On Friday, August 14th, Sam and I arrived in Portland. This has been drastically different from our experience of arriving in Orange County last summer in the dazed shock of post-marriage-honeymoon-graduation-moving trauma. Last summer, Sam left for work like two days after we got there, and I sat home alone and cried in the midst of box piles with no car and no job in a strange place. I didn’t know what to do, where I was, or how to find my initial day job (laundry and dishes) fulfilling.
It was no one’s fault—neither of us had attempted such a feat before. Last summer wasn't all bad—it was full of adventure and laughter and all those good things. But it could have been different, maybe a little easier had we approached it differently. Luckily, we were only there for a few months. And thus, this approach to a new place in a new season has been so very different—in the best way.
Here are a few steps to make a move not just a not-unbearable experience, but an AWESOME experience:
1) Find a place to live beforehand and physically see it. Google Streetview doesn't count. Make a list of criteria you’re looking for, including what type of neighborhood feel you want, the size of your living space, proximity to work and local attractions, price range, etc. Weigh pros and cons between options. And in the end, go with your gut. Follow your intuition. You don’t want to sleep, eat, live, and love in a place that doesn’t jive with you.
2) Give yourself enough time to move out. Make time to pack and thoroughly clean your old place. Don’t rush the moving out or the moving in. Last year, two days before my wedding, I didn’t plan enough time to move out or clean my apartment and ended up curled up in a fetal position in a pile of trash on my bedroom floor. I didn’t know how on earth to pack everything up and clean and make it out alive—it was too much. With a lot of help and encouragement, I was prompted out of my corner and somehow we managed. But I didn’t plan ahead. There was a wedding to worry about. Moving out could have been a much more pleasant experience with less stress had I given myself more time. This time, we even made time for a going away party, and we're so happy that those of you who could make it came by. We miss you!
3) Give yourself enough time to move in. Last summer, Sam and I showed up in town just in time for Sam to start work. We didn’t get the chance to settle into our new home together or even get to know the neighborhood before other commitments took over. This time, Sam and I have been so fortunate as to have two weeks before Sam’s training. In the first week, we unpacked together, went grocery shopping, took walks in the state park three blocks off (heaven!), walked to the library and got library cards a few blocks over (also heaven!), and relaxed together after a lot of hard work, traveling, and Sam’s finals at BYU. We’ve had time to adjust to our new surroundings, enjoy the excitement, and make plans together.
4) Don’t wait to get involved in your community. Weeks before we even moved here, I spent a lot of time networking the Portland music scene. The day after I arrived, I already had a masterclass to attend downtown, featuring Erik Harris, the principle bassist of the St. Louis Symphony. I didn’t play in the masterclass, but I did make more connections, got phone numbers, and leads for teaching and performing opportunities. Because of these connections, I’ve already been invited to teach at Artichoke Music (an awesome hippy-folky music center/school/store/venue) in SE Portland and possibly record with the owner, learned a lot about the jazz scene, joined the Beaverton Chamber Symphony (a community orchestra), chatted with the owner of Pete’s Bass Shop (Pete, of course), scheduled an audition to sub with the Vancouver Symphony, and arranged for an upcoming lesson with a member of the Oregon Symphony, who also gave me the principle’s number so I can play for him for another possible subbing opportunity. It’s amazing where a few phonecalls, e-mails, and personal visits can lead you. I’m excited about these potential opportunities to play and teach in the area.
5) Be proactive about hanging out with friends—including friends you’ve never met. We’ve had the pleasure of meeting many new faces at Church, at our stake temple night, on our street, at music shops/venues, etc. Sam hasn’t even started work yet and we’ve already been treated to dinner with a future coworker and his wife after striking up a convo with them. This weekend, we also made spectacular plans to reunite with high school friends Seattle, through whom we met even more new people (friends of the friends) at Gasworks Park and the Broncos vs. Seahawks game. Sam’s best man, Spencer, and his wife Molly were our very first houseguests to visit and sleep over on Saturday and Sunday night, and we had a great time with them. It’s so nice to be in a new place but not feel like you’re alone. You’re never alone if you make friends.
6) Get to know your country. Not like your nation, per se, but your territory—your hood. We’ve been scoping out shopping, food, entertainment, downtown Portland, Oregon’s natural wonders, the local library, local parks, and more, connecting with our town and our state. We’re well on our way to becoming Oregonians at heart.
7) Work. Whether it’s working on your yard, taking care of your kid(s), unpacking/moving in, working remotely, studying, writing, or networking, do something productive with your time. Idleness is one of my weaknesses, but after seeing how blue I was last summer with no work (and resorting to McDonald’s to get my kicks), I knew I would need to find work of some sort when I got here. I knew I wanted to teach music and freelance, but I also knew this would not be enough for fulltime work, given the number of classical bass players and students in the world. I’m planning to teach two days a week (that is, if I get any students. But otherwise, I was considering other ideas—nannying, secretarial work, office work, senior home care, etc.
Today, I settled on something:
I accepted a job today to work 4 days a week at
Hollyhill Quilt Shoppe and Mercantile in West Linn. I’m VERY excited about this! Unlike other basic retail work, this is like working in the Instrument Office where I was at BYU, where I’ll be involved in an artistic community that requires knowledge and skill in the appropriate field. I’ve always been into the arts, including sewing, knitting, paper crafts, embroidery, design, and making clothing. So check it out—I’ve been inducted into the quilting community! In addition to assisting customers, I will be learning how to quilt (quilting classes are part of job training? Yes, please!), cutting patterns and assembling kits, learning about fabric and quilting designers/designs, and maybe even helping with the store’s website. And to top it off, I’ll be making new friends who have similar interests to mine—and that is very important to me. I had a great time with the owner and her son at my interview tonight. We had so much to talk about, and I also learned a ton about an art I’ve been wanting to learn for a long time. I can’t wait to get started tomorrow and become an expert quilter. I want to make the coolest quilts on the block. Watch out!
That’s the moving report! More to come, as always!
Love,
Liz
[James Cook's trash can bass. Another variation is commonly known as a "gut bucket" or washtub bass.]
