Arrival, Captain

So I'm here in Mormon Country.
Yesterday was busy. Left Baton Rouge early in the Colombian morning, and with a bizarre sense of detachment... I'm sure it will hit me later, and in waves, that this shebang is permanent. Flew to Atlanta and then to Salt Lake. Watched the attendants vigilantly, and probably made everyone on board uncomfortable because of it. Sat next to a teenage girl with a live turtle, and she kept holding it up to the window so it could see.

There are mountains here. I was able to identify them because I've seen those things on TV. Here on the ground, everything is incredibly clean... you forget that the rest of the world is like that when the only big city you know is New Orleans. The hotel is nice. Rooming with a native named Steve. Across the street is a huge public park. There are lawn sprinklers everywhere. The word 'everywhere' doesn't quite get the point across... more appear every time you blink. It's insidious. There's something afoot here, and it makes me uneasy.
Shuttling to Wal-mart tonight for groceries. Wal-mart, I was happy to discover, is a chain... as is Papa John's pizza. That'll keep me happy for a while.
School began today. Took a written test and delivered the memorized speech... no problem. We lost a few, though... our class has begun the inexorable dwindle (whatever that means). The instructors were friendly, but then this is the first day... I'm sure we'll draw fire soon.