Thursday, June 22, 2006

Last Day of Internship



Today was my last day. I finished my report for jim. It was an 8 page report on an action plan that the SNP could take to promote civic awareness among 18-24 year olds. I did a report of the findings of Robert Putnam and then compared it with the statistics that have been found throughout Scotland concerning voter turnout among Scottish young adults. At the end of my report I proposed a motion to be put forward for debate in parliament and the development of a bill. The Motion was this:
Increasing civic engagement – That the Parliament acknowledges the continued decrease in voter turn-out percentages among the 18-24 age group and hereby declares an action point list to increase civic engagement among youth by instilling the following points to encourage and foster political awareness and involvement, Ii) automatic voter registration at 18 years of age, (ii) standard day for elections should be determined preferably the weekend to provide access for individuals with work schedules, and finally establishing Modern Studies courses throughout Scottish educational systems to promote political awareness and interest in the current political situations in Scotland among younger generations.
I sent off the report to Jim and he LOVED it. He loved that I proposed a motion -- he made a few minor adjustments to the motion and then prepared it to go through the right channels to be debated and voted upon. I was so excited about it. You know over the course of this internship there have been busy and slow days and I have had a few long term projects so I haven't felt like I have accomplished much -- but now looking back on what I did I feel like I have done a lot. I built a database of Scottish economic professors, I constructed a survey and sent it out to all of them with a letter written by me for Jim, I read Bowling Alone and wrote a Scottish Action Plan and I did various other clerical things. Not to mention work for Rob Gibson another MSP whom I wrote a report on the transportation system in Ireland. He sent my report out to other MSP's and used it during a debate. All in all I really feel that this internship has been beneficial to be and to those Ihavee worked with. GREAT EXPERIENCE!!

Wednesday, June 21, 2006

Meeting with Uni Professors

Today I went into work finished my Scottish Action Plan assessment. I didn’t get it completely finished there are some minor changes that I need to make before I send it to Liz and Jim. Wow I hope that it will be helpful in establishing a motion to promote greater civic engagement among Scottish youth. Hopefully I will hear about it after I go home, however they are going on recess so maybe it won’t be until after the recess. I left work a bit early to meet with Dr. Cowie from the University of Edinburgh. I emailed her last week about attending the University for my masters in Geosciences. I told her that I had some questions concerning the program. She emailed me back straight away informing that I could come and meet with her. So I went today at 1:00. I had to take a bus out to the King’s Buildings. When I met with Dr. Cowie she was very helpful in helping me determine if this was the program for me. She went through the various programs and what each offered and then she identified my interested and helped me to determine who would be the best professors for me to work with. There are over 100 professors in this department alone so she helped me sift through the ones that would be related to my area of focus. I feel really good about apply to the University – now I only need to things about getting funding aaahhhh!! After I went back to work and continued to work on my proposal. After work Jamie and I went to Mai Thai a Thai restaurant behind the parliament. It was amazing. That is one thing I love about living in a big city, you can always find really ethnic foods.

Tuesday, June 20, 2006

England vs. Sweden

Today I began the process of actually writing my report. It is really rough right now though since I just have compiled the data and some quotes. I worked on some defining the graphs and my outline and introduction. I also constructed my proposal to increase civic engagement. It was a good day and I accomplished a lot. After work the weather was horrific – typically Scotland. We all went back to the apartment and played cards for a couple hours. Then of course at 8:00 we were out the door going to the nearest pub to watch the football game. Wow was it intense. The pub was packed with people watching the game and supporting their various teams. It is always custom when entering a pub to buy a drink no matter what it is. I love the culture that surrounds the football world here in Britain although there are many negative affects from the sport specifically the World Cup. For instance, I heard on the news yesterday that domestic violence increases in the United Kingdom by 7%. The news played a call from a woman whose husband had been beating her after the recent game when he came home drunk and upset over the loss. I was appalled at the statistics that they presented. It was quite shocking.

Monday, June 19, 2006

Scottish Action Plan

I spent the whole day compiling all the quotes and notes of “Bowling Alone” the book I have spent so much time reading over the last 2 months.

