Summer Term 2011

I may have forgotten to mention that I have a few friends that moved here before I have. I do not get to see all of them and the ones I do get to see is not all that often. I mainly hangout with my friend Brooke, who I know from Modesto, and my friend Rich, who I know from the Ska/Rocksteady/Reggae band The Israelites. Both friends have been more than gracious in helping me out. Which I am embarrassed to say that I have over stayed my welcome and taken advantage of. I am looking for work but also suffer from severe anxiety which I find to be crippling at times. But the fact remains that I have been here almost a year and have no job or means to support myself. Prayer in this area would be greatly welcomed.

Above is my friends and I at a club in Portland awaiting to see The Israelites and Dave Hillyard & the Rocksteady 7 perform. (right side of table/left to right: Brooke, me, and Rich)


So I find myself in need of income for school and for housing. And this is quite stressing at times. But on the flip side, my life at school is amazing! The work load for some of these classes are quite heavy and challenging but exciting. Last term, my first term, I was able to achieve a 3.2 GPA and was able to make some friends with classmates within my major. This term some of those new friends and I have choose to take some classes together which I have found to be relieving. This means I will have friends to work on assignments with and not feel stupid. I have decided to take the Summer Term since this will put my projected graduation date in 2013. The Summer Term started here at The Art Institute of Portland (Ai PDX) on Monday 11, June 2011. I am very excited for these classes and yet a bit nervous about the work load and extra expenses for supplies for a few classes. My only concern this term is finding a job and a place to live in a month or less.

On a more personal note I have found a Major League Soccer (MLS) team I have a passion and love for. I have been a San Jose Earthquakes supporter simply because that is our home team in Northern California. But there is a new team to MLS that has stolen my heart, the Portland Timbers! This team has been around for generations with a rich history and an adoring fan base. This year, 2011, is the inaugural season for this team to the MLS. Portland (and all of Oregon) are very proud of their team and have been fighting for years for the Timbers to become part of the MLS. There is a huge buzz up here in Soccer City USA. Their supporters, the Timbers Army (TA), are setting the standard in North America for the experience not unlike what you would experience in English Football. I was excited to find out that Ai was offering free tickets to a match last term. So of course I signed up and got to take a friend to see the Philadelphia Union play against the Portland Timbers at home! It was a perfect, beautiful, Portland day for a MLS match; grey and wet!! Brooke was the friend I took to the match and now we are both hooked. So hooked that we learn the TA chants and bought our TA "No Pity" scarfs!! Below are some photos of that match.

Brooke and I so excited we got there early!!


The Portland Timbers Football Club backed by the Timbers Army. The TA get there early and leave last. They stand and sing the whole time, win or lose. Brooke and I are the white dot just above the goal post in this photo. This is before everyone got there for the match and the teams where still doing their pre-game warm up drills.

"So, how's San Francisco?"

Well, I did a great job with this Blog! My last entry was shortly after my move to beautiful San Francisco, California. I am still getting asked how I like living in San Francisco. Apparently you folks do not stalk me on Facebook like I thought. Well, friends, I no longer reside in The City by the Bay any longer but in The City of Roses!

After months without work while living in San Francisco, I finally landed a transfer within In-N-Out Burger. I was now making money for rent once again. However due to the crackheads and a couple murders on my block I was pleased to hear that I had to move out of the Tenderloin District. My friend (and roommate) had to, unfortunately, move back home. Opportunities for a new place for me to live continued to fall through left and right. I ended up crashing on friends couches and staying in Motels. At this time I was encouraged by a few friends in the North West to move up there. So in October 2010 I left In-N-Out Burger and moved to Portland, Oregon. I also had to say goodbye to my church family at Reality SF. I was full of mixed emotions. But I had some great new (and old) friends awaiting me in Oregon.

I moved in with a long time friend until February 2011. Then I had to move back to California for a few months due to not finding work. Something I never thought would ever happen to me finally happened! I explored options to attend school for Graphic Design, a dream of mine ever since high school. I was accepted to The Art Institute of Portland and started classes in April 2011! I am currently awaiting the second term to begin in a little over a week from now. I am a full time student with 12 units per term heading toward a Bachelors of Fine Arts in Graphic Design.

I'm reluctantly seeking a part-time job to help pay tuition and a roof over my head. My projects in some of my classes are very time consuming outside of class. I worry if I can keep my grades up with a job. But I'm afraid there will be no school if I have no job. What can you do!? So far, for the first term, I have managed to get a 3.2 Grade Point Average (GPA) with two B's, an A-, and PA (Pass). The PA was for a class I get no credits, towards my degree, but it helps me get to the level I need to be so I can take the classes I do need. The class was a grammar class which I felt I did extremely well in. I feel more confident in my writing and as time passes I hope to explore this new found fondness. In the meantime do not judge my writing abilities. I have a lot of work ahead of me in that area. Haha.

Now let's see if I can keep this up from now on?? Enjoy your Independence Day weekend! Below are some photos of me during the Rose Festival and Fleet Week. Grace and Peace!!!