At Sea Level
Illustration by Noelle Mitcham
Article by Jayden Forsyth
NEWBERG, Ore. – Considering that George Fox University (GFU) is located within the Pacific Northwest, it’s expected that a large portion of its student body comes from the surrounding area. Most students hail from Oregon, Washington, California and Idaho.
When the campus closes for winter break, some students travel home to experience similar weather as Newberg: cold, gloom, rainy days and occasional snowfall. Other students, however, travel to and experience much different weather, both across the United States and in homes around the world.
Ezra Clark, a sophomore, left the Pacific Northwest winter to his home approximately 5,721 miles away, in the island country of Fiji. “Weather back home is beautiful since it’s in the tropics,” says Clark. “It’s almost always 80 degrees whether it’s summer or winter. In my opinion, this is the best weather you can live in.”
Though Clark leaves behind Oregon’s chilly conditions yearly, he isn’t opposed to it. “I don’t mind Newberg too much,” said Clark. “I really love rain and played in it a lot as a kid. I just wish it didn’t feel like hypothermia for half of the year.”
Both exiting and re-entering Fiji requires adjustment. Beyond the varied weather, holiday customs in Fiji look different from those in the Pacific Northwest.
“Our holiday traditions are similar [to those in the Pacific Northwest], however, they have a different method [of celebrating] depending on what we have access to,” said Clark. “For example, a lot of Christmas trees I’ve had in the past have been made of driftwood, because finding real trees is nearly impossible in the hot weather countries I’ve lived in.”
When it comes time for Clark to return to GFU, it isn’t always a smooth transition. “Ultimately, I’m never fully acclimated. I get lots of shin splints in track practice because I’m used to hot weather,” said Clark.
Although Clark has been able to handle the dreary weather of the Pacific Northwest, he prefers the weather back at his home in Fiji. “The weather is better back home, in my opinion. I highly recommend living on a Pacific island.”
Some GFU students don’t travel home for the holidays. Junior graphic design major Nathan Rowe grew up in Nairobi, Kenya and moved to the United States for work and college, but couldn’t make the trip back to Africa for the holiday season. Despite this, he was able to connect with his family from afar.
“I usually communicated with my family through WhatsApp and Zoom, given that my whole family is spread out,” said Rowe. “My time during break was spent between two places: staying here at Fox and travelling up to Washington with my girlfriend to spend time with her family.”
Rowe also prefers his home’s weather and although he doesn’t dislike that of the Pacific Northwest, he added that there were times that he would “miss the weather in Kenya” and that his home “didn’t get snow, or even have seasons in general.”
Though a majority of GFU students are at home within the Pacific Northwest for the holidays, there are also those who reside thousands of miles away and still find ways to celebrate Christmas with their families, whether through modern technology or driftwood.
