Music, Food, and Homecoming
Last week was Homecoming Week and all of campus was abuzz with visiting parents and nostalgic alumni. This was also a week where I really could see the seasons changing and I took the opportunity to walk a little more around campus. Check out this beautiful photo of the footpath behind Frank Manor House!
In addition to these spectacular performances, some slam-poets from Apocalips - our on-campus competitive poetry team - also performed moving spoken word pieces in between songs to capture their authentic and personal experiences with coming out and being out. Myself and another QSU member worked together in compiling a spoken word piece on this topic created from anonymous submissions from the Lewis & Clark community. It was amazing to show the range from triumphs to tribulations in such a vivid and impactful way.
Later that week, I was lucky enough to be able to explore NE and downtown Portland a bit. I love riding the buses and public transit here - trains and buses are really clean, and in my experience drivers and passengers alike are fairly helpful. While I was traveling to NE Portland I got some gorgeous views of the city, and while downtown, I went with a friend for Thai food at one of the most popular Thai places in Portland - Thai Peacock. Thai food is very common in the Bay Area where I'm from, so eating at Thai Peacock reminds me a little of home. While I don't have any photos of my delicious pad see ew noodles, I did snap some pictures of the sun setting over the Willamette River and downtown Portland - so enjoy them below!
That's all from me, so have a good week - talk to you soon!
-Nicole
Last week was Homecoming Week and all of campus was abuzz with visiting parents and nostalgic alumni. This was also a week where I really could see the seasons changing and I took the opportunity to walk a little more around campus. Check out this beautiful photo of the footpath behind Frank Manor House!
For me, the week really started with the Queer Student Union's annual Acapella OUTLoud Benefit Concert on Wednesday night in the Agnes Flanagan Chapel. The concert is held every year to commemorate National Coming Out Day, and the QSU takes this opportunity to highlight some of the many real challenges caused by being out as LGBTQ+ even in the liberal city of Portland, OR. Donations from the concert went to Outside In, a local Portland organization that serves the homeless community and has specific resources for LGBTQ+ homeless youth.
The concert featured our four main campus Acapella groups, known collectively as Acabrella: Semper, Section Line Drive, Momo & the Coop, and the Merryweathers. Check out some pictures from the concert - sorry for the low-quality photos!
Semper getting set up after opening with some Elton John.
Section Line Drive during their performance of "Forrest Gump" by Frank Ocean.
Momo and the Coop getting funky with some tUnE-yArDs.
The Merryweathers also covering Frank Ocean, and later closing the night with Queen.
In addition to these spectacular performances, some slam-poets from Apocalips - our on-campus competitive poetry team - also performed moving spoken word pieces in between songs to capture their authentic and personal experiences with coming out and being out. Myself and another QSU member worked together in compiling a spoken word piece on this topic created from anonymous submissions from the Lewis & Clark community. It was amazing to show the range from triumphs to tribulations in such a vivid and impactful way.
Later that week, I was lucky enough to be able to explore NE and downtown Portland a bit. I love riding the buses and public transit here - trains and buses are really clean, and in my experience drivers and passengers alike are fairly helpful. While I was traveling to NE Portland I got some gorgeous views of the city, and while downtown, I went with a friend for Thai food at one of the most popular Thai places in Portland - Thai Peacock. Thai food is very common in the Bay Area where I'm from, so eating at Thai Peacock reminds me a little of home. While I don't have any photos of my delicious pad see ew noodles, I did snap some pictures of the sun setting over the Willamette River and downtown Portland - so enjoy them below!
That's all from me, so have a good week - talk to you soon!
-Nicole
What a beautiful sunset!
