FRESH AIR, FRIENDS AND NO FRIENDS, IN PORTLAND
Thesis of events:
At 34 years of age . . . Nate and his girlfriend, Wendy moved to Portland, Oregon to either try something new or to experience a different side of life not that of southern California. It seemed that we were conquering new lands and with new and unique people, we all were suffering the lost of warm weather and our new surroundings in the Northwest. During this period, Nate was not getting the experience of the Northwest as he expected. Portland was unlike most cities I have seen along the coast, it had somewhat of an appeal like that of San Francisco, but with cheaper rents and no so crowded streets. However, finding a job was an almost impossible reality. Nevertheless, Nate, Wendy and I tried our best by enjoying whatever we can: taking long walks even in the rain, taking hikes, checking out Multnomah falls and we also hung out with our old college friend, Tyler. We lucked out, Tyler’s parents had a beach vacation home south of Seaside and we spent two days there, listening to music, making great food, drinking wine, beer and smoking who knows what. We went insofar as playing hide n’ go seek during the night hours.
Weeks went by and still no job to find, plenty of interviews and filling out useless applications, observing work-ethic related posters and flyers and left without any idea of how I was going to able to take care of myself or even feed myself. Nate’s job was also getting the best of him, he didn’t know how much longer he will be able to survive on his wages and hours provided. One day, he decided to quit his job and say, “fuck it!” to the Northwest experience. Wendy thought he was making a bad mistake, but she then realized that things were much better back in California. They decided to pack their things and head back to the Golden State. I on the other hand, had nowhere in California to call home or a place to stay.
They left and thanks to Tyler, I was able to stay with his parents in the city of Lake Oswego, a suburban town ten minutes away from downtown Portland. At this time, Tyler had already moved to L.A. to be with his Aussie girlfriend. While, I was not able to pay rent to the Smiths, instead, I offered my services of being honest, trustworthy, loyal, providing with cleaning duties, housesitting, walking and feeding the dog, the cat and the house talking bird, Pepper. A week later, I found a job, working in Eastern Portland, about twenty miles away. It was a good commute, not much traffic. The job was brainless, but it paid! I even made some friends while working there. I worked from 3pm to 11pm and when I returned home, I made a small sandwich and did a few exercises before going to bed. Usually I would stretch for about a half-hour.
I found comfort going to bars, restaurants, or anywhere alone. This was a good thing, because it helped me to imagine what a good friend should be and also knowing who my friends really are. Though, I was hoping to see a familiar face or encounter a familiar situation to remind myself that I was not alone in the world. Attila contacted me to tell me that he and his friend, Mark will be coming to Portland to visit me. During their visit, we stayed in a youth hostel in downtown Portland. It was good to be back in the traveler’s environment of smelling shoes, backpacks, guide books, maps, internet browsing, cameras flashing, different languages, accents and meeting new strangers. We took drives along the Oregon coast and passed through some beautiful areas around. Attila and Mark were planning to save up money to take a long journey around Europe and they wanted to come along. But, with the cost of such trip they planned would cost about $3,000 dollars and I was also unsure how long my current job would last, considering it was through a temp agency. In any case, the ideas of going back to Europe was enticing, but I had to realistic, even if I were able to save up money like that, where will I end up after the money or the even the journey was over?
Lane and Dana (Tyler's parents) told me a few days after Attila and Mark’s visit that one of their relative was selling an old 1976 Volvo station wagon for $600 dollars. When I saw that car, I fell in love; it was a funky yellow color wagon, red rims, with Oregon license plates, hearts in the rear view mirror and that funky 70’s style of leather seats. I took it! This was my first time buying my own car and it felt great.
Around the same time, while at work, a new guy was hired on, named Marques. He was a quiet guy who just did his work with his headphones on. He later told the company that he would be leaving by early April. He landed a job working overseas in Germany working behalf of U.S. department of defense as a security. When he told about his new career overseas, I had almost dropped everything. “This was my chance,” I thought. He told me that it was easy even for me or anyone for that matter to get hired on. Marques gave me all the contact information and web address to inquiry about the positions and other advantages with this company. This company known as, AFRC-Edelweiss Lodge and Resort. “Wow! This is a good thing,” I thought, as I was thinking of all the travel possibilities and the amount of money I could save and spend while abroad. But, that would also mean that I would not be able to meet with Attila and Mark. And, do I want to take upon such a career all alone? These were the many struggles going through my head. I had thought about several friends of mine who would be interest, but in the end, I was sure that these certain individuals would not be good traveling partners. Attila would the perfect candidate but he already made plans with Mark. In addition, Mark has piercing. “No Dice!” Then it just occurred to me, and I should have thought about it in the first place, “hmm, Nate?” I then called him up and told him about this job and the travel advantages that he and I could share and experience. Around this time, Nate’s job was going nowhere and he was unsure where his life was going. We agreed that we must meet up again in California and talk a bit more about this sort of move.
I faxed my resume, application forms, and all necessary documentation in order to not only get that job in Germany. Around this time, I was feeling more confident than ever. I was having the best of all dreams and there wasn’t a day with sadness or sorrow. Usually before work or on my days off, I would hike around Tyron Creek and that is where I met Alex Meadows. He told me a story about how he rode his bike from Oregon to South America. It took him six months to complete this journey and originally his plan was to go to San Diego, California. He was my hero and I had to learn more about this guy. I told him about my stories of traveling and getting into trouble upon returning home, while reestablishing myself only to get away again. I wanted to see my family before I get accepted for this job overseas. Weeks later, I left for California
SOUNDTRACK
- The Urge-Master of Styles
- Coldplay-A Rush of Blood to the Head
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