This week has truly been a whirlwind. The week kicked off with its usual business and it seemed like everyone was once again immersed in an intense amount of school work. I was so excited to be back in Portland and be back with my friends but wasn’t entirely enthusiastic about the final surge of assignments that I knew were on the horizon.
On Monday I went to all my classes and then during my lunch break I went to the post office with my friend in order to file my passport application for my study abroad during Fall 2022.
After the post office we went to Hillsdale, which is a food cart square across from a Highschool. The food was really delicious and all of the karts were run by POC which was really refreshing to see. There were several different types of foods and beverages including: Indian food, Thai food, Greek food, sushi, Mexican food, and Boba.
I have been intrigued by the concept of a sushi burrito, which is a large sushi roll which can be eaten like a burrito, and so I was of course intrigued by the sushi kart which offered sushi burritos.
I ordered a sushi burrito and it was absolutely delicious. It surprisingly had Cheetos in it but honestly I kind of vibed with it. If I had to rank it, I would probably give it a solid 8/10. I also had Thai iced tea which was phenomenal. I would give it a 9/10.
I had such a good time with my friend and exploring a new area was also so amazing and made me so grateful to get to live in Portland.
On Thursday after class I again went out with a friend of mine to catch up on life. We went to the Hawthorne Asylum food carts where I had the most delicious Thai food I’ve had in my life. The Hawthorne Asylum food carts have a lot of different options and the dining area is quite beautiful. It’s also located quite close to a bunch of shops.
When it comes to Thai food I always order the Pad See Ew dish which is a rice noodle dish typically served with broccoli. I love spicy food so I ordered it at a hot level of spice. It was so incredibly delicious. The spice was perfectly balanced by the sweetness of the noodles and I had leftovers to spare for another meal. Rating 10/10.
We then went to a pizza food cart down the street where my friend ordered a pizza and I tried a slice. The pizza was also fantastic and the texture of the crust was delicious and quite unlike any other pizza crust I’ve had. I would give it a 7/10.
I had such a great time that night and something about the ambiance of the fire pit at the food cart dining area captured the exact vibe I had been picturing of college.
Yesterday, I went back to Hawthorne where my friends and I went and wandered around several shops. The one I remember the most was called 2nd Street, and it's a vintage and second-hand store. We spent about an hour and a half in that store alone.
The clothing was amazing and the prices were also reasonable and I had such a good time looking at fun sweaters and browsing cool finds. I would rate that shop a 10/10.
Overall, I had such a great time this week embracing all the fun aspects that Portland has to offer. I loved getting to spend time connecting with friends outside of campus and really enjoying some time away from school. I feel in a lot of ways rejuvenated and I hope that feeling lasts and serves as a motivator for this last stretch of final assignments and exams of the semester.
