Snowpocalypse!!!

Many things have happened since I last posted, so this will be a long one! Portland, Oregon rarely receives snow, and when it does it is barely passable as such. A typical Portland snow is more of a powdering, with hippies running around trying to catch snowflakes. Last weekend, however was a downright Snowpocalypse. Well, probably not by Midwestern or far Northeastern standards, but Portland was brought to its knees by the amount of snow we had last weekend. The bus lines stopped, the major interstates were closed down, schools were closed, and gas stations ran out of gas.

While it did snow a significant amount, the problem mostly stemmed from Portland's lack of snow combating infrastructure and its very hilly terrain. These two things combined resulted in my very first "snowed in" experience! Lewis and Clark College closed Thursday, February 6-Monday, February 10. Living on campus, this posed many problems. The dining hall was only open from 1 pm to 5:30 pm, and no one could drive off campus to get food, so it was a time of constant hunger and lack of drink! There were actually several dedicated students that used their cross country skis to get to the local grocery store and resupply themselves and their friends.

But, it was all worth it for the amazingly fun and cold snow activities! Spontaneous snowball fights erupted everywhere and between anyone. The big hill on campus was littered with all sorts of makeshift sleds, from cookie sheets (my personal favorite), to cardboard boxes, to mattresses. I also took part in a few late night road luge sessions, especially after the first short thaw which was followed by a refreezing, coating the road in ice.

This is how it started, mid-morning on February 13.

 And this is what it turned into in just a few hours.

Sledding!

Aaron and I after a massive snowball fight. Only after rolling multiple

snowballs with my hands did I realize just how cold and wet snow is.

The Frank Manor House. I didn't think the campus could be any more beautiful, but the pristine white 

snow against the deep browns and greens from the trees, accented by the warm reds of the buildings

was beyond words.

The view from my dorm window on campus. The path was only

cleared towards the end of the weekend, before that it was calf deep snow trudging everywhere.

My very first snow angel! By this point there was a hardened

layer of ice at the top of the snow which you had to break through

with each step.

Getting down stairs was more of a sliding process than a stepping process.

The first snow I have ever had on my window.

It was a jolly time, and a great first snow experience. 

More generally, I have been chosen to be a part of the Alternative Spring Break trip to El Salvador and will be spending March 20-28 volunteering at a community center in a small village. The leaders of the trip chose me in part because of my film experience. I expressed to them the great opportunity for capturing the trip via film, so I will be filming a short documentary of the trip and the community we will be a part of for the week. It's an absolutely amazing opportunity to have the support of the college for my first shot at a non-fiction film in a foreign country, it was truly a Godsend. 

There is more to tell, but it's almost 2 am and there is much work to be done tomorrow!