I think I have the greatest moving in story…ever. Not
because it was smooth and easy…but because everything that went wrong, did go
wrong. It was amazing.
Saturday Morning, I got up and headed out to my apartment
complex (with David’s help…). Upon arriving, I felt like a fish out of water.
At the risk of sounding…insensitive?...naive?...I was surprised by the amount
of African Americans around. Not that there is anything wrong with that. But
again, coming from Utah, I am use to Hispanics and Tongans, and Samoans, etc. I
went in and signed the paperwork and was told that the door security system
wasn’t working so I would have to be buzzed in. But I was told that someone
would be there to let me in.
I entered my apartment and was blown away by how much space
I had. It is huge! I ran a quick errand to grab some stuff that I figured I
would need to hold me over until Monday and then went back.
Where I tried to get in…
…Several times…
No one was answering
the apartment that I was buzzing. Finally, a kind resident let me in and I went
to grab my luggage…and spent 15 minutes waiting for someone to let me in. The
office had closed by now and I didn’t have a number to call anyone. I finally
snuck in behind another resident and decided that it wasn’t worth trying to get
in all night. So I went to another hotel and spent the night in a place where I
knew that I could at least get in and out of my room.
The next day was Sunday, and so after carefully writing out
directions to Church, I checked out and headed out…only to discover that the
one highway the directions had given me was closed for a stupid bike
marathon!!!!
By now the homesickness had set in and I desperately needed
to go to Church. I was praying to go to Church. As I drove down another
highway, leading away from DC and where I needed to go, I prayed urgently that
Heavenly Father would let me go to Church. As I drove, I felt like I should take
a certain exit onto another highway. Suddenly I found myself on the exact road
that I needed to be on and heading towards Washington DC! It was nothing short
of a miracle, a tender mercy. From there I was able to get to Church and attend
the ward that I will be a part of for the next while.
It was a great relief.
Then I headed back to the apartment to talk to the housing
office about not being able to get in. The lady was extremely patient and
helped me out. Then another manager came and gave me her building key which actually
allowed me to get in.
Hallelujah.
So I spent my first night in the apartment…and woke in a
panic. I didn’t know what I was thinking. Why was I here? What was I doing?
I was “kind of” having a panic attack. I thought that I
needed to get out and the faster the better. And so I tried to…but nothing
worked out.
Now that I’ve had time to reflect on it, it was sheer panic.
It undoubtedly stemmed from the stress and fear of being in a new environment
and not believing in myself…and incredible amounts of homesickness…
But either way, I was able to get it all worked out and
talked with the management at my apartment. Apparently the cleaning crew that
was supposed to clean the apartment beforehand did not do the job they were
supposed to and the management worked really hard to get it all cleared up and
taken care of, which I really appreciated. It was nice to know that they
listened to my concerns and took care of them.
So now it is time to get settled in…
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