Blogs from Portland, Oregon, United States, North America - page 15

Every year we go out to the Pumpkin Patch on Sauvie's Island... This has been a tradition for a number of years. However, this year, we did the Corn Maze. It was broken up into two sections, with the easiest being first and the hardest being second. Yes, we knew from times past that wearing older jeans and putting on those hiking boots was a must, but this year it was extra muddy! When we entered the maze we were give a "passport"... basically it was clues along that way that were questions with multiple choice answers. If we got the question right, we were told the correct way to go in order to make it out of the maze. It took a good 20 minutes to complete the first section of the maze and at ... read more

It started with a simple ask over a year ago….fast forward to a nomination, application and interview and finally a selection to participate in the 2011 Marshall Memorial Fellowship Program. Thanks to City of Portland Commissioner Nick Fish and Portland Public Schools Superintendent Carole Smith for their letters of recommendation and Tripp Somerville and Zeke Smith for their nominations….I’m off for an incredible adventure. I should add that I sported a nasty black eye during my interview at the University of Washington a year ago (a header gone bad during an outdoor soccer match) and was lucky enough still to be selected as a participant. Soccer/Football really is a universal language! So, what is this fellowship all about?? Founded in 1982, the Marshall Memorial Fellowship (MMF) Program was created by the German Marshall Fund of the ... read more

Days 16 to 18 of my travel (no longer strictly a road trip) After my quick whirlwind visit with Michelle, Pam and Heidi, I was delivered to the San Jose airport on a Southwest Airlines flight (courtesy of my cousin Michelle's generosity and significant bank of frequent flyer miles) destined for Portland, Oregon near my uncle/cousin David's restaurant in neighboring Washougal, Washington (about 30 minutes East on the highway from Portland headed towards Vancouver). I think technically we are cousins, but because of age, experience, distance, etc. I never know whether to use the word cousin or uncle. (The same goes for my cousins Tania and Michelle). A big thanks goes to Michelle for getting me to see David because I don't know how I would have done it without flying.....those tickets were not cheap!! David ... read more

Welcome to what will shortly be my, that is Joe Niederriter's, blog during the semester I spend in China. I'm a junior attending Lewis and Clark College in Portland, OR but tomorrow I leave for Beijing. I've been studying Chinese for two years and don't want to forget it like my high school French so I'm on quest to stamp the language on my mind forever. My secondary objective while in China is to locate a rowing team and resume my training in that regard. Worst case scenario, I'll settle for a dragon boat. Today I left my home in Minnesota and returned to Lewis and Clark College. After a day of plane flights I was surprised to find myself running through Tryon Creek Park with a large portion of the mens rowing team. It was ... read more

Hello from the West Coast! I've been meaning to write this for a while now, but have not had much time to do so. So here's the scoop: I arrived in Seattle on Tues. night, and managed to pick up my luggage at the carousel. I was worried with a connecting flight that it might not make it, so I planned accordingly. Apparently, when you do that, your luggage arrives fine. :) I hopped the Light Rail train into downtown, walked the 2-3 blocks to my hostel and only had to fend off two weirdos who spoke to me. The first guy I pretended I just didn't understand and told him "Je ne comprends pas." when he asked if I was okay. The other guy asked for money, but I just went into the hostel and ... read more