The city life...

Wow! What can I say about life on the East Coast? It is not a lot like life back in Cali. Having lived on the East Coast now for a little over a week, it is crazy some of the differences from back home... For example, everyone here has an accent, and trying to understand them isn't always the easiest thing. I have also discovered that if you say the magical words "I'm from Cali" people look at you like you are either royalty or a movie star. The jaws drop and then it is always followed by "why did you want to come here?" Haha. It is actually kind of humorous. It is great to try and guess how many people will say it through out one day.
This week was really a good one for me... Classes started, and for the most part I really like my classes, and it was my first "outing" out on the town, Staten Island that is. Here on the Island, Thursday is the "going out" night, which I found kind of random since there are classes the next day, but whatever. So me and some new friends headed out, and boy was it a good night. It is fun to have that kind of community with your school mates. Then yesterday (Saturday) me and four friends made our first adventure into the city... NYC!!! It was an adventure and we all had so much fun! The plan was to go see Rent the Broadway play, but we ended up not getting to the theatre on time and missed the cheap tickets (due to not reading the Ferry schedule, I know we are brilliant). It ended up that three people went and saw the show and me and Nicole went out exploring the city and shopping. It was a good time, and not just because we went shopping and it was no sales tax week, but it was the fact that it was finally sinking in that we really live here. The fact that we didn't have to go everywhere in one day, but that we could save Central Park for next week, and the Empire State Building for the next, this was when reality hit. And for me when reality hits is isn't always a good thing, but this was awesome. It was so neat to think to myself I am not a tourist anymore (really I am until I know the city a little better, but whatever).
And through all this excitement I have even managed to see God! He must really be doing something big in my life since I can see him working through all my excitement! It really is just amazing to sit back and realize yet again that God has a plan for my life... It is so easy to say yeah God has a plan, but the hard part is to live it. I am learning to live it each and everyday that I am here, and even before... God has shown his hand in so many aspects of my experience so far that it is impossible to ignore Him. He brought me here safe and sound with the help of Patty my airport friend, He has placed me with an awesome friend named Kacey who shares the same love for God as I do, and he is continuing to put me in situations where people needed a friend and I just happened to say hi to them. I know now that this is not me being me, but it is God working by using me and my qualities. There have been a few nights where I just sit back and smile for a good ten minutes thinking about how simple God makes it for us, and then we almost always go and make it so complicated! It was good to get this reality check, and I hope that I will continue to see God as I have this last week and a half!