Durham So Far

So, I figure I should blog something, anything, since it's been so long since the last and because school has started and I don't want things to get too crazy before I can get this done. No pics this time. Those will come later. Pictures are really what keeps me from blogging. Sad, but true. I just hate how you have to upload them one at a time. It really bothers me. Then, heaven forbid I work on this for any length of time only to have something go wrong before I can post it. The idea of doing the same thing more than once really gets to me for some reason. I even have a hard time eating left overs. Call me weird, but that's just how I'm wired. If I JUST did something or ate something, I don't want to revisit it again right away. I've started quite a few that have been left undone for that very reason. Anywho, about Durham. It's a lot different than I expected. There's 3 major universities right here, so locals are few and far between. Steven and I went for a walk around our apartment complex and saw a license plate for all but I think 11 states, including Alaska and Hawaii. There's not much of a chance Steven or I will be developing a southern drawl anytime soon. The bugs here are HUGE and weird. Some I've never seen before and they love me. I get at least one new bite a day. On the upside, I have seen lightning bugs on several occasions and that just thrills me to no end. I love them! There are so many trees and they are huge and dense. There are so many shopping areas here, but you have to be here a while to realize. You can't see them until you're right up on them because everything disappears in the trees. Driving is different too. People hall tale around here. You'll get run over if your not going about 10 MPH over the limit. Even in neighborhoods the limits are high anyway and people just fly. That really freaks me out, because you never know what's going to be around the bend. A kid, an animal, a jogger... speaking of animals. I hit my very first roadkill on our drive here. I hit a raccoon. I'm not going to lie, I cried. Steven was in front of me in the moving truck hauling a dolly with my car on it and somehow the little guy escaped being whacked by him and then here I come in the Jeep and POW! I saw him rolling across the street in the rear view mirror. :0( People are really tan here too. It's weird. I think I've seen more tan people here then in California. The weather was absolutely terrible when we first got here. I would change my clothes about 3 times a day because I always felt sweaty. My temper kicked in for a while. It would make me angry how uncomfortable I always felt. Especially, with my long hair. I felt like it was closing in on me trying to take over my neck. It's better now. I'm getting used to it. Steven actually LIKES it...weirdo. The radio is different here too. The dj was saying how he went through his daughters facebook account and made her delete people that he thought seemed like inappropriate people to be friending his little girl. He opened it up to the listeners to call and tell him if they thought what he did was right or wrong. I can guarantee most people in California would have been livid telling him how he needs to trust her and not invade her privacy. Here, EVERY caller said he was right to do it. I agree, but it was nice to here some people still feel like there's a place for parenting. Then, on the same station they have a segment called "Chaps My Crack". People call in and say what's eating them or chapping their crack. Well, every once in a while they'll have someone call in and Crack Attack them...That means that someone calls in pretending to rant about something that chaps their crack, then you hear static and they yell "CRACK ATTACK!" The static is supposed to be the person rubbing the phone on their bum. Only in a hick town. Let's see...what else is there to tell?...Oh, apparently, we are in a good part of town, because thankfully, we have not witnessed the crime that Durham is notorious for, but sadly, our missionaries have seen it first hand. We had them over for dinner last week and the one elder was telling us about how he has had a gone pulled on him 3 times! And how his old companion got a full Big Gulp thrown at his head and another time someone drove by and opened their car door into him sending him flying off his bike. They aren't allowed to carry wallets or backpacks to avoid being mugged. The one elder is huge. I don't know who would want to mess with him, but he had a smaller companion before we were here who I guess was being surrounded by a gang with knives until the bigger guy came running at them and they took off. I guess there are Spanish missionaries who are protected from the black gangs by the Mexican gangs. They don't want to here the gospel message, but they watch out for them because their parents/grandparents like them, haha. There's certain places their not allowed to go period, because they'll get shot by the locals. I feel so bad for those poor guys. That's all I can remember for now. So far, things are going well. I definitely do not have any desire to stay and I don't think Steven does either, but we will make the best of it while we're here...You never know what the future will bring.