The Differences

Now that we are settled in Oregon I can finally sit and write down the big differences I've noticed between South Carolina and Oregon. I find some of them to be quite humorous :).

1. It's illegal to pump your own gas in Oregon. Of course, gas is much more expensive, but it's still cheaper than California and they have to pump their own gas there.

2. The food here is basically all Organic. They have normal less expensive food too, but since every type of food has an Organic brand you'd feel quite guilty buying the cheaper "unhealthy" version. I had no idea there was such a thing as organic chicken broth or organic pasta. Your grocery budget can add up very quickly when buying ALL organic foods. I quickly learned the balance of the organic world out here and I stick to organic produce. Sorry Organic Chicken broth...I'll make my own.

3. No one has an accent.

4. The schools have excellent scores.

5. The weather is unusual. I think I have experienced 5 days without rain since being here. Apparently this is what it's like until the Summer months. We will soon have no rain for 3 months. I also woke up to snow this week, a few hours later it was raining, then hail, then huge snowflakes, a little later sunshine, and then rain and hail all in one day. Needless to say, I was quite confused seeing that we experienced so many seasons in less than 24 hours.

6. Everyone loves the outdoors here. The streets all have bike trails and I constantly see people getting camping gear ready :). RV parking is a must around here. That's just part of life...camping.

7. The sky is huge. You can't understand this unless you've been out West.

8. The dress is MUCH more casual. Yay me!

9. I think this is the strangest one that tops them all. The trash system is a bit well, ridiculous. Basically, my recycle bin is the size of my trashcan from SC. Here is a picture that helps explain. The red topped bin is my recycle bin, the middle is the regular trash that gets picked up, and the white trash bin is the trashcan I COMPLETELY fill with just diapers each week. I fill half of the middle bin with diapers which leaves me about 1 other trash bag full of room. This wouldn't be a problem if the recycling rules actually made sense. I can only put paper and plastic in it. Plastic bags, coated cardboard, and glass are not allowed. I have yet to fill my recycle bin. Let's just say, I'm very grateful for a kind neighbor who doesn't have diapers to fill her trashcan up each week. She lets me finish filling hers every Friday!


So far the long journey of the Oregon Trail has been full of fun adventures!