My measley 180 miles

All I could think about today is that it's day 8 in Roseburg and I miss Myron. For some reason, the 180 miles seems an impossible distance, and my favorite thing to do all day long is think about the 180 mile drive back to Portland on Thursday. I don't know how people do it (like you, Kathy).

Everywhere here, it seems like I'm reminded that long distance relationships work, but not because the paradigm works. Its because the people behind it work their asses off preserving it.

I live with a guy named Sam. I guess here in the Roseburg house, he's my surrogate brother. It's been interesting living with him. He works at the restaurant that my host family owns. It's not hard to tell, by talking and interacting with him, that he's immigrated here recently from China. Most notably, he is socially a tiny bit awkward. On the first day I met him, he asked for my car keys so he can talk on the phone in the car. We talked a little bit over the first couple of days.... and then he just went aloof...like stopped sitting at my table during dinner time and stuff. And yes, he still goes into the car to talk on the phone at night (not mine though). I kinda feel bad for this guy. He works 6 days a week and 10-12 hour shifts. Voluntarily though. And he doesn't have a car at the moment...so he spends his day off doing.....nothing?....around the house on Mondays. Awkward pretty much sums it up.

Anyhow, I'm real curious about this guy, and why he's gone aloof all of a sudden, and who he's always talking to at night in the car. I know his only relative in the states is his brother, who goes to school at UO. One night, I made a comment about how his brother looks like a teenager. And he offended, saying I must think he looks old. Which brings me to another weird point. This guy refuses to tell me how old he is. If I had to guess, I'd say he's about 22, by the way he talks, looks, and walks around.

I am probably wrong.

A couple nights ago, I had to drive him home because he injured his foot. I'm dreading the drive home because I don't know why he's stopped talking to me. Why is he so emo? What's making him blast HK pop every night behind his closed doors?

I'm brave so I decide to break the ice.

"So.....you ever think about moving to Eugene where your brother lives?" I ask

"Sometimes. But it all depends...." he breaks off.

"On...?"

"On....my wife. She's still in China. We got news recently that the US denied her visa application...and now we have to start over."

My heart sank. What was I supposed to say to that? So I find out that they'd been apart for nearly three years now. She still works and lives out of Guangzhou. And he works as much as he can to save up for their future, which is hopefully gonna be here. He smiles again when he talks about her and tells me that she's a very low key girl and she'd love it here in Oregon. That he's sure she'd get used to American food. He says he doesn't mind working his ass off right now, even if it means resting one day a week, because he's saving to hopefully buy a Chinese restaurant, so that when his wife comes over, the two of them can run the business and grow old and happy together.

So inspiring. Makes 180 measley miles feel....like a piece of cake.