SettlingAnUnsettledStomach

It hasn't even been a week since we arrived at our new abode. An apartment that has a little more leg room then our old one. It is pretty nice. Empty. But nice.

No couches, the dinning table and chairs are stand-in plastic ones, I sleep on a nifty foam futon, and the living room is absolutely barren.

A new start! Now that we have internet I searched up colleges hoping that I wouldn't have to wait one year for this stupid residency junk. Apparently it is worth waiting for a year. I mean, when tuition jumps from $400 to $2800 without residency.... You kind of want it. So one year of uncertainty awaits me. Oh joy. Now I have to find a part time job... Hopefully. I turn 18 in a few months so I can grab my driver's license and, with much prayer, a cool part time job... Or full time, whichever I can get.

Living in a city is so different. I am only a 2 minute drive (or a 5-10 minute walk) to Wal-Mart. TO WAL-MART! Three (four if you speak Korean) churches are right around the corner, and there are so many restaurants and stores in a half-mile radius from my apartment. This is crazy chicken. I am coming from a 40 minute drive to the closest chain store.... Is it nice? My mind tells me yes. But my heart says.... Yes. Dear Readers, it is actually really cool having everything close by. I think we will be checking out a church this Sunday. It will be interesting to see the difference from Hawaiian churches to Texan churches. Are they more orthodox? Bigger? Nicer? Holier? Who knows! I shall find out!

I have to find a reason to be here in Texas. Usually people my age find their reason by going to high school or starting to apply to nearby colleges or a job. But I can't do any of those. All I can do is sit behind my computer. Hopefully church can be my answer. I don't mean volunteering my time, I am not a fan of that. I mean finding new friends. Isn't that one of the main reasons for church? That and getting closer to God. Speaking of getting closer to God, I have no idea what happened to my Bible. Kind of goes to show how often I read it.... I think I should start reading Genesis about Abraham's move, ha.

What do I feel? I feel kind of depressed. But I hope that passes as time passes. I need to find new friends. Experience even more new things! A couple of nights ago my family went out for dinner trying to find a cool new place to check out. Alas, we finally found this family diner-like restaurant. I have to tell you, they served great food, but I can just imagine the calories we ate that night. Everything was deep fried and smothered in butter. If I ate that two or three times a week I would be 400 til brown. You know what I'm sayin'?

The first few days here at the apartment were busy. We gathered all the necessities from tissue paper to forks. It was fun running to different stores and checking out the area around us. I think it was on the second or third day, it actually hailed! Though the hail was small and brief, it was still hail! Coming from a steady 80 degree climate to one that drops from 50 to 25 is, again, crazy chicken. The cold pierced my fingers. Like, it literally felt like needles pricking my fingers. It was so cool. I could see my breath. My sweater and scarf were finally useful. The warmth from my scarf was finally realized.... The glory of the cold. Now that I experienced that I want the warmth to return. Every morning I wake up with the thought of staying in bed forever. The chilled air brings a desire of
laziness. I am already a lazy guy, so this could get ugly...

ItActuallyExists

I have tread upon unknown land. A whole continent that I only saw on maps and in History class. This is America.

The journey to my new home was smooth for the most part. It just so happened that my Close Friends decided to come to the airport to say their REAL final goodbyes. I mean, who says goodbye only to come meet you at the airport to say it again? They do apparently. I wont say that I loved it, but I loved it. I don't know, the idea of people crying about your leaving makes me feel good. Not in sadistic way, but it reminds me that there are people out there who care about me.... Or they care about my Elder Sage Siblings and the tears they shed were for them....... Pffft, yeah....right.......

When the plane started to throttle I thought back to all the times my family talked about moving. We had been thinking about it for 7 years. But now it is finally happening. I recalled telling my parents that I will never believe we are moving until the day I was sitting on that one-way plane to Texas.

There I was sitting...... On that one-way plane to Texas.

Then the plane started to lift off the ground. I think my heart sank to my stomach.

"What on Earth just happened?"

"I happened."

"Oh, shut up. Who asked for you to come back anyway?"

"Oh, shut up, you love it."

                                                                                             ~Missingnomer and Flight....Uggg

It was a pitch black. So even though I had the window seat all I saw was darkness. The few faint stars I saw painted a dim separation from the ocean and the horizon. It was just darkness and that annoying wing light that was like a beacon trying to call out to the dark unknown.

Home was behind me, and all that was left was void.

The unknown always scares us fragile humans. But I can't let that get the best of me! When we finally arrived at Texas and took a taxi to the hotel I couldn't believe it. Thousands of cars, mall after mall, store after store, restaurant after restaurant, and Mexican after Mexican.

This is home.

When we arrived at the hotel all I wanted to do was unpack and get settled in. But we were at a hotel! All I could do was shower and sleep. So here I am, sitting in my cell, awaiting my death.

