I'm here!!

[topazera]

 So once again, Val is encouraging me to post about my life! This time there is a big update though, I'm officially in Portland, Oregon for a year! It was a loooong process to figure out that much. For a while, my family thought about trying out Statesville, NC temporarily but in the end... no one really wanted to be there, y'know? So, at least now we'll be somewhere we wanted to be for a year though idk if it'll wind up being too expensive to stay here any longer than that. It's good to have this much settled, honestly this process was a drain on my life for a solid six months.

Notes!!

☁ I'd take pictures but I've only gotten as far as having a bed frame and boxes in my room so far. I'm actually currently stressing over trying to acquire some furniture on craigslist: I get too easily attached! And then stress over ever single interaction with someone, trying to figure out how to be the most lowkey buyer, hahaha! Hopefully I'll eventually have some more furniture though in the meantime, I'm a little proud that I was able to resemble my ikea furniture both single-handedly and without instructions. 👍

☁ We're staying in an apartment that is just too small for us technically (two bedrooms when we should have three) so fingers crossed that no one snaps. It won't be me, hahaha, I have the smaller bedroom to myself and that's all I need!

☁ Speaking of, the reason people might snap is that my dad is a beginner fiddle player. This wasn't an issue in a house, where you could get farther away but in an apartment... it's super funny though because we've met a couple neighbors now and apologized for the potential noise of that and their response was always "Did you overlap with the neighbors moving out above you?" ("only for a day or two" is the answer) "Well, it's nothing compared to having several screaming small children in the building!" lololol, as I've told my dad, the volume of those children is the best thing that could have ever happened to his fiddle practice.

☁ As far as the practicalities, they were sold out of my bus pass at the grocery store so I haven't gotten one yet and I'm just not sure if I'll be able to get a job here. It seems like the have enough people like me here, I only feel like I'm possibly hireable when I'm in an area really desperate for plain ol' vaguely competent, well-spoken people. 

☁ It's soooooo cool though, we only live a block away from a park entrance that then connects into Forest Park which is huuuuge. It really makes living in a city much more livable, coming the suburbs especially. You just need that green to be able to escape into~ This particularly corner of the city is much more lowkey though. And I'm shocked by how considerate the cars are here of pedestrians, like I actually feel like I'm inconveniencing them by stopping to make sure they'll let me go without hitting me. Being able to travel on foot is definitely the best part about this apartment for me, I just haven't fully taken advantage of it yet~ It's kind of amazing, never having lived in a city before. Things are so different here, transportation-wise especially.

☁ Other than that, things are pretty chill. I've been getting into drama watching again, with Jimi ni Sugoi! and Ashi Girl. I watched Kouhaku live here, even though it was at 2am-7am, and thought it was really good this year!!  The pacing of the second half was better than usual, I thought! Though the Arashi medley could have used a longer interlude or something imho, I'm used to be spoiled there. 😉 And I've been getting into BTS more again lately, I felt like I beat the curve getting into them back during the I NEED U era but then I took a break from keeping up with kpop at all and now everyone is into them, I swear! :D

Happy New Year, everyone! Hope you're well! ❤

Comments

[satoyan]

I talked to Jess about the job thing and she agreed--it might take several tries, but in a city is where you're most likely to find a job due to sheer volume of opportunities. You can get a job, top! It just might take time. (And it'll only "take time" if you try, of course--the not trying doesn't count as "taking time" fjkdsla;fjsl. HOWEVER if you're not in a place to do it, that is different. :D I just mean that sometimes in my life I've been like ugh why don't I have a job and then realized I only applied for one in the previous six months and could Only Blame Myself.)