Hello there! It is good to finally be writing! Just so you all know I'm a senior, international studies and Spanish double major. I'm taking a lot of science classes (1 credit short in both chemistry AND biology to get the minors!) because I want to go to nursing school someday in the not so distant future!
This past weekend I took a group up to Bagby Hotsprings for some relaxing. For those whom, like me, are not from the west coast or any other place that has hot springs, let me explain the joy of natural hot tubs. Simply put, there is nothing else like them anywhere in the world. Oregon has many, many hot springs. They range from resort style, to hippie retreat convention centers to the ones we went to, which are in the middle of Mt. Hood National Forest.
This event was sponsored by the gender equality group on campus for which I am co-director, Strength Health Equality (lovingly referred to as SHE). Me and my team put on a slough of events throughout the year at Willamette University, including Vagina Monologues, Take Back the Night and Love Your Body Days. This event was for Love Your Body Days, which is a week long fiasco that is centered around loving the body in all of its forms. My fabulous co-directors and I put on a belly dancing class, figure drawing night, free HPV vaccine clinic and also this trip to the hot springs!
Willamette University has money available for events like this, so we asked for money from the Associated Students of Willamette University (ASWU- the student senate), booked a Willamette University van (available to all clubs), borrowed stoves, tents, sleeping bags, etc. from The Outdoors Program of Willamette University and went up for a hot, relaxing, body loving time nestled amongst old growth trees in the natural hot tubs of Bagby Hotsprings.
Unfortunately, there were bumps in the road (literally and figuratively). We went in two cars and one car was supposed to leave late and meet us there. Unfortunately, the directions were not great and they started out too late so they ended up heading up to Portland and going clubbing for the night. (An event that still loves the body, of course.) It also rained. The. Entire. Time. Thankfully, most of the group were of the hardcore capacity. Not a single groan escaped anyones lips, everybody pitched in to cook dinner and breakfast the next morning. Folks that did not have the right gear got it loaned to them by others. All the members of the group really rose to the occasion and we ended up having a hilarious, fun and relaxing time. I'm sure the pictures of us all out in the rain, desperately trying to put the rain fly over the tent before the entire inside got soaked will end up on facebook. As will the picture of me jerry-rigging a set of umbrellas over the stove so I could cook pancakes in the morning without scalding my face as the rain hit the oily, hot pan. Maybe even one of the pictures of us trying to eat bean burritos as the rain dissolved the tortillas in which they should have been folded.
This just goes to show that all you need is a good set of people to have a good time, regardless of the circumstances.