Friday, June 16, 2006

Open Day at Edinburgh University

I was really apprehensive about going to the open day at Edinburgh University today I just didn’t know how it was going to go. So this morning when I was praying I had this distinct impression to meet with a lady named Connie Fox the department secretary for geosciences. On my way there I had an impression that she wasn’t going to be there. I was like come on Heavenly Father I felt like I was supposed to meet with this lady and I think she isn’t going to be there please sort something out for me. So when I got to the building of course she wasn’t there. So I was just in the hall looking at various graduate student projects when a professor came up to me and asked me if I needed anything. Well it was a direct answer to prayer and I told him what I was doing and if I could have a few moments of his time to ask him some questions. He was more than happy to invite me into his office and give me some needed guidance and direction. He first helped me understand that I was in the wrong area for my interests. I was in the Ecology area of the Geosciences and not the earth systems area. He then gave me some names of various other professors that I could meet with to help me discuss some areas of research. He was so helpful. I really felt that I was directed to him. I wrote down the names of the professors he gave me. After meeting with Dr. Williams I went back home and worked on some homework and this journal. Later on that night we went and got a kebab and took it to Amy’s birthday party we had a picnic and then played ultimate frisbee – I left a bit early because I was so excited to email some of these professors. I went to Parliament emailed Dr. Patience Cowie and then called home to my parents to tell them all the news. It was an amazing day.

Thursday, June 15, 2006

Campaining and a Glasgow Stabbing!!

Last night we were invited to go to Dumbarton tomorrow to Campaign for a Scottish Nationalist Party member in his own constituency. We left this morning at 9:15 and drove out to Glasgow and then on to Dumbarton. It was about an hour and a half drive. Before arriving in Glasgow Richard, a research assistant at Parliament took us around the nice bits of Glasgow. It was beautiful with the Gothic architecture and other old buildings. He took us around the University of Glasgow and also other prominent universities in the city. It was really great to get a native of Scotland to show us parts I had never seen before. Then we drove on to Dumbarton, upon arriving there we meet up with the Candidate who took us to the SNP headquarters. We were given assignments for different areas of campaigning. At headquarters they keep detailed records of individuals’ political preferences. With the records in hand we headed off to an area of town and knocked doors. When people were home we introduced ourselves and asked them if they had been out to vote or if they intended to. If they did and did not have a ride we offered a ride to them. I was amazed at how many people were absolutely not interested in voting. We knocked on doors practically the whole day and then later on that afternoon we headed home. This was the first time that I have ever participated in “campaigning” like that. Usually in the States campaigning is quite informal and impersonal whereas here in Scotland people actually take the time to go to someone’s house and offer a ride to the nearest polling station. I almost couldn’t believe it. After we had campaigned our little hearts out we headed back to Edinburgh but before we went back we stopped in Glasgow to see some of the “dodgy” bits of town. As we went through the east part of Glasgow we were driving past a pub and saw a stabbing. It was the most horrific thing I have ever seen. There was a man and woman standing outside of a pub and he was holding a bloody knife while about ten feet in front of them stood another man and woman and he was bleeding something fierce. Blood was spilling out like it was something on a movie. Before we knew it the man had taken off his shirt and had it wrapped around his hand. His shirt was soaked in blood. I sat in the car as all of this happened feeling completely sick to my stomach. It was the most unreal thing I have ever witnessed. After that I couldn’t wait to get back home to “safe” Edinburgh. I think that I realized for the first time in my life that crime like that actually does happen. It was definitely an eye opener to life in a metropolitan area.

Wednesday, June 14, 2006

Preparing for Open Day at Edinburgh University

Today I spent most of the day getting researching out the porgrams at the University of Edinburgh....

Tuesday, June 13, 2006

Well our trip to Orkney ended today. We slept in this morning and then at 11:00 Patrick and Margaret took us to the airport. We were met there by Arne and Mina Fleet and we had a chance to sit and talk with them some more before we had to go. Then the dreaded time came and we boarded our flight. As I walked out to the plane I felt like tears were going to start to pour out as I recognized that I might never get to see my Orcadian friends again. I felt so grateful for the opportunity that I had to see them and to enjoy their friendship and company one more time in my life. The plane was once again quite small only about 36 seats. For some reason as I got back on that plane to head back to the mainland I just felt sick. Well it proved to be one of the worst flights I have ever been on. Since the plane was so small you could feel every little bit of turbulence and movement in the plane. During the last 20 minutes of the flight the turbulence was so bad that I nearly threw up. I couldn’t wait for the plane to land. Then when we finally landed we had to get two buses back to Edinburgh. One thing that I love about Europe in general is that availability of public transportation within countries. America is just so big that everyone seems to need not just one car but several. Since I have been here I have walked nearly everywhere. Sometime walking up to an hour and a half to get somewhere, which would be unheard of at home. When we finally got back to Edinburgh it was great to be back and get settled in.

