When places change...
After living in the Salem area for the last few years, it is weird going up to Portland. So many important landmarks of my past have disappeared as the city grows and changes. My high school is gone... When I was a kid my parents would always take us thrifting at Goodwill and Value Village. Back then it was not cool yet and I remember kids at school teasing me that I got my clothes used. I didn’t care, I loved the thrill of finding something cool. Freshman year I was getting harassed and just not "fitting in". The final straw came when a kid ripped my favorite distressed jeans from my upper thigh all the way to my knee. I walked around humiliated and frustrated that the teacher didn’t do anything about it. I decided to check out a K-12 charter school in Portland. I knew right away that was where I was meant to be. At this school it was COOL to dress in vintage, thrift store finds and EVERY kid at this school was friendly. Many came up to talk to me and introdu
