SOOO here I am. Nueva york!

I'm in the library right now and there's some guy just snoring quietly in the corner haha.But what a crazy transition it's been! And I say that it's crazy because it honestly has been the smoothest transition. It's crazy because I don't feel like I'm in New York at all, I could almost be convinced that I'm just outside of the MTC in Provo wandering the streets. But then I realize that I'm DEFINITELY the minority. So I guess you guys were already told where I will be, but the Bronx! Kingsdale or something? Man how can I not even know the name of my own area?! Oh well. In time I guess. 

So once I met my Trainer we went back to the Apartment where I unloaded all of my few belongings into my home of the next 3 transfers or more most likely. There's another companionship in our apartment because it's so expensive to live here in New York. I guess that's how most of the living situations work out. The apartment is...nice.... it will definitely do. The hallway smells about what I probably should have expected, like smoke and old building. Then we went by a grocery store thing and got a sandwich from the deli that has some sort of name. I guess it's a popular lunch of choice for the missionaries.

As much as I don't feel like I've left Utah, New York is TOTALLY different. Jay walking is expected, garbage is everywhere, the cultural diversity is like jumping into a jug Burty Bots of every flavor jelly beans, except there's just a whole dang bunch of Dominican Jelly Beans. The buildings are simply just not 1 story or 2 story buildings. That's a rarety more or less, just lines and lines and clumps and endless apartment buildings. They all clump together too. I've got my metro card and can already tell how incredible the public transportation system works out. I've got a lot to learn about this place.

I've learned that the spanish that the dominican's speak is going to be more like learning a new language or dialect than just an accent or something like that.... okay maybe not that bad. But it's like they are talking with marbles in their mouths and they don't pronounce their S's. Instead of como estas it'll sound more like como ta. And just trying to imagine whole sentences is going to be a nightmare. Somebody gave me an example of how they talk and it really does sound like a mouth stuffed with marshmellows, it's just a big blob of sound. But it's cool! I'll work on it, and it'll come soon enough. Nobody's seemed to give it enough attention to make me think like it'll be a long term issue. But then there's the whole speaking Spanish and not English, like not my language. That's pretty scary and difficult in and of itself. But awesome! I'm so excited to learn it and come home and speak it to you guys and bear my testimony at my homecoming and all of that! But it's going to be maybe a little more difficult to learn the language because I'm not completely immersed in it. I don't know! I guess we'll find out. IT'S JUST ALL SO MANY UNKNOWNS.

I just love you all so much! Tell me what's the haps back at home! And that means all of the things that you don't find interesting that are happening in your life, because there's not a thing I'm not interested in. 

Your favorite elder and loving son/brother/friend,

 Elder Johnny Durham