The Last of Us

Or at least, the last of me in school.

It's true, this is my last year of college, and I'll be graduating in a week. A WEEK I TELL YOU! Yeah, I'm pretty shocked too.

For the past five years, I have gained higher education at Brigham Young University. For the first two years of my college career, I worked towards getting into the Advertising department here. My application was rejected, and I realized that I didn't really have the time to try and apply again. I switched my major from Pre-Communications to Anthropology and I realized that I should have probably started here from the beginning.

My first class was Anthropology 101, and I just feel in love with learning about so many different cultures, lives, and just realizing that while I thought I had an open mind before, it'll be nothing compared to how wide my mind is open now. I also realized that I needed a job, and my TA, Stefanie, suggested that I apply to be a Anthropology 101 Teaching Assistant. I did, and it was suggested that I wait for one more semester before applying again. I did so for Fall Semester 2013 and I got the job. And it's a job that I've had and loved ever since.

I then started to prepare for my field school. I knew that it was something that I needed to accomplish
in order to get my degree, but it wasn't something that really hit me till Winter Semester 2014 when I started to getting ready. I would be leaving my husband, my home, and my country, for three months to study cross-caste marriage in Visakhapatnam, India. Richard would be recently graduated and looking for full-time work and I would be leaving him. Not only was it hard for me to do, but it was also something that I realized that I can do. I can live outside of the country, and I can do what I'm supposed to do as an anthropologist. I can do what it is that I have been training to do for the past year!

I came back to realize that I only have a year of school left. A year left before I would be done at BYU. I analyze my data, and start to get everything ready for my senior thesis. This time is now...I'm finishing up my senior thesis, and I realize that these past five years have been all for this moment.

This little moment where I will walk across that stage at 8:00 in the morning and receive my diploma (cover...actual diploma will be delivered in 4-6 weeks in the mail @.@). It's so strange for me to think that just a few years ago I was getting married, and just a couple of years before that I was just graduating from high school and heading straight to college. I really can't believe that I'll be graduating in just a little over a week.

This has been a whirlwind ride, but it's a ride that I would do over again. I love going to school, I love learning, and I there are things that I never would have been able to do, unless I went to BYU and made my major Anthropology. I never would have gone to India, I never would have presented my research in UCUR, or the Utah Conference in Undergraduate Research, and I never would have discovered my love of teaching.

I have loved my time here at BYU and if there's one thing that I can say to upcoming students is take advantage of all that your college allows you to do. But most of all, enjoy your time at college to grown and figure out just a little bit more who you are. This is a time to learn. Why not learn who you are inside?

Talk to you later,
Ashley

Soon to Be Released!

Yes, soon to be released, the awe-inspiring...Ashley! Yep, soon, I'll be released into the wide, open world of the "real" world. Oh, jeez...

Anyway, moving on. As you probably know, unless you've been living under a rock, is that yesterday was Valentine's Day! Whoo!! For many here, it's a day to celebrate the time of love. Le sigh... For many others, it's a day to celebrate being single, being able to date many people, or just spend this time to being with friends. Either way you celebrate, it's just a good time to be with those that you love.

And yes, I do mean "love" in all it's forms. Romantic love, plutonic love, familial love, all the love! As the Beatles said, "All you need is love." What seems to get me though, is that a lot of people seem to have a problem with Valentine's Day; this day to celebrate love seems to create a lot of apathy.

What I like about Valentine's Day though, is that you don't have to go out and have a big to-do to celebrate being with those you love, be it spouse, friends, family, or your cat. I don't have a cat, but I

do have a spouse. We didn't go out to eat, we didn't go out to see a movie, or even have a huge dinner. We made our own chicken wings and green beans, and watched "George of the Jungle." That was our Valentine's Day. I ran into a girl on campus, buying a helium balloon so that her and her friend could suck the helium and celebrate that way. And for those of us still in school who have the three-day weekend, we can celebrate Valentine's Day with a glorious three-day weekend.

So, if you're married, single, or just enjoying time by yourself with your roommates all gone, I hope that you all had a happy Valentine's Day! Enjoy those chocolates, flowers, and movies!

Talk to you later,
Ashley

Getting Ready: Nervous and Excited and so many other things.....

In order to get this blog ready for this summer, I should probably fill you in on what is going to be happening this summer. I am going to be going to Visakhapatnam, INDIA!!! It's a bit scary to be honest...but also exciting! This will be my first time leaving the country, in way shape or form that requires a passport and visa and plane tickets and so many other things. Let me tell you now, I AM NOT A FAN OF VISAS!!! I really, really don't like visas, unless I have more time in order to acquire said visa. Otherwise, I never want to do this again. Okay, I take that back, I would love to do this again, I just now know what would be required of me to leave the country...and the timeline required to do these things. Also, I don't like getting immunizations.

So, there's that. Moving on! This past weekend was The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints' General Conference. I love General Conference, it's actually one of my favorite times of the year, the first weekend in April and the first weekend in October. It's a time when the leaders of my church, President Thomas S. Monson, the Twelve Apostles, and other leaders in the church speak to the members of this church over a series of topics, from the Atonement of Jesus Christ, to repentance, to relying on Christ, and many other things. It's during these times that I relearn how much I love this gospel! Between now and October, I will again forget how much I love this church, but that is why I love General Conference! It reminds me that there is a lot to learn from this time that we have here on earth and I need to take advantage of it. That's part of the reason why I'm going to India actually. I have to for school, obviously, but this will probably be my one and only time that I'll visit a country on the other side of the world for three months and I want to learn all that I can while I am there.

I actually have a friend there right now. She's on the same program that I am going to be doing, the India Study Abroad program, and she's been keeping a blog about her time while there in India. And that something that I want to do as well. I want to be able to write down as much as I can about my days while I am there as well as record my experiences for others to see and read about while I am gone. So that's part of the reason why I started this new blog, that, and I have a new email address so I figured should have my blog with that email address. Just makes a lot more sense.

That's about all that's going on in my life at the moment. Yes, I know, this post is very jumpy and just all over the place, but it's late at night so I'm blaming sleepiness.

Talk to you soon,
Ashley

Starting Anew

So, new blog. I recently got a new email address to reflect my name change. Yes, yes, I know, I know. Should have done this when I changed my name back in November 2012. I'm just lazy, really, really lazy. And I had a blog on my old email address. If you really want to read through it, you can see it at tinynavajo.blogspot.com. There's not a whole lot there, but I do have a few good posts. The ones I like I will copy and past here in their own posts. But, by way of introduction to those of you who don't know me.

Richard and I

I'm Ashley Smith. I am half Navajo, married to my wonderful husband Richard Smith (obviously). I am almost done with my schooling at Brigham Young University with a degree in Anthropology. I hope to someday continue onto graduate school to pursue a masters or doctorate in Native American Studies...or something like that. Not really sure on that yet. I'm also a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. This may not sound like much, but it has made me who I am. And I am proud of who I am.

So this should be a good introduction post. I plan on posting quite a bit more throughout the summer, especially throughout the summer and my last year of college. It should be a journey...but a fun one at that.

Talk to you soon,

Ashley