the land of ports

i wanted to let you all know (because you care!) i've returned from
asia and am now living in portland.

the subsequent culture shock of returning to the
states was a bit rough. suddenly i could understand
everyone's conversations on the bus. if you've spent
a good deal of time on public transit, you know this
isn't a good thing. i had sticker shock too. $5 for
a beer! $5 buys 5 beers in asia! i forced myself to
stop converting everything becuase i was getting
depressed. i would, as it turns out, have to get a
job sooner rather than later. a hard pill to swallow
after more than a year off.

arriving in portland i quickly realized its
surprisingly difficult and arduous to find a place to
live. portland, like every city i guess, has distinct
neighborhoods and every time i went to look at a
place, the people would explain to me the culture of
the particular neighborhood. alberta is where the
artists live, the pearl is shi-shi, hawthorne is for
hippies, and northwest is for yuppies. "but what
about if you're me?" i wanted to ask them. "the real
people live in the east, the fake people in the west."
"the east is suburbia, the real city is in the west."
the fact that its a "renter's market" and having so
many places to choose from only confused me more. i
could stay in a dungeon that stank of mold and had
slanted floors for $300, i could get a 1 bedroom for
myself on a nasty street for $450, i could live in a
nice little house but be terribly far away from
everything and as long as i didn't bring meat in the
house (this includes fish sauce - a key thai
ingredient i won't give up) i wouldn't be burned at
the stake in their next seance.

my dad was gracious enough to stick it out in the
search with me for a few days, but when that turned up
empty, it was me, my bike, and my backpack along with,
luckily, the sunshine. i had to start my classes
(anatomy and physiology at the local community
college) soon and i needed a place to sleep, so i
stayed in a hostel that happened to be filled with
mostly americans looking for places to live in
portland as well. a far cry from the hostels in asia,
i assure you. but it was pleasant and they had a
great cat and cheap pancakes.

i eventually found an awesome place in northwest,
making me a yuppie. its a 1920s apartment building
with beautiful hardwood floors and a view of the city
and mt. saint helens - on a clear day. its got a gas
range and room for me to do yoga in my room. its
raining today, but i'm headed outside to the columbia
river gorge anyway - you just gotta learn to love the
rain. the artists, yuppies, and hippies all agree on
that.