Accept Correction

University 101
Documentation for Week #3

This week we learned a lot about our dual nature. We learned that there are two distinct ways that our mind works, Sopically and Mantically. The sophic mind is logical and analytical whereas the mantic is more creative, spatial and emotional. This is also referred to as left-brained (sophic) and right-brained (mantic) because of which hemisphere of the brain controlls each process of thought.

Sister Haddock gave us a challenge to show jus how this worked in our own minds. First she told us to sing "Happy Birthday" together. Then she had us take out a piece of paper, and told us to write down the word "Supercalafragilisticexpyalidocious" (I have no idea if that's spelled right) while singing the song with out pausing or stopping. It was suprisingly difficult! Then she descibed a picture of a house, with many specific features and told us to draw it while again singing "Happy Birthday". This time it was fairly easy. She explained that singing required the Sophic or left-brain, and when we tried to write the word, another activity that required the left-brain we found it difficult to do both. Drawing the house, however, was a right-brained or Mantic activity, and this is why we found it so much easier.

This week we also worked on Accepting Correction (from last week's 5 traits) by choosing some activities that would allow us to practice this. We then had to write up a 2 page paper on it. This is an excerpt from what I wrote:

"I really learned a lot about the University and myself through this week’s assignment. I hadn’t ever really thought about why it was that I had avoided meeting and seeking help from others. I believe now, that I was afraid of criticism or of being patronized. But I found that was far from what I found when I finally put myself out there... I have shied away from many new things simply because of this fear. Right now I am trying to find what it is in the arts that I really have a passion for. I love to sing, and I have a talent for it, but I don’t like the strictness of classical training. I would like to study composition, but I have been too afraid to try it. I also think I may enjoy creative writing, but again, a fear of criticism has kept me from sharing my ideas. I am so grateful for this University and the people here who have shown me that I should not be afraid. I hope that through these teachings about the disciple-scholar that I will be able to overcome this fear, and share my ideas being completely ready to accept correction."

Life Science Museum

For my Anthropology class we are studing the African Bushmen. So as a part of our studies, my professor assigned the class to visit the Bean Life Science Museum on the edge of campus to try and find all the animals we had read about in the Kalahari Desert.

So on the day it was due, I, and about half of my 800 student class, went to get it over with. I was not expecting to enjoy it, but to my suprise it was really fun! I ended up wandering around to every exhibit, grinning like a kid in a candy store and snapping pictures with my camera phone. People must have thought I was on something!

Here are my favorite shots from the museum.



This one reminded me of the movie "Wild America"... if anyone has it, can I borrow it? I actually had trouble standing in front of this one long enough to get a picture. It was probably 7-8 feet tall, and pretty realistic!

"Long live Mufassa!!!"



It's a LIGER! You know, "bred for their magical abilities?" Napoleon would be sooo excited.

Last but not least, the mountain goat. Not to be mean, but I took this picture because out of all the tons of animals I saw in the museum, this one was by far the ugliest! :P

Updates!!!

I've been neglecting the blog, I know... but the life of a new college student is NOT easy!
Well here is a quick update on this week's activities.

Yesterday was an interesting day. We (Liz, Sydnee and I) got to leave campus early since we had a test in our Religion class. But, sometimes getting home early isn't such a great thing. Pretty soon Liz and I were bored out of our skulls! So we decided to have some fun.
Sydnee was working hard at the creamery, so naturally Liz and I raided her scarf collection. (With her permission of course!) This was the result.

We were feeling pretty stylish! Of course we had to show off to our fellow students, so off we went with a camera in one hand and our beloved bucket of chalk in the other. Unfortunately, most of our friends were inside studying. But we found ways to entertain ourselves.

That took up enough time, and before long it was time go to World of Dance. We are supposed to attend certain performances on campus throughout the year for our Humanities class. In this case the Freshman Acadamy even bought our tickets!

Of course it was school related so we had to document. :)

Deciple Scholar

University 101
Documentation for Week #2

This week we learned more about the qualities of a deciple scholar. Sister Hadock taught us a little hula dance to remember the habits of great learners.

1. Welcome Correction
2. Keep Commitments
3. Work Hard
4. Help Others
5. Expect Resistance - Overcome

These are from an article in the Liahona by Henry B. Eyring calld A Child of God. Elder Eyring also discusses how important humility is, especially in study and learning. He says that faith in the plan of salvation is what creates humility and the power to learn. He also says that the way to grow in faith that we are children of our Heavenly Father is to act like it.