Monday, June 12, 2006

Orkney Trip - Cont...



Patrick wasn’t feeling very well today so we kind of took it easy. We walked around the town and went to St Magnus Cathedral. It is so incredible taking nearly 800 years to complete. We went in to the cathedral and just sat there. We were probably there for about an hour enjoying the peace and quiet of the structure. Later on that night we went out with some of our previous investigators Mally and Ann. We went out to dinner and then 10 pin bowling. We had a great time and it was so great to be able to be our crazy selves. After coming back home we watched a movie with Patrick. It has been so great to be with him – I really feel that I needed to come back for myself but for others too. Yesterday, we went hiking and climbed Wideford Hill and seen the cairn on the north side of the “mountain”. Then we went out to Stromness and walked around the town. One of our previous investigators Rhys Copperthwait meet us in town. It was really good to see him again. He never accepted the gospel but it was interesting to see what he had done with knowledge we had given him. He had done absolutely nothing with it. He was at the same exact place he was two years ago. My heart ached as I recognized how that he had chosen for it to have such a little affect on his life. As I saw him again all those missionary feelings of unconditional love for someone came back and yet those same feelings of frustration that he never did anything with the knowledge we gave him. As I walked away from him I began to question whether I did any good here. I remembered all the frustrating feelings you have as a missionary. After seeing Rhys we went out to Yesnaby, this is one of my most favorite places on the island. It is a sea stack next to the coast. It is probably one of the most remarkable things I have ever seen with my own eyes. As a geographer I sat there taking pictures and working out in my mind just how it was formed – drawing my own conclusions from the evidences that surrounded me. St. Magnus Cathedral, relaxed day -- watched Dirty Dancing 2 -- hung around the town -- accents.

Friday, June 09, 2006

Orkney Trip

Today we got up early and took a bus to Glasgow where we then got on another bus and went to the Glasgow airport. Then we got on a tiny plane and flew up to Orkney. The flight only lasted 1 hour and was quite enjoyable (except for the landing). When we landed in Orkney the airport was this tiny little hut almost. With only 3 terminals -- crazy really. We meet my friend Patrick there and with his friend Margaret. Then we headed back to his house. Orkney is quite a quaint place with lots of farms. Most of the residents live the farm life breading sheep and cows.....

Thursday, June 08, 2006


Went out with sisters -- said goodbye to Sister Roberts. -- took taxi home -- Work was very productive -- read a few chapters and worked on homework

Wednesday, June 07, 2006

Haggis, Neeps and Tatties

I was really productive today at work. I think it was mainly because Liz wasn't in and so I wasn't tempted to talk but I also didn't feel like someone was watching my every move. I worked on some homework from home, reading a book called Geography, Science and National Identity by Charles Withers who happens to be a University of Edinburgh professor. I will be going to the open day at the University so it would be really neat to meet him and talk to him about this particular book. I also read a ton of the book Bowling Alone -- I realized today that I don't read very fast and I really need to improve my reading skills if I am going to go to Graduate School. I think the main reason is that I am obsessed with details and because I am just plain lazy and it takes effort to read fast, but I am trying to train myself. I ended up staying really late for work tonight because another intern got a project of stuffing 480 envelops right at the end of work. So I stayed behind to help him. We were at parliament till 10:00. While we waited for the xerox machine to make all the copies we went up the road to a resturant. I ordered Haggis, neeps and tatties. It was excellent haggis. I really enjoyed it. Probably the best haggis I have ever had. Interesting cuisine it is. Sheep insides mixed with oats and spices -- delightful!!

Tuesday, June 06, 2006

Today was a good day. I was able to get a lot done at the office. We finally got out our survey and letter to the 171 economic professors and researchers -- Hallejuah!! That went off yesterday so there is no telling how long it will take for individuals to respond. I will most likely not have time to compile there responses as I only have 9 days left. I am just going to do the best that I can and see what happens. I also used alot of yesterday to get some homework done for my classes at BYU and to finish up with some of the assignments that will be due when i get back. After work yesterday I went out with Jamie to a pub called Mai Thai. We meet up with some of our co-workers there and supported them in a pool tournament that they are participating in. They played really poorly and lost nearly all their games but it was a fun atmosphere and quite an enjoyable time. I always find it to interesting that the Scottish people need a drink to relax and have a good time. It is interesting to be around that atmosphere and not be drinking. Our friends really respect our beliefs though and always offer us a drink of something else. After going out with them we went over to parliament and called home. I was able to speak to mom and Shannon which was really good and needed.

