A Very Crazy Weekend

wow. I am so tired. if this post doesn't make complete sense keep that in mind.

So the weekend all started on Friday. It was the first day where we had no orientation and I decided to take full advantage of it by being completely lazy. I sat in my bed and watched West Wing, staying in the apartment, called my parents on Skype to catch up, and other slow and lazy activities. I had heard there was a multistake dance that night at my stake center but since I had problems arranging a ride to Institute I didn't want the hassle and had already said I wouldn't be going. 

Then about 5:45 pm my friend Ruth called me from the local YSA on her way home from work. She lives literally three streets over from me, is an American, and went to BYU for her undergraduate. Ruth told me that her friend Tom was giving her a ride and could give me one as well if (1) i didn't mind going early and participating in the stake choir practice for stake conference and (2) i could be ready in exactly an hour. 

Now I am not a hugely extroverted person and I don't mind going out dancing with a few friends because I know well stay close, but a huge stake dance where I know 3 people out of 500 (so I know .6% people there) is quite a daunting invitation. But then again someone had specifically called me and so I agreed - here is where the overwhelming, and exciting madness of my weekend began. 

I loved stake choir with this amazing Scottish choir director who's name is Sister McCluckie. Then the dance started. It was so much fun. Because choir practice got out late it was in full swing when I entered the lobby. Right away I was pulled around to be introduced to people and immediately started noticing differences between the UK and America. In Utah when you are introduced to someone at a dance at the first initial meeting you are expected to make anywhere from 30 seconds to 4 minutes of small talk. In the UK its at least 4 minutes, if not more, which means you really get to know the people. Also there are no gaps between songs and no slow songs so when you are dancing you are dancing and when you are in the lobby you are talking and making introductions - you don't have to try and talk over the music that way. 

The dance ended a little past midnight and then it got even stranger. No one left. I mean the leaders kept asking everyone to leave so they could lock up and go home but no one did! It was the slowest exit I have ever seen. It took a solid hour to get everyone out of the building. One of the kids in my car was in charge of locking up the car park so I was very excited to finally be leaving the building at 1 am to go when I got to the parking lot - no one had left yet, they had all just gone to the parking lot!! We finally got out about 1:30 am. That's when everyone in my group decided they were hungry so we went in search of food, a sort of traditional past 1 am kabob run - all the rage in the English youth.

Finally after the kabob fill (of which i had none - I didn't bring any money. I have been having problems with the ATM's so tomorrow I will have to go inside a bank and talk to a human about it) we headed home. I literally walked through the door at 3 am. Luckily the next day I had nothing planned but school work so I finally slept in. When I finally got up I was very good about settling down and doing my school work. 

Turns out on Saturday we had the adult session of stake conference where the choir would be singing a number. So I got up at 11 and ended up back on the road back to Reading by 5 pm. Sang in the choir, was uplifted by the messages, and then it was over by 9. Now if we had left right away I could have been home by 10, but no such luck. 

To be fair I did stay and talk to many people. I needed to talk to the clerk about my records being transfered, I needed to talk to the stake executive secretary about the timeline for my mission papers, there was a lot of business to accomplish. And then the introductions started again. An hour later we were still at the church. It was decided we should get food and then go home. Having learned from the previous night I recommended we go somewhere fast and cheap and then go home quickly. Everyone agreed. But of course, it didn't quite work out that way.

We ended up going to a guy named  Keith's house that I had met that night. His mom made us a wonder and healthy salad for dinner and ice cream with cherries for dessert. An excellent meal, but not quick! After we were done eating I fully expected everyone to get up and disperse back to where we all came from, especially since many of us had to be back at the stake center at 8:15 the next morning. Nope.

Finally around 1 or 2 am it was decided we would all stay at Keith's house. I was utterly unprepared for such a stay but some of the other girls were very accommodating and let me borrow some clothes for the next day. Anyway, some how it all worked out and the choir was beautiful and the meeting was once again inspiring and uplifting and about the goals for the stake. 

After the meeting was over i was invited to stay for another young single adult which I, hopefully politely, declined. I am finding the YSA have a pattern of looong activities and I don't think I could handle another one this weekend.

So the end result - I love the YSA here, they are incredibly friendly and jovial but it is a big time investment to hang out with them. So it looks like I shall have to find moderation in all things.

Someone remind me in a few days to blog on the walkways of England - its amazing! I just found out that the path that goes behind my house goes all the way to London!!