Holy Catfish, what a day. Somehow, the family we are staying with convinced my Dad and I to go to an exercise class at 7 AM. I agreed for some reason and there I was, up at 6:15 AM on my vacation day. It was actually a lot of fun (well not as fun as sleeping) and it was a really good workout. It was just like bodypump, which I do whenever home, so nothing that killed me too bad. After, we went to the Lake Oswego farmer’s market, which was really cool. All the local vendors were set up and we got this awesome breakfast at a “northwest-mexican food” stand. We headed back to the house and I went on one last paddleboarding session before I had to head out.
A one hour drive later, we were back in Salem to pick up my sister. I really wanted to see Portland before my flight at 10:50 PM so we got her and headed up to the city. The saying, “keep Portland weird” definitely makes sense after a few hours in the city. I was looking forward to seeing hipsters everywhere when I arrived, only to find purely strange people. There was a hipster here and there, but overall I was let down. Regardless, she showed me around Portland State, where she will be starting college in the fall. The bulletin boards were full of extremely cool classes that would blow your mind and I would love to take, but unfortunately engineering does not give me any leeway in my schedule. It is a cool school, in the heart of the city. If she makes the most of her time there, she could come out with both a great education and a whole new mindset on the world. We had a few hours before we had to be anywhere so we headed to my sister’s favorite place in the world, Powell’s city of books. It was like a 3 story mansion full of books. I got lost on multiple occasions, but I found an extremely cool book in the super exclusive third floor. Someone was getting married there; they must really enjoy reading I suppose.
We then met my Dad’s high school art teacher from when he was in Hong Kong. Him and his family spent 4 years out there when he was younger, living in the heart of the city. He and his teacher spent a few hours telling us stories of Hong Kong and some of the adventures they used to go on. It was an experience that changed my Dad’s live at the time, and truly opened him up to other cultures. He often encourages me to study abroad. I am hoping to fit a trip to either Spain or New Zealand someday. I only have a few years left, so hopefully I can work something out. College is the best time to do a trip like a semester-abroad, so it is best to take advantage of it while you can.
After dinner, we walked around for a little bit more and then it was time for me to catch my flight. I got the cheapest flight possible flying a redeye from Portland to Atlanta and then Atlanta to Charlotte after a 3.5 hour layover. As a matter of fact, I am in Atlanta writing this blog post right now. 7 AM in the morning, exhausted because it is impossible to get a good night’s sleep on the airplane. Oh and with the time change it feels like 4 AM. NBD. I cannot complain, as there is an ABP in the ATL airport. What more do you need. Even though I will have difficulty paying for it, as I am used to using my hokie p. I also get to spend the next few hours people watching, one of my all-time favorite activities. The pleasure of seeing so many different cultures and ways of live is better than any reality tv show to me. Can’t say I am going to get deep on your ass today, as I can barely stay away to write this. But don’t you worry, I’ll leave you with a quote as always.
“An ounce of action is worth a ton of theory.” –Ralph Waldo Emerson
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