I remember when I was a kid, I read the book Miss Malarkey Doesn’t Live in Room 10. From what I remember, it’s the story of a group of students being shocked at (somehow) finding out that their homeroom teacher doesn’t live in her classroom. I know, it sounds kind of juvenile (hey, it’s a kids book…), but for whatever reason, this book was revolutionary to me. Finding out that teachers had lives outside of the classroom was a very eye-opening realization, and not one I particularly enjoyed–the fact that Mrs. Florence and Mr. Copeland’s worlds didn’t revolve around me practically put me into an early (1/8th) life crisis.
And then, years later most likely, I found out that not only did they have lives outside of mine, they had their summers off too! Are you kidding me? My parents left for work before I went to school, and were back around 6pm. My teachers obviously didn’t start work until I showed up around 8:30am, and then were (again, obviously) done by 3pm, AND they got their summers off!? What a cushy job!
It was right there and then, as a struggling eleven-year-old aspiring young comedian, that I decided teaching was for me.
Ten yeas later, I had a much wider picture of what an elementary teacher does (thank you Brent), and I wanted no part of it. Luckily for me, I did choose a vocation with summer breaks…sort of. Just about education-based job revolves around the academic schedule. While there are certainly different types (semesters, quarters, year-round), each one has its own seasons, its own rhythms, and its own perks.
I consider myself lucky to have been working in the semester system that past two years.
MULTNOMAH FALLS HIKE – Not really in any order, the first thing that came to my mind was an awesome day hike at Multnomah Falls with a few coworkers at UP. We didn’t know each other very well at the time, but it was a much needed, well deserved trip that came just a few weeks into hall director training, and only a few weeks after I first moved to Portland. It was a great bonding experience with a bunch of people I would soon come to call good friends. I took a LOT of photos that day too and most of them have ended up on this site, and even printed and put into frames somewhere in my apartment or office. It was a great day indeed.
HOMEBREWING – It’s been a very fun, creative, educational experience and something that I’ve been able to continually learn and improve on with each batch. Homebrewing has definitely become a passion of mine and something that my brother and I have been able to bond over again and again. It’s been such a great experience to be able to mash, boil, ferment, bottle, age, and drink my own beer, as well as share it with others. Most of my batches I have had significant help on from friends and loved ones, which only sweetens the process. Recently, I was able to extend the love of brewing to two great friends of mine, Tyler and Andrew, who were gracious enough to let me help them brew up their first batch last month. It was a blast and I have high hopes for their wheat beer as well as their combined futures in homebrewing.
VILLA MARIA OPENING – I have experienced two of these phenomena in my hall, Villa Maria, and while as Hall Director, I’m technically the leader of the hall, I feel like I have merely experienced opening, rather than actually facilitated it. It’s a sight to behold indeed. It’s usually a warm day, the last weekend in August, in which 70+ freshmen arrive in dozens of cars, trucks and minivans. As they pull up to the front of Villa, dozens of student staff (or “Villans”) basically attack the car, say a quick, “Hi! This is Villa! Welcome to your new home! You’ll love it here!” and take all of their earthly possessions from their car to their new room. It’s a great experience for most, but understandably shocking and a bit off-putting to many others. While we try to prevent anyone from actually startling a parent of freshmen, it’s always great to see the enthusiasm that upper class Villans have for the first year students. And most of the parents are very grateful for the help in moving their child’s stuff. All in all, it’s a rare thing to witness.
RA PROGRAMS – Not just their programs, but the RAs themselves have impacted my Portland experience for the better, maybe more than anything else on a consistent basis (save…my wife…probably). The fact that we live and work together in the same building means that we’re constantly communicating, meeting, grabbing lunch and making sure that Villa doesn’t burn to the ground. Both last year and this year, the Villa RAs have been freaking fantastic. Their passion for the job, love of their residents, consistent hard work and thoughtful programming have constantly impressed me. While there have been some struggles here and there, being a part of the Villa staff with such upright, honorable, hilarious men has been an honor, and I will miss them more than I’ll miss any restaurant, neighborhood, or any other part of Portland.
CAPE KIWANDA – While it may just look like another beach with a giant sand dune on it to some people, to me it represents two (and possibly three…) of the best days I’ve spend in Oregon. (I know, I know, this isn’t technically “in Portland”, but hey, we started out the journey in Portland, so get off it.) The first was when Hannah and I had been dating for a month or so, we decided to drive out to the coast to see the…coast. I hadn’t spent much time there, and we ended up just driving around for a few hours talking, but eventually we made it to Cape Kiwanda. It’s a gorgeous beach with 
TENNIS - I played tennis once last fall with my buddy, Tyler. Somehow, my wife’s parents found out about it and they bought us two tennis racquets for Christmas. While we were very grateful, I was a bit embarrassed because well…I didn’t play tennis. Since Christmas day, however, I have played at least 4 times a week. No joke. And almost every time has been for over an hour. I’ve gone from being incredibly terrible at this sport to being not as incredibly terrible. It’s been an amazing transformation. The best part about it has been spending so much time with Tyler and my (now) cousin, Richard. Between them and my wife, it’s usually not too hard to find someone willing to play with me and it’s a lot more fun than going for a run here and there. Definitely a sport that requires a lot more equipment than my normal workout (running, lifting weights, basketball, etc…), but as long as I have this awesome, indoor tennis center a few hundred feet from my door (thank you, UP tennis!), I’ll keep playing as much as I can!
THE PROPOSAL AND WEDDING - I’m lumping these two together because in my mind, they’re very similar. While they were six months apart, they included a lot of family, friends, and lots and lots of planning. While I won’t get into the details of either here–you can watch both of them on 
RARE BEERS – Being in Portland, I’m never too far away from a brewery, microbrewery, or even a 
by Ben Helms
no comments
add a comment