Culture shock - moving to Oregon...

I lived in Southern California my entire life. When my fiancee got into school in Oregon, we were both really excited for a change in scenery. Two years ago we packed up our things and moved to the Pacific Northwest, and have not looked back since.

Things are VERY different in Oregon. Things that are normally taboo in CA are normal in OR. For example, if you tried to talk to a stranger in CA, whether in the store or on the bus, you'd get the stink eye and silence. In OR, people will start up conversations with strangers all the time and divulge their deep secrets. Nothing seems to be TMI or inappropriate here. I had an old lady start telling me all about her sad life while I was waiting in line at the pharmacy. Being a Californian it was very awkward for me. There is an overabundance of friendliness here!



The next thing that is noteworthy is that even though it is said that CA drivers are terrible, Oregonian drivers are much worse. CA drivers are just aggressive, but you have to be in order to get anywhere. When you are stuck in bumper to bumper traffic, you really have to force yourself in, otherwise you wouldn't go anywhere, especially since people won't let you in otherwise. In Oregon, the drivers seem to forget EVERYTHING they learned in drivers ed, such as right of way, speed of entering a freeway, etc. For some reason, Oregonians feel it is their duty to stop in the middle of the road to let someone in/over even if they obstruct traffic and it is their right of way. This has caused me to have have several near misses accident-wise (not my fault.) These people slow down to let someone in a turn lane go, but forget that there is a second lane of traffic they have to cross and the oncoming cars WON'T SEE THE PERSON! Seriously, stop being so polite, it's dangerous!!

Oregonians really need to learn to enter the freeway at speed (not 20 mph under the speed limit...)

Oregonians also get stuck in an infinite loop at stop signs. Even if they got there first, they will INSIST you go first. They also forget that if you get there at the same time, the person on the right goes. Instead each person just sits there trying to get the other to go. People will stop even if they don't have a stop sign!!! This clip is only a slight exaggeration of what I am talking about. No you go!
I've gotten to the point where I just go when someone waves for me to go. I'm not gonna get sucked into the waving game.

I have seen some of the weirdest things on leashes since moving here. I have seen a cat, which isn't THAT big of a deal but it is unusual. I was in the store once when a man walked in with a bird on his shoulder tethered to him by a leash of sorts. I also saw a guy walking his rabbit on a leash in the middle of downtown.

Bikes are huge here, and people pimp out their bikes! I saw a bike once where the seat was so high off the ground that the only way I figure they got on it was a ladder, but they didn't have a ladder with them riding so I am still baffled...

Despite the crazy things in Oregon, I want to settle here forever. The scenery is beautiful. I've never seen so many trees in my life. The drive up to Oregon was a gradual increase in beauty, while driving down to SoCal is a gradual uglification going from lush green trees to BROWN AND DEAD! The allergies are worth living in the Pacific Northwest.

I love the feel of Oregon. There are so many eclectic stores and independent shops selling independent designer items. There are local farms that sell awesome produce. I have seen so many places that sell mead, of all things. Vegan options are everywhere, as well as gluten free and soy free. It's amazing. If you want to switch to organic and all natural, it's not a problem here. I bought some homemade soaps that are amazing and chemical free! I now have such a large variety of foods to choose from and it's heaven! I constantly spend way too much time in Market of Choice looking at all the neat foods they have. I am now in love with vegan ice cream and a vegan gluten-free soup I discovered. I will share recipes in later blogs!

The weather is by far my favorite thing about the Pacific Northwest. It rains a lot, and when it isn't rainy, it is often overcast. There is something about the rain that makes Oregon more beautiful. I cannot explain it. I love that there are seasons here; not the hot and not hot seasons of SoCal. There are no Santa Ana winds either (OMG THANK GOODNESS!) Those were awful!!!! It has snowed a handful of times in the last 2 years, which is nice because we get a few snow days to enjoy, but we don't get pooped out on it. You do have to be careful about getting enough Vitamin D here, as there isn't much sun until spring/summer. Supplements are important. I have become sooooo pale since I moved here. On a trip to CA, I was in a bright room looking at my reflection and I couldn't believe how while I've gotten! Oh well, it'll slow down the aging of my skin (yay for no wrinkles!!!)

Living in Oregon is definitely worth tolerating the bad drivers...