The Freshman
A few days ago, I saw a younger version of myself on the bus. First semester at Reed, second month in Portland, happily chatting with a stranger sitting across the aisle about how friendly the city is. I couldn’t see her from where I was sitting, but I knew her wide-eyed excitement just from the sound. I didn’t feel jaded when I quickly acknowledged that my fresh (and naive) outlook was a thing of the past – rather, I took comfort in the self-awareness I’ve built over the past 6 years.
The strange man finally proved a bit too eager to start up a friendship with the girl, which I think she realized as she left. She’ll learn the same way I did, by slowly whittling away her positive generalizations with each new and strange interaction until they better reflect the ins and outs of the city.