Who Says There's Nothing To Do In Portland?
- By Indu Shanmugam
- Published 09/4/2008
Indu Shanmugam
Indu Shanmugam is a 20-something, college student from Oregon, USA. She is majoring in English literature and language. She also studied Theology for a short period. She wants to be a teacher. As a literature enthusiast, she enjoys literature of all types and from writers of various backgrounds from the classics, French realists, Christian writings like C.S Lewis and South Asian literature. As for her own writings, "I am still trying to find and develop my own voice." She sees the art of the written word as a way to speak about Christ and explore truth. Before she met Jesus Christ, she has been searching for the meaning of life through experimentation of other religions, philosophies and ideas. At the age of 17, she accepted Christ after a powerful encounter with God through a miracle. God's presence and deep truths in the Bible fuel her creativity. She is involved in church activities and has a love for the church and would like to see every believer grow, become closer to God and live fruitfully. She loves traveling, sipping bubble teas, theatre, music, films and hanging out with friends and has a weakness for cheesecake.
There are many places to go camping, snowboarding/skiing, hiking, kayaking, water sports and others. I'm not very outdoorsy. I had friends who took me out to try these things.
Hiking/camping is something I'm starting to enjoy. It's nice to walk through the wilderness and enjoy the beauty of nature. It is nice to escape from the crowds and everyday life. Also, it isn't very expensive. The place where we went to was only a 2-hour drive from Portland. It's fun with a group. We camped out for 2 days. I had a great time. I enjoyed meeting and getting to know new people, walking and going to the hot springs. We camped by the river.
I try to go out on these trips when I get the chance but we are busy. When I go out to the wilderness, I can't help but think, "Why don't I do this more often?" I looked at this weekend as a time to celebrate the end of summer and beginning of my last year of college.