Welcome to Portland

According to the August issue of Portland Monthly, people from all over are moving to Portland in search of a "promised land that's quirky, smart, forward-thinking, and artsy, where microbrew gushes from the fountains and locally roasted coffee rains from the sky."

That's why I came here and that's what I precisely what I found, and so much more. 

Okay, so forgive the hyperbole, but I'm really loving it here in Portland.

The weather is amazing right now, and I'm enjoying it knowing that many long months of darkness and rain are ahead. There are so many things to do all the time here. Festivals, races, fund-raisers, farmer's markets, art shows, free concerts, etc. Someone told me it's the best place in America to be unemployed... and it's true. Tons of freebies and hand outs.

Unfortunately, it's a bit tough to find a job. I keep meeting people who don't have jobs, and it's like, "Can there really be THIS many people without jobs?!"

People here are so interesting. There are is a sort of campaign to "Keep Portland Weird." There are signs all over, and if you spend a couple of days here, you'll understand. So, a couch surfer, a hippie, a painter, a musician, and a writer walk into a bar... Could be a joke, or just any corner in Portland.

The CouchSurfing network here is awesome. I went to a weekly gathering of CSers at a local bar and was really impressed by the group (I think about 30 showed up). Right now, they are getting flooded with couch requests because it is the best time of year to be here AND because everone and their mother is moving here (I stayed at someone's house the other day and they were hosting five other CSers). But these Portland CSers are still friendly and welcoming despite the herds of pioneers. Actually, it looks like advice from several of them at different times has changed the course of my life...

I'm seriously thinking about not doing the Peace Corps now. I might write another post about that when I know for sure. Currently, I'm waiting to hear back about a teaching job here in Portland at an elementary school. I should know next week sometime if I have the job. If I don't have it, I'm seriously considering selling my car and moving to Spain to look for a job teaching English.

So, teaching in Portland is plan A. And I am excited about the possibility. Teaching in Spain is plan B, and I am excited about that possibility!

Time will tell.

I went for a walk yesterday, and heard some people playing music in a little park. I went and sat down to read and listen for a while. It seems there are musicians in every park in Portland every afternoon. You'd almost think that they were paid. While I was sitting there, a girl I met a couple of weeks ago spotted me and we ended up going out for a beer. A few hours later when I walked back past the park, the musicians were still playing so I decided to record some of it to share with my "readers." It was night time, so there isn't really any video, just audio.