Foucault theorized that a direct interaction between how one person thinks and lives to how another person thinks and lives. [2]

No matter which transition studied, Gates’ and Jobs’ technology to idea or Jacobs’ idea to technology, both have similarities in terms of how they came about and how they affected change in the daily lives of people all around the world. Both transitions insist that only those willing to challenge the status quo have the vision needed to change the world and further only those willing to turn around and use the principles of “normal”, that they fought against in the beginning, can force this technology on the world.
Works Cited

[1]	R. Cringley, Director, Triumph of the Nerds. [Film]. United States of America: Public Broadcasting Station, 1996.
[2]	D. Crandall, A Short Introduction to Anthropology, Provo: Brigham Young University, 2005.