It is really difficult to balance need-to-dos and want-to-dos. I had to deliver my first assignment on Monday but instead of using all weekend for the assignment, I chose to both have a move-in party on Friday (ruining the Saturday) and a trip to Portland on Sunday. Not a smart move when you are adjusting to new ways of learning AND teaching at the same time. Oh well, besides missing some sleep, the assignment was quite ok actually.

But it is hard to do everything. I probably mentioned it earlier but being able to do all the things I want to do is not an option. Retrospective, the last three years have been totally insane. Being a fulltime student, having a job for about 15 hours a week, doing 3 gymnastics practices a week and at least one whole weekend each month of gymnastics — oh and having a girlfriend some of the time too — I really do not understand how I managed that and still got to the US…

Well, that’s just some thoughts. Here I am, and I am trying to balance my time. From the above it is pretty much evident that I am used to doing that. I had a great move-in party with a lot of people and a great trip to Portland. Yann, Antti, Natacha and I drove up there in a car we borrowed from Yann’s previous host family (another example of the incredible hospitality here). Yann knows a girl in Portland, Allison, and she showed us around town. Portland is the first “big” city I have been to in the states so far and has actual skyscrapers. Well, skyscraper is maybe not the right word but it sounds better. And Eugene is just… flat.

Getting closer to Seattle, I noticed that the number of Starbucks shops increase drastically (Starbucks originated in Seattle). There is practically a Starbucks on every corner of downtown Portland (again, over dramatizing stories makes my memories more exciting and reading more appealing). I would like to go to Portland again and I know I will. Even though I should be studying instead.

(By the way, I added a new gallery. See previous post or the gallery page.)