Bartering Pro, Right Here

Last week I made my first big-ticket purchase.  Kind of.  It was a sweatshirt I found in the Old City and I fell in love immediately.

It all happened so fast.  I saw it hanging up on the wall in a dirty alleyway and knew I had to have it.  I wasn't smart enough to play it cool, so the shopkeeper knew that I was going to buy the sweatshirt no matter what.  He wanted 80 shekels for it, but as he was folding it and putting it into a bag, I talked it down to 45 shekels (about 12 dollars), and swore sweet success.  The whole thing probably lasted about 90 seconds, and as I walked away, I realized I wasn't sure who won in our purchase showdown.

Déjà Vu

Last night I couldn't get into my room.  The key wasn't working for some reason- it would go in and just not turn.  I spent about a minute shuffling the key, trying to get it to work.  I knew someone was up because I heard water running in the bathroom.  Right as I was about to knock, I realized I was at the wrong room.

Again.

Thankfully, no one seemed to notice the doorknob rustling, and I ran down the hall as fast as I could and prayed that no one would know it was me.

Sophomore 15

There is a convenience store at the bottom of the hill that sells an odd assortment of treats and household items.  We were thrilled to find out that there is a shelf full of candy bars that only cost one shekel each.  Currency rate has one shekel equivalent to about $0.25.  

Obviously, we couldn't resist stocking up.

Obviously I had even less resistance than everyone else
(Note the three candy bars in my hand)

So far hazelnut is in EVERYthing, and the people of the Holy Land love their wafer bars and crispy rice.  I was so proud of myself, I managed to barter a little and save a shekel.  One of my friends made fun of me, but with that extra shekel, I can try some new candy.  Maybe a hazelnut wafer bar with some crispy rice in it, if I'm feeling a little crazy.

"Mormons, oh my heck!"

We have finally been released from the JC.  Yesterday we went to the Garden Tomb, one of the proposed locations of the Savior's burial.  Today I got a chance to wander through the markets in the Old City.  It was the funniest experience... never have I been so glad to be a Mormon!

The Mormon kids are well liked and well known.  We are consistently polite, friendly, honest, and most importantly- spendy.  Plus there's a new group of us every four months to buy the same chintzy crap as the last group.  The shopkeepers know all this, and love us for it.

Walking through the markets in the Old City was amazing, because at every shop we were recognized as Mormon and treated very well.  Everyone wanted us to have their business card, everyone wanted us to shop at their stand, and everyone was willing to offer us a special deal.  Us, their dear Mormon friends.

I don't think anyone actually knows what Mormons are or what the term means, but they know it's an identifier.  As we walked by one stand the owner looked at us and asked "Chinese?"  We laughed and kept walking.

"No, seriously."  (Insert a contemplative pause) "Mormon?"  I turned around and nodded my head at him, and he just smiled and said "Ahh, Mormon!"

I've never had so much fun shopping.  We walked approximately seven miles today (thanks to my roommate who would rather map our path than study), shared approximately three sketchy pastries, and visited approximately two thousand shops.  I came home and about collapsed.  I will definitely come home a leaner, meaner, well cultured machine(r) in four months time.  Provo, look out.

Something's Not Right Here

We live in mini apartments here at the center.  Mine is the last one at the end of a very long corridor.  Each apartment is identical from the outside, and I have found myself stopping at the wrong apartment a few times already.

Tonight, I was coming back from the gym and absentmindedly winding my headphones up when I got to my apartment.  I was surprised to find the door unlocked and even more surprised to find someone in my bed.  I turned around to see if my roommates were playing a joke on me and saw a stranger at the table.

That was when I realized I made a mistake.

I walked into someone else's apartment.  I just froze and said "this isn't my apartment," then turned and walked out the door with a hasty "welp, bye!"  What an impression.  I'm definitely off to a good start here.

You Wanna Bet?

Last night after dinner, my mom told us that in the case of her death, she has a drafted email with passwords, banking information, hopes and fears- the kind of stuff that is important to know.  My first inclination was to break into her email and find out what kind of secret information she keeps.  When I voiced said inclination, she did something very foolish.  She challenged me.

I told her I could be in her email within 90 seconds.  She bet me $100 I wouldn't be able to get in at all.

We both lost last night.  It took me three or four minutes, but I used her security questions and backup email to get in.  After a quick scan through her drafts, I handed the computer over and started bragging.

Much to my delight, I was able to break into the email accounts of four of my family members.  Needless to say, we all tightened up our online security shortly thereafter.  I'm still trying to decide what to do with the money.  You see, I think like a poor college student, and right now, all I"m thinking is how $100 can buy a whole lotta ramen...

Here's To 2013

I love and hate New Year's Resolutions.  Why do we have to wait for a certain day to resolve to be different?  What makes this one day so special, so magical?  And yet, there is something so beautiful about a clean slate.  But only if it's completely clean, because I can't stand it when someone erases a board and leaves little bits of previous work in the corners.  But I digress.

This year I am going to make a concerted effort to accomplish great things.  According to Benjamin Franklin, "many people die at twenty five and aren't buried until seventy five."  If I only have five more years to live, I want to live them well.  Starting now.  I have this incredible opportunity looming ahead of me- in one week, I fly to Jerusalem, where I will live for four months.  I don't know what I'm doing after that, but I hope it will be something incredible, something worth writing about.  This year I turn 20, and I want something to show for it.  I spent a lot of time compiling the following list of things I will try to finish this year.  Some of them seem trite, and maybe I'll be scoffed at, but they each mean something to me and represent change.  With that being said, here's a list to be judged by:

1. Run a 5K
2. Perform in front of people
3. Figure out what creme brulee is, and make some
4. Jump off a rope swing
5. Scream at the top of my lungs
6. Learn how to do a back handspring
7. Go skydiving
8. Develop a new hobby
9. Ask someone on a date
10. Watch a meteor shower
11. Stop watching TV
12. Play real life Fruit Ninja
13. Go skiing
14. Win and yell "Bingo!" 
15. Have a paint fight
16. Stand under a waterfall
17. Visit Four Corners
18. Plant a tree
19. Ride a Segway scooter
20. See something incredible

New year, new chances.  Here's to something great.