Map May Not Be To Scale

I’ve never been very good at introductions. Many Obies, I think, suffer this problem. No matter how longwinded we get, nothing seems to encompass everything that we do, everything that we are, and everything that interests us. I’ve tried and nothing seems to do more than scratch the surface. Maybe I’m overanalyzing. I’ll keep this introduction simple:

Hi. I’m Harris. I love Oberlin and if you stick around for a while I’ll tell you why.

For today though, we’re going to start away from Oberlin. At this moment, I am on the first leg of Harris’s Great Pacific Northwestern Adventure, hanging out at my Reedie friend’s house in Portland, Oregon.

Each semester, just as classwork hits fever pitch and Oberlin students are on the verge of declaring that we just can’t take this schooling thing anymore, we are suddenly set free—loosed upon the world for one week of (hopefully) stress-free vacation. I could not have been happier this week when my final midterm was turned in and I was free to travel for a little while.

Not that I’m always so eager to skip town. I’ve certainly spent a few breaks in Oberlin and I love the fun and relaxed campus break environment. I recommend that every Obie spend some time in Oberlin when school isn’t in session.

I spent one Fall Break back home in Berkeley. But truthfully, flying all the way back to Berkeley—during a time of the year when most of my Berkeley friends are off at their own distant colleges—hasn’t always seemed worth it.

By far my favorite thing to do over Fall and Spring Breaks is to explore someplace new. I’ve spent breaks visiting New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Montreal, and Washington DC—places I had never been before. And no matter how many places I go, I never run out of places that I want to go.

This week I’m visiting friends in Portland and Seattle and then my sister in Walla Walla—where she just started her first year at Whitman College. I’ll share the interesting parts later on, but for now, here’s the itinerary:

I’ll see you on the other side.