1
00:00:05.400 --> 00:00:10.480
You're listening to StoryHelix: intertwining
stories past, present, and not yet
2
00:00:10.519 --> 00:00:15.759
imagined in Lane County, Oregon.
What's up, earthlings? I'm Leah Velez and
3
00:00:15.800 --> 00:00:21.160
I'll be your host. The stories that
follow are raw footage. So let's open
4
00:00:21.239 --> 00:00:29.839
up our ear nuggets and give these
community submitted stories a listen. Hi,
5
00:00:29.920 --> 00:00:34.840
my name is Jeff Velez and my
pronouns are he and him. Belonging, to
6
00:00:34.920 --> 00:00:38.719
me is, you know, feeling
needed, feeling loved, feeling accepted
7
00:00:38.719 --> 00:00:43.280
by a person or a community.
But not only just love, accepting you
8
00:00:43.320 --> 00:00:47.920
for all your faults and everything else
in between. It definitely has a smell
9
00:00:47.960 --> 00:00:51.640
and taste. It depends on the
scenario. It depends on where I'm at
10
00:00:51.679 --> 00:00:55.359
and who I'm with. It could
smell like the air at a certain place
11
00:00:55.439 --> 00:00:59.880
by the ocean, or it can
taste like food growing up-- to your mom
12
00:00:59.920 --> 00:01:03.400
when she was cooking Pancit.
It smells like Adobo. When you're listening
13
00:01:03.790 --> 00:01:07.000
to music and you're cleaning the house
and you're just jamming, you and your
14
00:01:07.400 --> 00:01:10.959
mom. I moved around quite a
bit when I was a kid, but
15
00:01:11.000 --> 00:01:14.599
never in like the west coast.
I'd never been to Oregon prior to actually
16
00:01:14.599 --> 00:01:18.200
moving here. So that was kind
of crazy. When we first moved into
17
00:01:18.280 --> 00:01:22.280
East Campus Housing. Just a few
miles away from Hayward Field. You know,
18
00:01:22.319 --> 00:01:25.879
I just came back from Chicago.
I came from a place where everybody
19
00:01:25.920 --> 00:01:30.120
were first generation, BIPOC, or a lot
of people that were immigrants to America.
20
00:01:30.359 --> 00:01:34.840
Just super mixed. Cultures too, are
very, very family oriented. Like
21
00:01:34.920 --> 00:01:38.920
you're always around your brothers, or you
always around your mom, and you're taking care
22
00:01:40.000 --> 00:01:42.719
of each other. Coming to Eugene, I didn't feel that. You're on your
23
00:01:42.719 --> 00:01:45.920
own and now, you have to kind
of like, do your own thing. Like
24
00:01:46.000 --> 00:01:48.760
okay. A lot of what I
was doing, a lot of my identity
25
00:01:48.920 --> 00:01:52.760
was taking care of others and
being involved in that. That was
26
00:01:52.799 --> 00:01:55.879
a positive thing a little bit.
I was able to like self isolate and
27
00:01:55.959 --> 00:02:00.319
work on myself. That was kind
of nice, but it definitely didn't fill
28
00:02:00.359 --> 00:02:06.680
that void of like belonging or community
or feeling comfortable. More resentment than anything.
29
00:02:06.719 --> 00:02:09.439
It was hard. I felt very
lost. You know, I left
30
00:02:09.439 --> 00:02:13.680
my mother too, that was sick, and my family. I really felt
31
00:02:13.719 --> 00:02:16.360
like, in terms of rejection, I
guess I didn't feel a community at first.
