I’m finally home…this is bittersweet

Okay so after four days of non-stop journalism-filled action in an absolutely amazing city, I’m back at home, sitting in my room, which is barely lit by my dim computer screen in front of me. It’s 12:15 a.m. Yeah, it’s nice to be back with my family and friends, and I gave my mom the biggest hug after inching my way down the escalator at the airport.

But I already know that I’m going to miss these past four days… thank goodness I have my camera to trigger these memories, later on in life.

Anyhow, let me get you up to speed. Last night may have been the most enjoyable night over the course of this already enjoyable trip. Our Walsworth yearbook representative, Candis, was nice enough to take us out on the town while our adviser, Ms. Pat Monroe, was indulging in some “amazing” food at the Walsworth adviser’s dinner. First, we traveled to pioneer square, where the first thing we saw was a group of about nine men and women all dressed up like pirates, playing some very interesting music on a street corner. It was like they took the nine weirdest instruments in the world and put them all together, creating one cohesive masterpiece. This local band, “All the Apparatus,” practically had everything except for a guitarist. So we watched them for a while, and a few of us even payed for their album. We had never seen anything at all like this back home in El Paso, so I guess you could say it was “culture shock.” We liked it.

Afterward, as darkness began to fall, we all took a really nice walk down the river front. The air was so pleasant to breath, and as most of my friends were conversing with each other up front, I trailed behind, thinking, and taking in the whole scene. After about half an hour, we reached our destination, McCormick & Schmick’s. When we walked inside and saw how beautiful the interior was, we all immediately felt underdressed. Well, at least I did. But I didn’t let it get to me! We promised Ms. Monroe (who is in love with Portland, by the way) that we would eat some good seafood before the trip was over. And boy did we! After nearly half an hour of contemplation, I settled on the swordfish, which I had never tried. The second that tender meat touched my taste buds, I knew I had made the right choice. Although it was only about a 7 oz. portion, I took my time, and was the last one to finish, if I can remember correctly. I’m not sure when the next time I’ll have swordfish will be, especially living in this desert town. Maybe someday… I can only dream.

Speaking of good feelings, I was unbelievably proud and astonished today when I found out that I received a superior rating for my entry in the Feature Writing contest. It was the first time I had won anything at a JEA convention, and for it to be a superior rating was just so surprising! I did feel good about my story, but I didn’t think I saw this coming. Not to mention, our entire staff did so well too. Out of the seven Burges journalism kids that went to the convention, not one of us received less than an excellent for our write-offs. We’re all so very proud! I feel like this was the perfect way to end my high school journalism career… although it’s not over yet. We still have two more papers to get out, and I feel more motivated now than ever!

Well, if I were to sum up this entire trip in one word, it would probably be “amazing.” And yes, I know that I have overused the word throughout all of my blogs. But the ironic thing is that “amazing” is a word that is very rare for me, Jared Burgess, to toss around like I’ve been doing! If anything was amazing, this trip was, from the convention to the city to the people. Goodnight everyone, and thanks for reading.

I’m out!