Here are a couple pictures of us learning the dance. We also had to teach it to three people this week who did not already know it, and in the process explain what it is to be a Deciple-Scholar.

The dance has motions for each of the 5 habits of great learners. This one is for keeping commitments.

This lesson really taught me a lot. It gave me 5 simple habits I can work toward. And I defineitely will!

The Wyview Chalkers

Bored? Avoiding homwork? This is how we handle it :P

Great Expectations

Alright, so for my first official act of “documentation” I guess I’ll give a little recap of my first couple days of college; the good, the bad, and everything in-between.

Shortly after moving in to my apartment in Wyview Park and meeting my roommates, Liz and Sydnee (you’ll hear more about them later) it was time to begin classes and since it was Labor Day we began classes on a Tuesday, big mistake. Now maybe this is my own fault, having never sat in on any classes at BYU or really discussing the actual classes with anyone, I had certain picture in my head of what it would be like. We’ve all seen the TV shows and the movies depicting college classes as taking place in big fancy lecture halls with snobby professors wearing some sort of stuffy old fashioned suit, glasses and preferably sporting an impressive accent of some sort; it is overall a setting completely different and overwhelmingly more intimidating than that of a high school. This is what I had in mind when I set off to school that Tuesday morning. As I reached campus I was both terrified and strangely excited when I became hopelessly lost looking for my first class. The massive buildings and hundreds of anxious students moving between them was exactly what I expected. I eventually found the building where my first class would be held and began searching for the right room. To my surprise, I found myself walking past average size classrooms filled with average desks for approximately 30 students, very similar to your average high school. I immediately thought I must be in the wrong place. But to my dismay when I found my classroom it was just like all the rest, average. My confusion was increased tenfold when the person I thought was just another student turned out to be my professor!
I left the class confused but I shook it off and began looking for my second and final class of the day. When I found the building it looked far more promising than the first. It opened up to a large and very inviting atrium, brightly lit by outside light with classrooms lining every wall. This was more like it! I found my classroom, took a deep breath and prepared myself to receive the full college experience at last. I opened the door and… what I beheld was beyond disappointing. It was a broom closet! A matchbox! A freaking sardine can! 30 desks crammed into a space no larger than my bedroom! To put it politely I was pretty ticked off. How could this be true? I’d thought I was done with high school and moving on to bigger and better things (with an emphasis on bigger)I went home sulking and feeling completely robbed, but told myself things would be better tomorrow.
And they were, my Humanities class turned out to be in a lecture hall with approximately 150 other students. There was even a large projector screen where the professor displayed a detailed syllabus from her computer at the front of the class. My professor wasn’t old or stuffy, but I could live with that, she was at least entertaining! It only got better when I found my Anthropology class to be in a massive auditorium with 800 students, and my professor, using a microphone to communicate with the sea of faces, spoke to reveal a terribly interesting but completely unidentifiable accent. I nearly wet myself! I had one more class that was about on the same scale as the one earlier that morning and I left campus completely satisfied.
As for me now, I'm loving all my classes (even with the tiny classrooms) and I'm enjoying the whole experience. I'm even a little ahead in my homework, but I'm sure that won't last long :P

I would like to apologize the extreme detail included in this "blog", I'm not really any good at summarizing and I never have been. Hopefully the next one will be shorter and include a little bit more visual stimulation. :)

Mutha Flippin' Intro

For those of you who don't already know, and consequently don't really understand the title of this blog, I'm Stink and I just started my first semester at Brigham Young University. My name is actually Rhiannon, but Stink has been my nickname since my loving sister Meagan so kindly bestowed it upon me many many years ago. And, to clear up any confusion, no, I don't actually stink, or have anything on or about me that creates any kind of unpleasant odor.
Anyways! The reason I created this blog isn't actually for your reading pleasure (and believe me, it will be a pleasure) but it's actually part of an ongoing project for my Freshman Seminar class, otherwise known as University 101. All the students have been asked to document their freshman experience by taking picutures, journaling or blogging. So, this is really one big homework assignment, but that doesn't mean it can't be enjoyable for the rest of you as well.
Well, I think that's about everything you need to know for now, but I'll be working on my first official entry since it's due on Friday :P (ps. don't mind the emotocons, they just add a little extra pizazz)
Peace out.