Portland Community College | Portland, Oregon

The Big Move to the Northwest

Written by: Hsin-Ying Lin

Before I left Taiwan to move to Portland, I would not have thought that some of my daily experiences would relate to the famous saying, “April showers bring May flowers.” Indeed, just like the other saying “things happen in threes,” three clear impacts crossed my path during the first few years of living in Portland.

The weather has impacted my mental well-being and body health. Since I have lived in Portland, I have been affected by the gloomy, wet, and notoriously cold Pacific Northwest weather. The high rates of precipitation restrict my feet from making contact with the outside, which decreases my daily happiness. Due to the lack of sunny days, in each corner of our condo I have a lamp for brightness. Many times I tell my sons and husband in a strong voice to never turn off any yellow lights without telling me, including the light above the stove. At first, I did not know why I acted so furious. When I shared this story with my friends, who also live in Portland, they told me that I may have seasonal affective disorder, also known as SAD. They recommended that I start taking vitamin D and that the lights should certainly stay on during the day.

A positive thing is that I have been able to do many outdoor activities that I could not do beforehand. During the pandemic, all restaurants and schools did not have walk-ins nor did they have their doors open. I had a lot of time on my hands for homeschooling my kids. Exploring outdoor activities then became a big routine in our family. I told myself that we, as a family, would try to do activities we have not all experienced. I tried SUP once. I launched it on the Willamette River, and the board was big enough for two children and myself to sit on. We were happily paddling, singing, and splashing each other. There were the occasional group of ducks or beavers showing up to greet us. Snowshoeing has given my friend and me a great chance to  enjoy and admire the beautiful snowy scenery, step by step. Since we both come from tropical and subtropical countries, the change in scenery was pleasant. Disc golf was a new activity, too. After I searched and listed some disc golf courses close to my home, I visited each one. As a beginner family, when any disc was accidentally thrown into a pond, river, bush, or even the middle of nowhere, it just all made us laugh and left a joyful memory.

The third impact is my weekend entertainment, which is vigorously planned with thriving arts, festivals, and other activities. Just like a new immigrant, I eagerly wanted to expose myself to the local scene. During the spring, I visited the Wooden Shoe Tulip Festival to appreciate a beautiful nursery that also shows a family’s decades of effort. After signing up for biking across the city, I got to know how Portland is a bike-friendly city. There are well-organized riding paths along the riverside, in the neighborhood, and colorfully painted designs downtown, encouraging the locals to present an eco-friendly environment. Each year for trick-or-treating my family goes to the Alberta district. Not only do the neighborhood stores cooperate together to give a sweet, friendly seasonal ambiance, but they also have numerous amazing murals to browse. It is where I learned about the diverse culture, strong community, and colorful history of African-Americans in that neighborhood.

Overall, Portland has given me many vivid and memorable experiences. Though some have been a bit negative, like a dreary rainy day that seems to never end, most of them have been positive, like the Tulip Festival and the numerous beautiful flowers that we enjoyed seeing. Certainly, the better effects have overridden the lesser ones by a wide margin.