I come from a place everyone calls paradise, where the sun is out all day long, where rain is something that is somewhat foreign and where you are surrounded by the Pacific Ocean. My home is the Big Island of Hawaii. But is definitely opposite of the place I live now. I live in Portland Oregon. It Is raining all the time and temperature is never above 70 degrees. The sun is barely out and when it is the temperature is still very low. I’m surrounded by skyline buildings which are surprisingly beautiful and there is nature in this city. It is not a concrete jungle but more like a city within a forest the way I see it. You can see and hear the birds, watch the squirrels bounce and climb all over the trees, you can also see beautiful cherry blossom trees in the spring and even geese. Some people may say is that even a city? Yes it is! A beautiful one indeed, a unique one as well.

This city thrives of nature and also art. There is culture everywhere around me, from the people to the food, this city is diverse. Don’t get me wrong many cities are diverse but you can definitely see it here. Every corner or block you turn there is food carts of multiple different cultures from Thai, Turkish, Hawaiian all the way to Japanese. Lastly this is an ecofriendly/biking city, being healthy and environmental friendly is a big thing here, from farmer’s markets to vegan options everywhere you go, it is hard to find a regular trash can that doesn’t have multiple options of where to throw away your trash.

This new place has given me something that I will never get the same of from anywhere else, and it is called personal growth and independence. This place may be a total opposite from my original home but I can say Portland has grown on me and is a place I can consider as home, not just a place I live.