During a brief stay in Davis, while awaiting my start date as an ESL Instructor, I met a girl named Susan in a neighborhood cafe where I had worked in college. Little did I know she had been a regular for years without our paths ever crossing. After seven weeks of movie-like run-ins at the Cafe and several requests for her number; she finally wrote it down on a receipt and handed it to me, smiling ear to ear. 

 

She's been stuck with me ever since :)

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Not long after the 2016 election, the 45th "president" was quick to wage his war on immigration. With the Muslim Ban in full effect and messaging built on anti-immigration pouring out of the White House, my school began experiencing sharp declines in student enrollment as visa approvals from the federal 

government dropped. 

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Within just a few months I was out of the job as Head Teacher. 

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Choosing to view this as an opportunity rather than a handicap, Susan and I decided to pack up our belongings and move to Portland, OR with our two cats, Mini Cooper, and a 17-foot U-haul.

For nearly 3 years we lived in a small apartment that overlooked the downtown skyline, but after incessant rioting, a pandemic, and shameless corporate management, we moved into an ADU away from the city and in a wonderful neighborhood we can finally call home. It's been magical.   

  

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