Thursday, December 2, 2010
Hello December
A year ago today, I took off in a plane departing from a place I was not ready to leave. As the planes engines fired and the slow stroll down the runway turned into the lumbering pace that lifted us off the ground, I glimpsed the Costa Rican landscape for the last time, not knowing if I'd every see it again, and could not hold back my tears. This place represented an escape I desperately needed from my normal surroundings in which a pattern of self-sacrifice and personal isolation had taken a toll on my spirit. Everything in my life was so serious that I didn't remember what it meant to laugh or feel joy. Joy found me again there, thanks to some remarkable classmates and professors and the national mantra: pura vida. However, leaving as abruptly as circumstances required me to made it difficult for me to believe that that joy would come home with me. A year later, I marvel at how much I have been through and how my three months abroad remain so close to my heart. I have fought for that joy in the face of the trials that have riddled the last twelve months, and it has been worth the fight. I feel more resilient, as if I have recognized the importance of joy and laughter because I lost them at one time. All that I have been through in the last year, although not always fun, has burnished my character in a positive way. PTL.
Monday, October 25, 2010
Mother Teresa, Full of Wisdom
Currently, my leisure reading is composed, in part, by this book I'd Rather Teach Peace. A good friend lent it to me. By his writing style, I can tell that the author is one of those teachers that students don't ever forget. Someone who engages his students, encourages them to speak their minds and think critically about issues. He wants the material he teaches to become part of his student's identities; rote memorization and mindless regurgitation, despite its prevalence in our education system, does not constitute true learning. I couldn't agree more. I have experienced this myself in my own education. Learning is most fun and most meaningful when I can dive head first into the material, think about it, chew on it and figure out how it ought to be integrated into my reality. The world needs more teachers like Colman McCarthy who puts his faith in the humanity of even the most closed off and misunderstood kids.
This book has called to my attention how much violence is emphasized as the preferred means of conflict resolution in our country, world, etc. High school history classes highlight the heroic acts of war heroes while often overlooking the peacemaking efforts of many. Truly, why don't we learn about people like Gandhi in school?
Included in the text is a poem written by Mother Teresa that I think is really cool. It's entitled Anyway
This book has called to my attention how much violence is emphasized as the preferred means of conflict resolution in our country, world, etc. High school history classes highlight the heroic acts of war heroes while often overlooking the peacemaking efforts of many. Truly, why don't we learn about people like Gandhi in school?
Included in the text is a poem written by Mother Teresa that I think is really cool. It's entitled Anyway
People are unreasonable, illogical and self-centered.
Love them anyway.
If you do good, people may accuse you of selfish motives.
Do good anyway.
If you are successful, you may win false friends and true enemies.
Succeed anyway.
The good you do may be forgotten tomorrow.
Do good anyway.
Honesty and openness make you vulnerable.
Be honest and open anyway.
What you spend years building may be destroyed overnight.
Build anyway.
People who really want help may attack you if you help them.
Help them anyway.
Give the world the best you have and you may get hurt.
Give the world your best anyway.
Saturday, October 2, 2010
The meaning of autumn
September has come and passed. According to the celestial bodies, we entered into autumn several days ago. September was filled with weather that made me uneasy about the impending change in season that I haven't experienced in two years. Unusually large amounts of rain couple with unusually cold temperatures and the winds typical of West Central Minnesota made me think that I've lost my ability to adapt to cold weather (in ecology, this ability is termed phenotypic plasticity; we're being tested on this on Wednesday). I was beginning to think the only solution was to seek refuge in the tropics again.
However, today was a beautiful fall day. Our ecology class spent the day at Lake Carlos State Park near Alexandria, MN. We hiked through the forest, learned how to identify much of the vegetation and did an exercise in forest sampling. Many of our lab activities this semester have been dampened (literally) by inclement weather. Standing out on the prairie in blowing rain, trying keep your notebook dry while simultaneously taking notes inside a plastic bag, although laughable, is not all that enjoyable. We do it in the name of being hardcore, and feel justified in calling ourselves ecologists as a result.