This is my new home.... It was 39 degrees that night. Cold? To most people. It was FREEZING to me. Thank goodness I got some sort of warmth from my sweater. The nights ahead are going to be BELOW freezing. Someone save me!!! I thought 70 degrees was cold in Hawaii. As I write this in the hotel room I am wearing three layers. Two t-shirts and a sweater. I can finally wear a scarf and not look weird!

"I mean, not that I looked weird when I wore them in Hawaii.... RIGHT?"

"Oh, you were the picture of normalcy." 

                                                                                                    ~Missingnomer and Flight

To conclude this first full day here in Texas would be quite an ordeal. In short, my parents purchased a car. A pretty nice car. It actually has a CD player. Not a big deal, right? But I am coming from a mini van that had a cassette player.... A CASSETTE player. What the heck is a cassette? I think I ate one when I was a toddler. We also swung by the apartment that we will be staying at for the next 6 months. I like it. It had an old-school, rustic feel to it. Brick buildings are so swag monkey.

It never occurred to me that road knowledge is crucial if you want to get anywhere. Living in Hawaii has desensitized my mind: Two roads, one lane both ways. That is basically all you needed to know if you wanted to get anywhere. Here?!?! GPS or die. That is basically the only rule for first timers. Side note! We are first timers. Thank goodness my parents procured a GPS long before arriving here in this cesspool of roads. The story goes like this:

The man who was selling us the car came to pick us up at our hotel so he could take us to the place that sold cars to sell us a car......

Anyways, we went there and bought a car. After that we decided to go back to the hotel to pick up some bags to drop off at the apartment we had yet to see. The thing was that I had never used a GPS before, so you can guess what happened. Yelling and screaming ensued as we blindly navigated the highway. Brutal moments of just missing the ramps and turnoffs. But, we finally got are heads screwed back on and got back to the hotel in one piece. I gotta say, it was a crazy ride. There will probably be more episodes of insanity to follow, but I think we can manage. I think.

Pray for my family Dear Readers. We need every single one. Thank you for your love, for reading my blog, and staying in touch. I shall see you all soon.

Don't forget to visit the NiMM Lounge if you haven't!

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URL: nimmlounge.blogspot.com
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IsThisRealLife?

It is a thing. We are heading out tomorrow night to leave this island of memories. Can't believe it....

15 years of memories will be an entire ocean away from me for who knows how long. A new life awaits me in the land of Texas. What will I do? Who will I meet? Will I be better off there? Will I regret this move?

Right now I need to pack. But I keep procrastinating. I still have to pack most of my things as they are all scattered about my room. I am postponing the inevitable, but I want to savor every second left here in this apartment. This is my last night. The sadness and excitement are starting to swell inside of me. Thankfully I already used the bathroom.

Other than my life changing move I said my final goodbyes to my second family. It was awesome. One last day at the beach was what I wanted. Nothing like salt water to make my stomach forget the idea of leaving. Even when the time came for me to REALLY say goodbye to them all, I didn't cry. It must be a family thing. My family doesn't express themselves through tears. Goodbyes are as dry as the desert. But then again, my Great Elder Sage Siblings do tear up when they head back to college after every vacation back home. Oh, come now. Don't take it personally! I am sure the Sage Siblings were grief stricken when they said their final goodbyes to you, Dear Friends. Don't let the tears measure love for you. For me, I just don't cry unless it is a Korean drama or a hard hit to my face. Don't take it the wrong way! I felt a genuine sadness I never felt before. That was the first time I ever said farewell to such close friends. The sadness was great, but it didn't overwhelm me to tears. Cause I know I will see them all again. Whether it be in heaven or on this earth. They can't escape me! Ha!

Dear Readers, thank you so much for the amazing memories. For reading my posts (or not), for laughing with me, talking story, and spending some of the precious time we have on this earth togehter. I will treasure each hang out, each sleepover, each camping trip, every late night, and every single awkward joke and smile. We will definitely make more memories in the future, but for now we must go our own ways. Whether it be school, work, a new family, or all the above.

Since I am moving to Texas my Dear Friend and I made an awesome blog! Not only do I have this personal blog, but I also have a bro blog. Along with the blog we have a podcast. What's a podcast? It is just like a radio talk show, but with two amateur dudes who thought they should post their conversations on the internet! No, it is just another facet of the blog dubbed "NiMM Lounge." If you haven't you should check it out! It is a collaboration of my Eldest Sage Sibling, two Dear Friends, and yours truly. If you want to know more than check it out:

nimmlounge.blogspot.com

Nothing like a blog and podcast to keep the friendships strong.

I leave my home with a heavy heart. Even though I part I think I will always consider the Big Island my home. I will be back! I shall return! But for now. Let's look forward to the future that is filled with awesome and glorious mysteries from Above.