Well well I has been a significant amount of time since I updated this online journal. I initially thought once I had returned from Indonesia it had outlived its usefulness. However, the current trend seems to be toward publicizing an online journal under the auspices that everyone cares what you write about, so why not jump on the bandwagon?
I just realized that the above attempt at biting social commentary may be an effect of my residence here in Portland, OR. What a place! I was wary to update this blog because, when I was in Indonesia, the cultural oddities were so glaringly obvious that it took little finesse to convey certain absurdities to my largely American audience. Portland, on the other hand, though rife with its own cultural idiosyncrasies, is bizarre in its own subtle manner. Having primed myself with a yearlong stint in Indonesia, I feel like I am in a unique postion to juxtapose the cultures, and notice aspects of Portland that would seem particularly commonplace to a long time resident, yet to me (or any Indonesian) may seem a touch off.
