One week in Virginia

So, after being here in Portsmouth for one week, I've learned many things about myself, the house(mates), the town(s), 

Let's start with the house.  I'll be leaving out the names of everyone for safety reasons, but I have 3 housemates, one of which is the owner.  The two other roommates I rarely see (I met one on the 3rd day I was here, and the other on the 5-6th day).  The owner however is awesome - he collects antique Christmas decorations pre-1950.  To get an understanding of the house, the house is decked out with vintage Christmas stuff.  The owner owns a long-haired chihuahua, and both spend a majority of their day on the second floor of the house (which has its own kitchen!).  Everyone in the house is cool, and does their own thing.

Portsmouth is an interesting town/community.  I've hinted to it, but i'll just say it...It's not the greatest town, but apparently it's getting better.  I won't jog into the neighborhood, but I may take a walk near the waterbank.  Portsmouth is part of a community of towns known as the Hampton Roads.  It fulfills towns like Norfolk, Virginia Beach, Ghent, Chesapeake, Hampton, Newport News, etc.  but all the towns are separated by water practicaly and you have to go over bridges or tunnels --> aka, traffic can suck.  I've ventured into most of these towns and have used my GPS to find Costco, Target, and Filipino/Hawaiian food.  There's two things you should know.  First is that Norfolk has the largest naval base in the world --> there is a lot of people in the military over here.  The second is that there is no restrictions/limitations placed on truck drivers --> truck drivers think that they own the road.  I almost got into a car accident because a truck driver just merged into my lane...and then had the nerve to tell me to get the hell out of the way...Let it be known that I appreciate CA's laws on truck drivers, because they shouldn't drive as fast as the rest of the nation.  Oh, one last thing.  Portsmouth runs on Wal-mart.  no question.  If you need anything, the best place to go is Walmart. 

Which brings me to me.  I learned that i'm comfortable not wearing shoes in the house, but there being a dog and three housemates that do wear shoes, I don't take them off outside my room.  I don't like sitting around doing nothing, and will try to get out of the house even if that means walking aimlessly around Wal-mart.  I learned how to hem pants for the last two days, remembering what my mom taught me, as well as youtube, and making it up as I go along.  But one thing I learned about myself is that I do have difficulty adjusting to new places.  The day my dad left, i did wander aimlessly in Walmart not because I was bored but because I didn't know exactly what to do other than go home.  And most of this week I've been either sleeping in my room, buying things I need for the next 10 weeks, talking to friends back home, working on church stuff, or playing video games (THANK YOU TO THOSE WHO BOUGHT ME STARCRAFT 2).  And if it wasn't anything of that, it was thinking about what I'm going to do when I go home. 

Boredom does have it's curses I suppose. 

Luckily I start my program tomorrow, and I bought a TV to keep my company while i'm at home...most of these feelings will subside for the time being.  Thanks again for your support and love and prayers, I will let you all know how my first day works out tomorrow.

Jon