Pardon me for the delayed post, folks. There’s just
something about traveling for an entire day that just takes it out of you. And
then of course there is everything you have to do when you get back, such as
tackling this:
In any case, I would like to update you on my last full day
in Portland, which was Friday. I started out with a second visit to Western
Seminary where I got to sit in on a class that is specifically geared toward
Intercultural Studies students who are feeling out their own gifts and desires
of service in the Kingdom. Coincidentally, this is similar to the
self-exploration I would consider myself to be going through as I attempt to
enter into the “real world”. The class was great and I got to show off my
acting skills in a little activity demonstrating cultural differences. I must
say so myself that my British accent is coming along swimmingly. In fact, one
of the students commented on how great it was! And on top of this, in order to
get to the seminary I took the public transit from one side of town to the
other during prime travelling time. Did I mention I’m getting the hang of it?
After being briefed on the “cultural onion”, I headed down to Albina Press,
which is just a few blocks west of the school and hung out there for a couple
hours. Melody met me there and we then made our way to the crepe food cart to
begin our food tour for the day. On the agenda were savory crepes for lunch
followed by a delectable array of quirky doughnuts from Voodoo Doughnut. Then
for dinner we planned to hit up Jade Bistro in Sellwood then on to desserts at
Papa Hayden’s with a friend from a few years back at Tulane.
So onto the crepes
we forged. I was very excited to indulge because I hadn’t had a good crepe
since my freshman days at Tulane, where these magnificent creations were just a
hop, skip, and a walk across the lawn from my dorm. Melody and I chose the
same: Turkey, Brie, and arugula. Mmmm, so fantastic.
Onward and upward we travelled to stand in line for that
treasured fried dough and icing… and bacon.
If you are not familiar with Voodoo
Doughnut, you may not know that they are notorious for some strange toppings,
flavors, and names. As we entered the building I noticed an odd arrangement of
stained glass above the doorway. Their three most cherished doughnuts are
enshrined in the glass for all of Portland to see.
I really had no idea which
doughnut to choose. Should I go for the classic voodoo doughnut? What about the
giant version of a glazed, dubbed the Texas challenge, which is the size of six
normal doughnuts? They say if you can eat this monster in 80 seconds it is
free.
Well I didn’t think I was up to that challenge, but I did
pick out three (and I ashamedly ate all three of these suckers in one sitting):
The Voodoo Doughnut, complete with the lucky number thirteen
in honor of Friday, the 13th
The Bacon Maple Bar, highly recommend it!
And the Old Dirty Bastard, which is topped with chocolate
icing, Oreo crumbles, and peanut butter drizzle.
Needless to say I was in a steady food coma for the next
four hours or so, which did mess with our strict food tour.
We skipped out on Jade for lack of room in our tummies and instead opted for a sip from Stumptown, a Portland staple.
We skipped out on Jade for lack of room in our tummies and instead opted for a sip from Stumptown, a Portland staple.
Unfortunately, we did not get to meet up for desserts with
my friend that evening. Plans changed. But that only means this occasion must
be postponed until June! And after all those doughnuts and sugar overload, I
was almost relieved to not be coerced into more desserts that day. The rest of
the evening was spent in great conversation and some challenging reads. Melody
and I somehow ended up peeking into each other’s books and subsequently spent a
couple more hours delving into them. The Tangible Kingdom is definitely next on
my list once I finish Barefoot Church, both equally stimulating.
So there you have it, my first Portland experience in a
nutshell. Now if you don’t mind, while you enjoy hearing about this pretty cool
experience through my corny wit, I will take some time to process everything
and then fill you in on my journey and how the Lord’s hand is in all of this. I
hope to not keep you waiting in anticipation too long, however it is not up to
me. It is His timing! Until then...
