London and Wales

“I still think the parade of peoples and colours and tongues just about the best thing in London…” – Glyn Roberts, journalist, 1933.

London is a center hub of many different cultures and people, which I agree is the best part of London like this quote says from the Museum of London.  As I’ve walked the streets of this beautiful, busy city, I’ve heard a mixture of languages being spoken as people pass by.  I’ve reflected on the idea of a nation, of ethnicity and of culture.  In class, we discussed the possibility of the Mormon religion as being an ethnicity.  On one hand, I believe that the Mormon religion could be an ethnicity because we all believe the same thing, the gospel of Jesus Christ, and live our lives accordingly.  We are a people of shared values and traditions.  On another hand, members of the church have different ways of doing things in different parts of the world.  When the question was posed whether it was good or bad to consider Mormons as an ethic group, I was stumped.  I think that there is something beautiful about a group of people who are all unique brought together by religion and love for the gospel.  I also think there is danger in trying to group Mormons together as one ethnicity, because I don’t think there is one perfect way to live the Mormon religion.

This Sunday, I attended the Spanish ward, and I felt so blessed to be there among these people.  I loved hearing the services in the language I learned on the mission, and I loved meeting people from different parts of the world.  This was an example to me how Mormons can be an ethnicity, while still not be categorized into only one thing.  I also felt blessed to visit Wales and learn about their culture and their language.  We got to tour the Welsh assembly and see how they run their government.  I learned that they were approved to start having their own assembly in 1997, only 20 years ago, which holds 60 seats for their five political parties.  For class, we also watched a documentary about the Welsh language, and I gained understanding of the importance of their language to their culture.  In 2011, only 19% of the Welsh population could speak Welsh.  Recently, more people are sending their children to Welsh schools so they can keep the language alive through the young generation.  During our visit to Wales, we also went to St. Fagans and had an interactive learning experience, learning about how the ancestors of the Welsh people lived.  The landscape put in perspective the simple way of life these people live, and I’m grateful for the chance I have to learn more about different people and learn from their way of life.