The Chronicles

Rexburg, Idaho

Randomness

I still didn’t get a job so I have nothing but time. I still don’t know many people here, so to kill time I work out a lot (a lot!) and I read a lot, (a lot!)

I read  mostly books, newspapers On-line and blogs…I stated reading almost weekly this blog: Discover Buenos Aires, by a New Yorker named Dave who moved to Buenos Aires (Argentina) not so long ago.

My favorite part of his blog is the “Random Observations” where he mentions some things that we Argentinians or porteños do that he finds amusing.

Some times are things that also I noticed but in the other way around, for example when he said “Everything they (Argentines) sell seems to be much smaller than the U.S. equivalent.” I, in the other hand, found some how funny that everything they (Americans) sell in the U. S. seems to be extra large.

Here is some of his randomness that was interesting to me:

• “No one picks up after their dog and I mean no one. I picked up after Delilah and felt weird doing it.”

• “There are (almost) no obese people in Argentina. There may be some people with pot bellies or a few extra pounds, but you do not see people who are extremely overweight like in the U.S.”

• “You seat yourself at most restaurants.”

• “Pedestrians do not have the right of way. Taxi drivers drive much worse than they do in NYC. I’m really surprised there are not more accidents.”

• “Sidewalks here are maintained by the building owners and not the city, so as you walk down a block, the sidewalk can change over and over.”

• “Everyone who has met more than once kisses each other on the cheek when saying goodbye. I mean everyone: women kiss men, men kiss women, women kiss women, men kiss men…”

• “As you walk down the street here, you might notice some cars that have jugs half-filled with some type of liquid sitting on top of the roof. We’ve seen this many times and have finally figured out what it means.  (Well, ok, we didn’t actually figure it out, we asked our Spanish tutor, Marco, what it meant.) Ready? It means that the car is for sale. Yep, that’s it.”

My own randomness

Rexburg, Idaho is the most interesting town I ever been to. I don’t really know why; maybe because I am not from a little town so all little details call my attention.

I will start school here at the Brigham Young University – Idaho or BYU- I in January, so until I find a job (which it would be really, really bad if I don’t) I’ll be a tourist here.

BYU-I is located in Rexburg, ID, a city about 212.1 miles from Salt Lake City, with a population of 26,265. 95 % of whom are white (0,5 %are Latino, Lowest in the nation?)

Rexburg, Idaho’s random observations: Week 1.

• People drive really slowly here, and they don’t seem to mind giving all the time pedestrians need to cross the street.

• People walk! When I came to the U.S., I found really weird that most people wouldn’t walk at all. In Utah, if the grocery store or church was 2 or 3 blocks away it was not a walk-able distance. Here though, people walk everywhere.

• People are very friendly. They wave at me when I am crossing the street and they are in the car. (Weird)

• A lot of rules. I always attended privet schools so I don’t mind rules at all, but I was very surprised of how strict Brigham Young University – Idaho is with the students. Some of the rules are from the code of honor that all students have to sign before being accepted. There students commit to live under the standard of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. That includes no drinking, smoking, drugs, coffee, tea, extramarital sex, no vulgar language, no facial hair, modest clothing, and going to church regularly.

BYU-Idaho however appears to want the students to go an extra mile to achieve excellence:

• 1. Hair cuts must be always modest and clean (crazy hair styles are inappropriate) Guys must follow certain hair cut style.
  2. It’s not allowed to wear On-campus, sandals, shorts, or clothes that looks like it’s showing underwear
  3. You can’t live anywhere that is not previously approved by the University.
  4. To be approved apartments must follow certain requirements like a safe internet connection that blokes all adult websites.
  5. Also the apartments must provided a cable services that doesn’t have certain TV channels (in my case they blocked MTV, VH1, HBO, etc)
  6. Curfew is another rule that apartments have to have to be approved housing: In my apartments it is 11 to 11:30. However Fridays and Saturdays one can be out until midnight.
  7. Girls are never allowed in the bedrooms and they must leave the apartment at 11.
  8. Apartments are all male or female apartments (not mixed apartments)

• The city of Rexburg has just one Movie Theater, and it doesn’t show rated R movies.
• Apparently, Rexburg is also an Alcohol-free city. All the rights to sell Alcohol are held by the University.
• The crime is almost inexistent here