AudgePodge

  The aliens have landed! Well, quite literally. Thousands of people lined downtown McMinnville on Saturday, May 16, to watch the annual UFO Festival parade — full of alien-themed decor and whimsy.  I arrived with my counterparts; my younger sister, boyfriend, and friend. Feeling festive, I sprinkled green glitter around my visage and encouraged the others to partake. We all bore antenna headbands to “blend in” with the crowds.  People started accumulating: Tin foil hats. Neon green tights. Almond-shaped sunglasses. Brightly colored hair. Young children, families, visitors, travelers. All were welcome here. We waited in a long line at the Evergreen Aviation Museum for the complementary shuttle bus to take us to the center of town. The parade was supposed to start at noon but was delayed 30 minutes because of overwhelming attendance.  On 3rd Street, we waited, still swarmed by about 10,000 people, if I were to guess. At 12:30 p.m., the parade started with the first...

  It is 9:30 a.m. on a Friday in Corvallis, Oregon. Downtown bustles with lively crowds — mostly college students — who are here to explore, study, and socialize with the community. Conversations are held, coffee is sipped, and smiles are exchanged as these people walk around town. But lying on these streets, in between corners and alleyways, are the people who have been bested by society. They sit with their backpacks, signs and dogs — their entire life carried with them. These are the people who are ignored by the crowds walking by.  They have become nameless and faceless identities, just simply existing amongst us. Houseless, homeless, forgotten by themselves and society. But, there is a person out there who is advocating for them. Someone who is passionate about these humans, regardless of their circumstances. Someone who believes in protecting these people and supporting them. A champion. This person is Grace Robinson, a student at Linn-Benton Community College, who was f...

  When I left the country for the first time, it changed my life. I flew into Ecuador’s capital, Quito , on April 10, 2023, with my mom at my side. She had visited before; 18 years prior, before I came into her life. She was reminiscing about her time spent in Ecuador — the people, the landscape, the food, the experience — and wished to share that same experience with me. Quito currently has a population of over 2 million people and is the world’s second-highest administrative capital sitting at 9,350 feet. Here, the elevation plays its tricks on you. Quito is approximately 16 miles away from Cuidad Mitad del Mundo (or, Middle of the World City) where the altitude is, extraordinarily, 0 feet exactly. We’ll touch upon this monumental place in a moment, but first, our attention lies on Quito. Art Plaza Hotel , Quito Photo Credit - Audrey Linder One of the most prominent visual takeaways of Quito is the persistence of graffiti throughout the city. Art is quite populous and holds gr...