It’s more than a little easy to be overwhelmed by a college campus when you first arrive, especially in a city with as much culture and quirks as Eugene. However, if you connect with the right people, you’ll find your Eugene experience not only a little easier but more enjoyable on the whole. Here are a few people worth talking to as your find your feet on campus:
13th Avenue food vendors: If you’ve spent any time on 13th and Kincaid, you’ve probably noticed the street food stands and their operators, who scramble to keep up with the demands of a busy school day. These hard-working individuals are a great source of conversation and stories, not to mention delightfully greasy food, and are totally worth your time to talk to aside from ordering.
Frog: Usually found outside the Duck Store with a truly prodigious stack of self-published joke books, Frog is a bit of a local legend. He’s been there since 1986, selling a growing library of his self-proclaimed “best joke books ever,” and is almost impossible to dislike. He’s a living embodiment of Eugene, in all its weird, funky glory.
University food service workers: It’s easy to write off the red-clad workforce when you dine at the various University-run food establishments, but the fact is that they’re often students like you who are working an unglamorous job to help make ends meet. So over the course of a day of drudgery, every smile they received from a customer in their line is actually worth something. Plus, a little kindness might end up getting you an extra handful of chips at Big Mouth or another portion of meat on your sandwich. Unofficially, of course.