But today, today fall colors were at their peak. The forest was illuminated from the outside in with that lustrous yellow that comes but once a year. The air was crisp and fresh, and an army of fifty ecologists traipsing through piles of fallen leaves created quite the symphony. Today's weather brought me back to the beauty of fall in Minnesota. There is joy in having a cold nose and a body warm from hiking in layers. There is opportunity for silence such that you can hear the leaves falling singly to the ground. A sack lunch eaten outside is always more satisfying than eating anything indoors. It is beautiful to feel the warmth of sun on your face even though the air around you is crisp.
However, today was a beautiful fall day. Our ecology class spent the day at Lake Carlos State Park near Alexandria, MN. We hiked through the forest, learned how to identify much of the vegetation and did an exercise in forest sampling. Many of our lab activities this semester have been dampened (literally) by inclement weather. Standing out on the prairie in blowing rain, trying keep your notebook dry while simultaneously taking notes inside a plastic bag, although laughable, is not all that enjoyable. We do it in the name of being hardcore, and feel justified in calling ourselves ecologists as a result.
But today, today fall colors were at their peak. The forest was illuminated from the outside in with that lustrous yellow that comes but once a year. The air was crisp and fresh, and an army of fifty ecologists traipsing through piles of fallen leaves created quite the symphony. Today's weather brought me back to the beauty of fall in Minnesota. There is joy in having a cold nose and a body warm from hiking in layers. There is opportunity for silence such that you can hear the leaves falling singly to the ground. A sack lunch eaten outside is always more satisfying than eating anything indoors. It is beautiful to feel the warmth of sun on your face even though the air around you is crisp.
Tuesday, August 31, 2010
you know you're in college when...
• a rainstorm blows through and all three of your roommates are as enthusiastic about puddle jumping as you are. it leads to tens minutes of the bunny hop through a forty foot puddle.
• killing flies in your apartment becomes a valued technique and turns into a competitive game.
• your refrigerator stops working. someone notices that the cheese is softer than normal and the frozen fruit is dripping all over the freezer. you report it to residential life, and when you come back to class, there's a new refrigerator. how did i know? all the food inside was not where we left it. i have a feeling that appliance repair will never be that easy again.
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in other news, i struck out on my back with my camera bag this afternoon. i wanted to take some pictures around some corn and soy fields around dinner time. i made the mistake of wearing shorts and a tank top with tennis shoes. the instant i hopped off my bike, i was assaulted (no exaggeration) by mosquitoes. i couldn't even focus the camera without feeling the urge to slap or swat. i rode home, put on pants, sleeves and some defunct bugspray, and embarked again on round two (with more success). i consider two scenarios in light of this encounter: (1) the farmers that tend those fields don't spray pesticides or (2) the farmers readily spray pesticides but the mosquitoes have developed resistance to the chemicals. in which case, morris is breeding a super-race of mosquitoes! watch out world!!!
i am taking to my latin america (one in literature and one in film) classes like a bee on pollen (shout out ecology lab!). learning from native speakers is so enjoyable. i love having spanish class everyday, and the content of each of the classes is very complementary. i'm going to learn a lot this semester!
• killing flies in your apartment becomes a valued technique and turns into a competitive game.
• your refrigerator stops working. someone notices that the cheese is softer than normal and the frozen fruit is dripping all over the freezer. you report it to residential life, and when you come back to class, there's a new refrigerator. how did i know? all the food inside was not where we left it. i have a feeling that appliance repair will never be that easy again.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
in other news, i struck out on my back with my camera bag this afternoon. i wanted to take some pictures around some corn and soy fields around dinner time. i made the mistake of wearing shorts and a tank top with tennis shoes. the instant i hopped off my bike, i was assaulted (no exaggeration) by mosquitoes. i couldn't even focus the camera without feeling the urge to slap or swat. i rode home, put on pants, sleeves and some defunct bugspray, and embarked again on round two (with more success). i consider two scenarios in light of this encounter: (1) the farmers that tend those fields don't spray pesticides or (2) the farmers readily spray pesticides but the mosquitoes have developed resistance to the chemicals. in which case, morris is breeding a super-race of mosquitoes! watch out world!!!
i am taking to my latin america (one in literature and one in film) classes like a bee on pollen (shout out ecology lab!). learning from native speakers is so enjoyable. i love having spanish class everyday, and the content of each of the classes is very complementary. i'm going to learn a lot this semester!
