Life has become entirely too exciting to not write on here. And I figure, If I wrote blogs from Israel and Peru, I might as well write some from my new home here in Los Angeles. I must admit, there are many a time that I sit, driving my car, and the unfortunate jingle by Miley Cyrus "Party in the U.S.A." pops into my head.
"Hopped of the plane at LAX, with a dream and my cardigan. Welcome to the land of fame, excess, whoa, am I gonna fit in."
My oh my have these last 2 weeks been quite a ride. After driving down here from Washington with my best friend Matt (after a few stops in the towering red woods and eclectic San Francisco) we met up with my mom and aunt here in LA. The anticipation the night before moving in killed me. But all I could think about the entire night before was, within five minutes after moving in the next day, I would know who would be rooming with me for the next year, maybe even two. Do you call that pressure or what.
But God had me, as always, perfectly situated and prepared for this. Upon arrival the following day, I was greeted by my soon to be fellow roommate Frank (or Fan) in the elevator ride up. He was a striking 6' 4" and.... from China! So, after 2 years of traveling and speaking with very small words in other countries in other languages, God was asking me to do the same accept now in my own country and in my own language! haha Frank is tall, by he is extremely reserved and quiet. One of the first things he ever said to me was, "Don't you worry about me Luke, I can live under any circumstances." His accent made the statement that much more enjoyable. It was also a surprise to me when he asked me shyly, "Wait, you actually like China?!" Its safe to say that the decision of who God had picked for my roommate was made long before I got here. And the best of all, Fan is a Christian. Again, after two years of being confronted with other religions and beliefs (even within my homes), it is nice to finally have a similar thinker to come back to at the end of the day.
As for my other two roommate (if you didn't know I'm in a 2 bedroom apartment, so, two guys per room), one's name is Malcolm. He is from Fresno, African American with a mother from Belize, but leans much more to his "rapper" side. Nice guy, super athletic, yet is becoming a doctor (optometry) and loves to read novels. Haha, one of those people that you just can't quite pin down as to what their personality type really is, but I consider it a good thing.
And finally the last, Andrew. Andrew was born in England and lived there until he was 9. He doesn't have an accent anymore but his parents sure do, plus, Andrew knows enough about fine beers and tea to assure you he is not from the states. He's one of the nicest most honest people I have ever met. He's an anthropology major mainly because he wants to travel the world just to be able to help people. And he already is. Through some random stock in different breweries, Andrew makes over 120,000 dollars a year, yet keeps only 2,000 for himself. He doesn't believe in hoarding money and has already sent himself and some other kids to college. He donate most of it to charity or his siblings, and owns enough things to make you think he is homeless. Such an interesting fellow, and I think we are going to end up being really good friends.
As for school, Ucla is located literally right outside of the famous, Beverly Hills. It is beautiful here. Right on the edge of LA and makes me feel a little more comfortable living in a city that way. I don't feel so trapped. The school is big, but God again provided by sending me to the film school. Which, due to its intense selection process, is very small. My class of 2015 barely reaches 30 students, which are then separated into two classes of about 15 people. I feel like I'm back in my grade school private school New Life Christian. It again has been a great way to meet a lot of people and get really close really fast to them.
But I will spend another blog post talking about the crazy things God has done within those walls. For now, I am content and excited for this journey. I have loved every moment here and only tomorrow will tell what it will bring. Today is too exciting, so I'm living in that. I'm gonna push my hardest, do my best, because God gave me this opportunity... and I'm taking it.
Blessings,
Luke Grigg
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