In harmony

"I see the ocean deep in your eyes...
I know nothing here can harm me now
I rest inside the hope of odds to come
Then end up in harmony"
- "In harmony" by Asgeir

I've listened to the song quoted above on repeat for about 5 days now. It reminds me of Norwegian landscapes with its folksy rhythms and fjord references, but it's also more than that. Throbbing bass, simple, honest guitar picking, Asgeir's falsetto voice singing lyrics like Victorian poetry - it is simply fantastic music, and it describes exactly how I feel right now.

I really didn't know what to expect when I returned to Oregon. To be honest, I really struggled when I first moved here in 2012 just because the culture is so different from what I'm used to. I actually had an easier time assimilating in both Germany and Norway than in Oregon, because the people that inhabit this state are downright random. If I meet someone new, I could flip a coin - and there's about an equal chance that they'll be a truck-driving former Marine with dirty fingernails and conservative views, or a bearded, barefoot alternative musician whose life dream is to live off the grid. (For the record, I've been friends with people fitting both of those descriptions exactly.) My downstairs neighbor once introduced himself to me as "a city planner...and also a rapper." In the course of a day, I have to make subtle adjustments to the way I speak and the assumptions that I make, just in order to communicate effectively with a wide variety of people.

Since I got back a little over a week ago, I've been pleasantly surprised over and over. People have received me with sincere smiles and hearty hugs. I feel like you only truly understand a place once you've left it, and I have a much clearer perspective on Oregon this time around. Historically speaking, it was a frontier state. The famous Oregon Trail brought homesteaders from all over, and from its very inception, the state was a dreamland for those seeking a fresh start. Oregonians are an assortment of people that wanted to get away from it all and ended up close to each other.

Oregon is weird, but it's also decently open-minded, and one way or another, I've come to fit in. I've learned to love the tree-lined two-lane highways, the constant danger of hitting an elk. I've come to appreciate kale chips, kimchi, and kombucha. Yoga session on the beach? I'm in. Full-moon bonfire and drum circle? Count on me. Underground dance party in an abandoned cheese factory? Yes, please!

This place is eclectic, but at least for now, it is mine. God willing, I will learn to live in harmony with all different kinds of people around me.

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