ABCs Day One: Site Orientation

I'll to type this as quickly as I can so that my laptop doesn't run out of batteries! Today has basically been a whirlwind of traveling and orientations, but I'm having so much fun already and it's only Day One!

My day began this morning at 5: 45 am with a phone call telling me that my shuttle was running late. Had it not been for the phone call, I would have most likely overslept because I didn't set up my alarm correctly. Thankfully, I was all packed and ready go by the time the shuttle came. The 3-hour flight to Portland was short, smooth, and stress free. As we were approaching Portland you could see Mount Hood and the snow-capped mountain peaks that frame the city of Portland. From above, the city looks like any sprawling metropolis, but with green, green Evergreens all around the landscape.

Everything that I have heard about Portland before coming and seeing it for myself is true: it's gorgeous. I only got brief glimpses as our MAX train zoomed downtown through the Saturday Market, Pioneer Square, and Portland Chinatown. Everything has a historical and urban feel that reminds me of San Francisco, but is still unique and unlike another US city I've visited. I got lost briefly when I got off the train but from my brief stint I learned that everywhere you turn there are parks, trees, and buildings with historical architecture; our hostel is event registered as a historical site in Portland. I have the huge sense how of how much Portland is in tune with the environment and places value and energy into preserving its historical neighborhoods. The Northwest Portland International Hostel is one of the most widely traversed hostels in the U.S, each year serving 25,000 visitors and has been ranked 5th in the world on a survey completed by travellers, alternative break groups and the like. The hostel owners informed us today about the history of hostel, and once again, you can hear in their voices about how much value they put into creating community partners. I love it already.