Back to Eugene

Coming back to Eugene is always bittersweet for me especially when returning from New York. As I look towards graduation and back on the past 4 years, I have learned that I am a city dweller by nature. Growing up in the heart of San Francisco, I am comforted by the sound of the busses, people chatting as they walk down the street, constant car horns and sirens (oddly enough). I have found it interesting talking with my peers who say they feel like a fish-out-of-water in big cities like New York or San Francisco. In many ways, I feel that I can relate— not in my time spent in cities but in my time at Oregon. Although I think there is something profoundly important in being uncomfortable and challenged by a place otherwise you would never know anything else. A family friend once gave me the piece of advice, “Love where you live and everything else comes after.” This could not be truer and I am incredibly grateful for being able to experience such different yet vibrant places.

-Emma McBride