Drop a Gear and Disappear

In the past few months, there have been a lot of big changes in my life. I recently moved to Eugene, Oregon for college. Moving out of home and into college dorms is a huge change for anyone; some have more trouble with it than others, but for me the transition has been smooth. I’ve become accustomed to taking care of myself, and I’m staying on top of my school work. This week I acquired some sort of illness, and it’s hit me hard the last few days, but I’m getting over it finally.

Through this journey, I know I'm not alone; one of my cousins actually moved here for school as well, though he is attending a different school than I am. His apartment is only a short walk away, so I’ve been spending a fair amount of time at his place. It’s weird though, even at a place with so many people, I still feel somewhat alone. It could be that I’m not quite adjusted to being away from the friends that I’ve had since elementary school, or maybe I’m just not as social as I had anticipated I would be. It’s not to say that I don't know anybody, because there are those that I see quite frequently, but I don’t know their names, and they don't know mine. I was so used to the way that things were between me and my group of friends, that leaving that circle has made me somewhat socially awkward. It’s really weird to think that I know virtually no one in this unfamiliar territory. Granted I do know a person who is going to school not too far from me, but without my beloved car, that distance might as well be endless. Even farther than that is one of my closest friends that is going to school in Portland, a two hour drive, or couple days walk.

Being from California, I’ve noticed that the people native to Oregon are a lot different than I. People here are friendly, they'll say hello to any passerby they come across on the sidewalk, whereas I would never think to strike up a conversation with a random person on the street. I guess this is why everyone says we Californians are dicks, but oh well, we just have a different way of going about our lives. Maybe that’s the reason that I’m having a hard time making friends around here: it’s not in my nature to just go up to a person and introduce myself. Perhaps if we were at some sort of social event, say, a party, it’s a little easier, but usually the kind of people I meet at parties aren't those that I want to become “besties” with.

Anyway, this speech turned out a little longer than I thought it would be, but whatever, who knows the next time I get some inspiration to write about something. Until next time, keep it classy y’all.