32
00:02:16.400 --> 00:02:22.840
I didn't feel comfortable. I wanted
to leave really bad the first year
33
00:02:22.879 --> 00:02:24.520
we were there. It took us
getting out in and being involved in
34
00:02:24.560 --> 00:02:29.439
the community to see that there were
more to Eugene. The dance community definitely
35
00:02:29.439 --> 00:02:34.759
helped me open that door for myself
to talk to locals, people that were
36
00:02:34.759 --> 00:02:38.240
there, like they were super cool. The university environment was... we met a
37
00:02:38.280 --> 00:02:40.240
lot of people there that were really
cool, but it wasn't the environment that
38
00:02:40.319 --> 00:02:44.520
was cool, the people that came
out of it, that were involved in
39
00:02:44.560 --> 00:02:46.879
it. Those are definitely like long
friends that we have now, or I
40
00:02:46.919 --> 00:02:51.520
have, but it wasn't because of
that. It was just the people themselves.
41
00:02:51.800 --> 00:02:54.560
But being involved more in Eugene, you
meet a lot of really cool people.
42
00:02:54.599 --> 00:02:59.879
I guess like, when we really started
to get more involved in like Lane
43
00:03:00.000 --> 00:03:02.960
Arts and like Lane dance and
like the City of Eugene, we started
44
00:03:02.960 --> 00:03:09.439
doing performances for them, doing like
little demos for like Downtown Eugene. We
45
00:03:09.439 --> 00:03:14.240
did a few things with them and
in seeing our friends so involved in like
46
00:03:14.319 --> 00:03:19.319
Lane Arts and the City of Eugene
outdoors and the events, us being involved
47
00:03:19.319 --> 00:03:22.319
in that, or me being involved
in that, really felt like I felt
48
00:03:22.360 --> 00:03:24.240
accepted or I felt like I was
actually part of the community and I'm making
49
00:03:24.280 --> 00:03:28.840
an impact in some sort of way, that I'm able to share this dance,
50
00:03:28.919 --> 00:03:32.919
and this passion that I love, and
performing it, and inspiring other people,
51
00:03:32.919 --> 00:03:38.960
getting them to see dance and the
culture, what it is. Definitely has
52
00:03:38.960 --> 00:03:42.759
been positive for me. It's definitely
made me grow out of my shell a
53
00:03:42.800 --> 00:03:46.919
lot. A feeling of belonging takes
you back to certain moments. In Salseros,
54
00:03:46.520 --> 00:03:51.919
the sound of Salsa, Merengue,
Cumbia, Bachata, that smell
55
00:03:51.960 --> 00:03:58.000
of that old Vets Building...It has a
very particular old smell... I don't know how
56
00:03:58.390 --> 00:04:00.159
to describe it, like an old
library or I don't know, like can I
57
00:04:00.199 --> 00:04:05.879
say it retirement home kinda smell, but the sound
of the music, of the echoes in
58
00:04:05.919 --> 00:04:11.919
the hallway, not even like
any particular song or genre of music or,
59
00:04:12.319 --> 00:04:15.439
sorry, style of music, but
just how it echoes off of the
60
00:04:15.439 --> 00:04:18.790
walls, like going to get a drink
of water, reading like the ads on
61
00:04:18.120 --> 00:04:23.519
the wall. It's just like that
feeling of bliss in a sense of like
62
00:04:23.560 --> 00:04:29.199
I'm not overthinking, I'm not self-conscious, I don't feel anxious. I
63
00:04:29.199 --> 00:04:31.920
feel like I belong here right
now. I feel like I belong
64
00:04:31.959 --> 00:04:35.759
in this moment, and in this time, and in
this space, and I feel like myself.
65
00:04:35.800 --> 00:04:42.279
Whether that's dancing, talking, just
being in that environment, makes me feel like
66
00:04:42.480 --> 00:04:46.399
I'm accepted. It's an amazing feeling
and that space is very healthy and helped
67
00:04:46.480 --> 00:05:00.399
me grow into the person I am. Thanks for listening. You can find
68
00:05:00.480 --> 00:05:04.399
us wherever you listen to your podcasts. If you've got your own Lane County
69
00:05:04.439 --> 00:05:09.839
story to tell, we'd love to
hear it,
70
00:05:10.400 --> 00:05:10.879
at StoryHelix.Wordcrafters.Org
