This community member talks about her family's origin story in Oregon, and the sharp distinction that the changes in the environment had on her, when crossing to this side of the Cascades.
You can read more about the project, about Wordcrafters in Eugene, about our sponsors and community partners, and send in your own Lane County, Oregon stories at StoryHelix.Wordcrafters.Org.
Thanks for listening!
1
00:00:05.800 --> 00:00:11.000
You're listening to StoryHelix, intertwining
stories past, present and not yet imagined
2
00:00:11.279 --> 00:00:15.800
in Lane County, Oregon. What's
up, earthlings? I'm Leah Velez and
3
00:00:15.839 --> 00:00:21.199
I'll be your host. The stories that
follow our raw footage. So let's open
4
00:00:21.239 --> 00:00:30.480
up our ear nuggets and give these
community submitted stories listen.
5
00:00:30.519 --> 00:00:36.920
I was born in Flagstaff, Arizona. My Mom
was raised in Idaho and then moved to
6
00:00:36.960 --> 00:00:41.640
Flagstaff, and then my dad was
raised in Oregon in like Myrtle Creek,
7
00:00:41.640 --> 00:00:48.390
at tiny town south of Roseberg, but
they met at college and so I suspect
8
00:00:48.790 --> 00:00:51.600
that that's how we ended up back
in Oregon, as my dad was from
9
00:00:51.640 --> 00:00:55.159
here. So I was born in
Flagstaff, Arizona because my dad was going
10
00:00:55.240 --> 00:00:59.520
to school and he would have been
really perfectly happy, just like coming back
11
00:00:59.560 --> 00:01:02.960
to Myrtle Creek. I'm working in
like a mill. But my mom was
12
00:01:03.000 --> 00:01:06.790
the one that was like no,
you have to go to college, you
13
00:01:06.120 --> 00:01:11.959
know. So he got his first
job as a high school counselor? Maybe not
14
00:01:11.400 --> 00:01:15.480
his first job. I think maybe
he taught in Arizona for a little while,
15
00:01:15.519 --> 00:01:19.599
while too, but he got a
job in Klamath Falls, Oregon,
16
00:01:19.359 --> 00:01:23.200
and the funny thing about it is
like Klamath Falls is so different from where
17
00:01:23.239 --> 00:01:26.719
he grew up. It's like east
side of the cascades versus west side of
18
00:01:26.719 --> 00:01:30.239
the cascades. It's like he grew
up in like green, luscious, wet,
19
00:01:32.120 --> 00:01:34.319
you know, Oregon, and then
they moved to like this desert that's
20
00:01:34.359 --> 00:01:40.159
just like brown, but they stayed
there the rest of their lives. That's
21
00:01:40.159 --> 00:01:44.239
how I ended up in Oregon.
How I ended up in Eugene was my
22
00:01:44.359 --> 00:01:49.719
younger sister moved here. My sister
is still here. She was the first
23
00:01:49.719 --> 00:01:53.599
one to get married and start having
kids, and so it was my first
24
00:01:53.599 --> 00:02:00.120
experience of being an aunt and I
really wanted to be around my nephew
25
00:02:00.159 --> 00:02:05.400
when he was born. I had
visited Eugene in high school with my high
26
00:02:05.439 --> 00:02:08.599
school choir teacher because I was part
of a music competition thing, and when
27
00:02:08.639 --> 00:02:13.159
I came here, I remember we
went to Fifth Street Market and I just
28
00:02:13.199 --> 00:02:17.800
remember being like blown away, like
there's all these restaurants with food from all
29
00:02:17.800 --> 00:02:23.759
over the world and there was just
like nothing like that in my little hometown.
30
00:02:23.319 --> 00:02:27.199
So I just kind of remember tucking
that away of like, Oh, this
31
00:02:27.319 --> 00:02:31.400
place! It just felt like so
like cultured or something compared to like Klamath
32
00:02:31.439 --> 00:02:36.120
Falls. I was happy to move
here and I ended up finishing getting my
33
00:02:36.199 --> 00:02:39.840
masters at the U of O, but
only because my sister lived here and I
34
00:02:39.879 --> 00:02:45.960
wanted to be close to my nephew. And so coming to Eugene, I
35
00:02:46.000 --> 00:02:47.840
don't know, I just felt like
I could be outside here.
36
00:02:49.800 --> 00:02:53.319
And I also struggle with the rain, I think like everybody else, struggles
37
00:02:53.319 --> 00:02:57.439
with the rain to some extent,
but I don't know. The Green.
38
00:02:57.759 --> 00:03:01.120
The thing that strikes me about the
green over here as it almost becomes like
39
00:03:01.400 --> 00:03:07.199
gray. It almost becomes like the
neutral color or something until spring, and
40
00:03:07.240 --> 00:03:10.960
then when spring comes, there's like
a brand new color of green that comes
41
00:03:12.390 --> 00:03:15.800
up that's like brighter and lighter,
and then you're like, Oh, green!
42
00:03:15.639 --> 00:03:19.159
Even though you've been seeing green all
winter. You know what I mean?
43
00:03:19.199 --> 00:03:23.479
It just becomes like this kind of
neutral palette. I love the green.
44
00:03:23.120 --> 00:03:28.680
It makes the rain worth it.
I don't feel so attached to Eugene.
45
00:03:28.960 --> 00:03:34.800
I've lived in like a handful of
places and I've loved them all, and
46
00:03:34.919 --> 00:03:38.680
so I don't at all feel like
I'm going to live here the rest of
47
00:03:38.719 --> 00:03:43.439
my life. It makes sense to
live here because I love my job so
48
00:03:43.560 --> 00:03:49.120
much, but my husband works in
Portland. So two to three days a
49
00:03:49.120 --> 00:03:53.319
week he's driving up to Portland and
so there's times when I think like I
50
00:03:53.319 --> 00:04:06.719
could live somewhere else and be happy. Thanks for listening. You can find
51
00:04:06.800 --> 00:04:12.719
us wherever you listen to your podcasts. If you've got your own Lane County
52
00:04:12.759 --> 00:04:16.839
Story to tell, we'd love to
hear it at StoryHelix Dot WordCrafters Dot Org