Monday, June 05, 2006

British Lifestyle

Today was also another short day. Unusally the MSP are out in their individual constituencies so the office is a bit slow and there is not much to do without them around. Liz my advisor was off to Head Quarters so it was especially quiet. I took off a bit early today because I wasn't feeling well. The while morning I had worked on finishing the compiling of the quotes from 'Bowling Alone'. I am happy to report that I am all done and I am very happy to not have to look at that book for a few more day until I need to write a report on my thoughts on it. After going home I laid down. Later on that night I went out with some of my friends from Edinburgh we went out to a restuarant called Monster Mash. It had classic british food like mash and sausage or haggis and mash or fish and chip (french fries). The food was lovely and I really enjoyed it. Only in Britian would one experience cuisine like that. The food is often fried and very heavy. They eat very little vegetables here and I have found that many people do not have a liking to them. After dinner and having a bit of apple crumble and custard we went back to Jen's house and played cards. It was a great night of experiencing and living a British Lifestyle.

Saturday, June 03, 2006

Temple Trip!!


Today we took a temple trip down to the Preston England temple. It was amazing! All of us interns went down. We left Edinburgh at 7:30, taking a luxury bus four hours down to Preston. I would love to say that it was a great ride down but I have to be honest it was a bit of a struggle. the first hour I was so car sick because we were driving through these winding roads all the way down to the motorway. I thought I was going to pass out with nausea. Finally we got down to the motorway and it was smooth sailing from there. When we got down to the Preston we didn't have enough time to do two sessions so I decided that I would go down to the baptristry and watch as four new converts did baptisms for the very first time. It was so amazing because Bishop Laird was excited to have me down there to help out. I guess at the Preston temple you must supply your own temple workers, when you go down as a group. So I actually was in the baptistry standing at the top waiting for each one to finish and hand them a towel. It was so amazing to be apart of it. I loved seeing each of these new converts come out of the water and really begin to recognize the importance of what they were doing. After participating in that I went up and did a session. It was amazing and so many emotions flowed to me as the last time I was there was when I was a missionary at the MTC in Preston. I was so grateful for that opportunity to be there and go to the temple. Afterwards we went outside and took pictures and then climbed on the bus for a four hour journey home. As I sat in the bus coming back I just realized how much these saints sacrifice to go to the temple each month a FULL day. I felt so lucky to have a temple close to me where I am able to drive 3 minutes up the road and participate in the Lord's work. I vowed never to complain about the time it took to go to the temple again.

Friday, June 02, 2006

DEAN GALLERY!!

At work today it was a really short day. I was only in from 11 to 1. That was so great because the sun was shining and I was able to go and explore the city a bit more and really enjoy the weather. I went out with jamie and we got something to eat then just went and sat in the prince's street gardens lounging around and soaking up the sun. It was really great. We sat out there for quite a long time and then at 3:30 we decided to go and see some things. We went to the Dean Gallery for Modern art. I was really surprised with the among collection that they had. Man Ray, Dali, Picasso, Duchamp and Ernst. It was amazing to see some of their famous works. Some of the pieces I just sat and examined for minutes. I was impressed with the talent and quality of their works. The Dean Gallery has inhertited all of these works through their connections with Sir Eduardo Paolozzi. After going through the gallery Jamie and I meet up with Jessica and Jenny and went out to dinner at an Indian restaurant. I always love being here in Scotland because there is so many other nationalities and ethnicities that you can experience.

Thursday, June 01, 2006

TUG-O-WAR


Wow well I am really excited about today. I was invited to play on the Tug-O-War team for the Scottish nationalist Party. The event will take place after work and I am sure it will be so exciting..... Today is friday and we had such a good time last night. They had team shirts for everyone -- there were teams from each of the political parties in the parliament and for the charity that hosted the event. It was so exciting to be apart of it. There was one tug in particular that was so riveting. We were pulling against the Scotmans Newspaper team and the tug lasted for at least a minute. It was so long and seriously at the last second I was so physically exhausted that I just let the rope go. Tug-O-War is a traditional scottish highlands game and is favorite pasttime of many scots. It was so cool to participate in that here in Scotland.