Yo soy

Call me Hannah. That's my name. I'm horrible at talking about myself, and I want to just list my attributes, but that doesn't tell you much. So, experiences I've had? Semester in Europe, moving across the country (twice), sleeping in a foreign airport, performing in an elementary school talent show, donating hair to Locks of Love, opening a gig at a coffee house, stage managing two professional plays, listening to Basque poetry, working at an AIDS foundation, belly dancing with some great women. Someday I'd love to: bungee jump.

My big personal project right now is being more honest about who I am, with myself and the people around me. It's still pretty nascent because I'm unsure how or where to start, but it's a puzzle I want to solve. Consequently, I've rewritten this post five times to be less fake. I'm kind of a writer in that I write a lot--it's almost a tick rather than something focused. It's a survival instinct, perhaps.

I'm currently in Portland, OR, and I'm trying to relearn my city. I grew up here, and in some ways it mystifies me that it's so popular. Yeah, it's an awesome place, perhaps the best city for me ever, but how did word get out? I keep meeting people who recently moved here, but I never ask why. Maybe they heard that Portland is cool, which I guess it is. Yeah, we recycle, biking is big, trees trees trees, beautiful, artsy, I know. But how did the Pearl get so trendy, the Eastside get so funky and cool, how did no one else come up with Voodoo Donuts first, when did North Portland become it's own neighborhood? How can all these disparate pieces be so close together? I guess that's the conundrum of cities, but somehow it feels like these are awfully close. I'd like to explore the city, but I need a partner in crime. I've done with solo exploration for now. Still, I'm not traveling geographically, but I'm plumbing the depths of my soul, which is more time-consuming anyway. The world will be there when I'm ready.

"No quiero que mi cara de vieja sea triste." --Angeles Mastretta