Life in Pullman

Since it has been over a month, I decided it's time to update my blog. Life in Pullman is simple but going well. Pullman is a small town, but we do have quite a few bars and clubs! Too bad I do not visit places like that. Besides the bars, we have one McDonald's, one Jack In The Box, one Pizza Hut, one Papa John's, one Denny's and four gas stations. As you can imagine, any kind of real shopping or dining is not going to happen here, not to mention the 8%+ sales tax. As a result, Moscow, Idaho, which is conveniently located only 20 minutes away, becomes the optimal choice. We have a tiny mall in the wonderful land of Moscow, a small Wal-Mart that closes at 10 every night, a WinCo, the grocery chain that some consider as the Eighth Wonder of the World, and most importantly, an Applebees! Even though I can't really afford to eat out all that often, the thought that there is one restaurant I really love available is very comforting.

I love my apartment. It is an old place but it's my old place. I can finally keep my own home clean ALL THE TIME and I can decorate it the way I want to. I now have two plants and three fish, Freddy, Stan, and Lucy. They are a bit crazy, but I like their company. I admit it gets a little too quiet sometimes, but I think it is still better than too noisy. I have a queen size bed that I love. It is not the most comfortable bed, but since I only spent $250 on the mattress and it was brand new, I really have no complaints.

School is going well. The classes are not hard but they demand a lot of time. I am guilty of not working as hard as I should, but I am not falling behind either. I think I am slowly dedicating more into it. Work is even easier than school. I put in about 7 hours each week and get paid for 20, so it's a deal of a lifetime. Next year, after the horrifying core exams, I can actually teach my own course in economics if I choose so, and I am really entertaining the idea of doing it. That would be fun!

Church is the thing I am most excited about. I was worried about being a Mormon in a liberal environment such as WSU before I arrived, but now I am just loving it. Now I know for myself that I am who I am because of my own choice instead of what every one around me is doing. The wards here are very small compared to the BYU ones, but because of that, we are all very close to each other. I have more friends and more fun at Church here than most wards I lived in at BYU. Another amazing thing is how many missionary opportunities there are out here. I have had several occasions that I talked about the Church with some one, and it's also so wonderful to see the new members joining the ward and enjoying the same kind of happiness I have been blessed with. I just hope among the girls here, I can find a brave one to appreciate me and see truly who I am. :-) Pray for me, my dear friends! :P

So in general, life cannot be better (well, I guess a female companion would be more preferable), and I know I am in the right place. I still don't know exactly why God led me here, but I can sense it that I made the correct decision to come to WSU. Plus, our mascot is still a cougar. How cool is that?!