Keep it Weird

I landed in Portland a day earlier than orientation, which was just what I needed. Time for myself to catch my bearings, time to finish my goodbyes in met head, and prep myself to what I have to embark upon. But wow does Portland ever keep to their slogan accurate, “Keep Portland weird”. I met another volunteer in the airport and quickly felt thankful that I had met another person who was in the same spot. I was just about ready to sink into my bed in the hotel when she forced me to get up and explore. First on the list was Rontoms. Such a cool place, partly covered, with an outdoor patio and indoor area for the bands. Though we waited a long time to get served, it was definitely worth the wait. Great local brews on tap and a delicious BBQ pork sandwich with a healthy spinach salad, I knew I was somewhere eclectic and in a bit of a health craze since I spotted no ‘Fries’ on the menu. The band started and their electronic sound echoed through the rafters and out into the clean dusk air. We were enticed. As the sun went down and so did our beers, we decided to venture across the bridge and go to Voo Doo Donuts. Only we never made it there.

Approached by a stranger on the bridge, we were instructed how unsafe the bridge was at night and that we should use Uber. Soon enough we realized that this stranger only wanted to lead us to a bad part of town for what reason we will never know. But thank God for each other and our senses, as we parted ways from this ‘safer route’ and went back to Rontoms to finish the night into more electric tunes and vibrant lights. Thank you Portland for keeping it weird.

Orientation came and definitely surprised me in many ways. The many people there that had came right from college, young and ready to take on the world, which made me feel a little off kilter. ‘Why was I here at age 29? Was I backtracking? How am I ever going to bond with people 7 years younger than me?’ But I soon realized that everyone generally had the same intentions; we were there because we all had a big heart and wanted to find something bigger than ourselves.

Amidst the healthy gourmet meals and daily activities, including learning workshops and music time, I found myself fitting in well. But I began to have that nervous feeling again like I was awaiting something big, and I believe I was. I found out soon though that all of my housemates were amazing people from all over the country, that every other volunteer welcomed me greatly, and that music time helped me open myself to letting go. I found myself singing and clapping aloud, not being too ‘cool’ or embarrassed that we were singing positive, embracing songs, and enjoying every minute of it.  Not to mention the natural beauty of having orientation at a camp in the woods was more amazing and relaxing than I could have imagined. The trees that met the sky, the open space where we meditated that felt like Mother Nature herself was wrapping us in her big green arms, the trickling streams of water that spanned throughout the camp, the trails right underneath our feet everywhere we went, and the quiet was sweet bliss.

What was even more amazing was pulling our mattresses to the open meadow, sleeping under the millions of stars, among the ‘larger than life’ trees. There was no picture that could have ever captured that sight.

And once the week was over, it was time to pack again, say goodbye to all the volunteers we met, and venture to our final destination.