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June 25, 2004

Culture Shock

I made it through my painfully long flights from Bangkok to Taipei to San Francisco to Portland without a problem. Well, if you can call having my bag dumped out and searched hardcore by customs not a problem... When the customs official asked me how long I'd been gone, where I went, etc, he marked something down on my form and I knew right away I was going to get shit.

I spent the next twenty minutes answering questions about where I had been, what I was doing there (stupid question really- travel) to which I wanted to answer "selling drugs and encouraging child prostitution." But I refrained. I wanted to catch my final flight to Portland...

I arrived in Portland where I was met by Mel Lasiw of Stevens days. She put me up, let me crash in her new pad, and best of all, let me use her washing machine. Ahhh... fresh clean clothes... I had bought a few new things in BAngkok, but still my old clothes were stinking up my bag (always embarassing during a customs check) so they had to be cleaned.

Anthony met me the next morning and we went out to Escape From New York, a pizza joint worthy of it's name. I inhaled my slice within seconds. I should have had a second now that I think of it because I won't be able to have another for a while. In Eugene, where I'm at now, there are pizza places (with suspect pizza) called "Pizza Research Institute" and crap like that. No thank you. I also saw about a million bagel places (all with the words "New York" in the names) but I can't bring myself to eat them. I have to wait until I get home to House of Bagels. I've waited eleven months, I can wait one more.

The thing that's killing me though is prices. I was cheap before but I've only gotten worse since travelling. At least while I was away, I could bargain for stuff, but when I handed over $19 for my part of dinner last night, I knew I couldn't argue and say NO, $6! I wanted to cry. Today I'm off to figure out photo stuff, and I'm sure those prices will turn me into a manic depressive.

Right on. Feel free to email me!! Internet is now free and I can reply more easily.

Posted by Claudia on June 25, 2004 03:03 PM
Category: Oregon
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