Thursday, August 26, 2010
Small Joys
The small joys present in this small town are numerous. Since moving into Apartment G4 on the UMM campus, I have experienced a glorious handful of these moments interspersed between others in which I stop and wonder, "hey, where'd all my friends go?"
Our apartment lays on the east end of the campus. Our bedroom windows face east, and once again, I have the privilege to witness sunrise every morning over the wind turbine. To add to the glory of it all, my desk is right next to the door that leads to our balcony/staircase/fire escape. We have been leaving the door open to facilitate cross-ventilation and also to enjoy the view. So, sitting at my desk, I turn to my left and see my roommate and turn to my right and have a great view of the prairie.
The only downside to the open-door policy on the balcony is that we have managed quite the collection of house flies. There are dozens in our apartment. The four of us had some (morbid?) fun swatting at them with rolled up newspaper. We killed several, but many remain. While working on an essay at my desk, I managed to kill four with my bare hands. I am proudly maintaining a housefly graveyard on my desk to serve as a warning for the ones who remain....
I get an hour plus (!) of Spanish everyday :) A teacher I had for my first ever Spanish class at UMM just returned to teach a course for a professor that's on sabbatical this semester. She remembered me from four years ago when I could hardly pronounce "Me llamo Andrea." We had a good conversation yesterday, and I am looking forward to her class and taking advantage of her office hours to practice speaking!
We went out to Pomme de Terre Park for our ecology lab this morning. Walking around with a field notebook reminded me of academic excursions in Costa Rica. This time around my surroundings are a little less tropical and a little more... prairie :) Margaret walked us around a place we all know too well - the only place in town with bike trails - and we entered a new world. The names of the plants, and the insects that pollinate them. There's so much to know and understand about the dynamics of the ecosystem, the relationships between flowers and their visitors. Everyone in the class was curious and asking questions. It was great. I even snagged myself a pair of good lab partners!
Our apartment is probably the homiest home away from home I ever lived in. One of my roommates brought vases with her for decoration, and we filled them with prairie plants from the park or rather "weed bouquets". They're beautiful :) We also have a couple of antique pieces of furniture that make the generic living room really comfortable. And photos on shelves and on the walls. I've had to adjust to sharing less space with more people again, but the company I have in this apartment is certainly worth the extra effort.
Our apartment lays on the east end of the campus. Our bedroom windows face east, and once again, I have the privilege to witness sunrise every morning over the wind turbine. To add to the glory of it all, my desk is right next to the door that leads to our balcony/staircase/fire escape. We have been leaving the door open to facilitate cross-ventilation and also to enjoy the view. So, sitting at my desk, I turn to my left and see my roommate and turn to my right and have a great view of the prairie.
The only downside to the open-door policy on the balcony is that we have managed quite the collection of house flies. There are dozens in our apartment. The four of us had some (morbid?) fun swatting at them with rolled up newspaper. We killed several, but many remain. While working on an essay at my desk, I managed to kill four with my bare hands. I am proudly maintaining a housefly graveyard on my desk to serve as a warning for the ones who remain....
I get an hour plus (!) of Spanish everyday :) A teacher I had for my first ever Spanish class at UMM just returned to teach a course for a professor that's on sabbatical this semester. She remembered me from four years ago when I could hardly pronounce "Me llamo Andrea." We had a good conversation yesterday, and I am looking forward to her class and taking advantage of her office hours to practice speaking!
We went out to Pomme de Terre Park for our ecology lab this morning. Walking around with a field notebook reminded me of academic excursions in Costa Rica. This time around my surroundings are a little less tropical and a little more... prairie :) Margaret walked us around a place we all know too well - the only place in town with bike trails - and we entered a new world. The names of the plants, and the insects that pollinate them. There's so much to know and understand about the dynamics of the ecosystem, the relationships between flowers and their visitors. Everyone in the class was curious and asking questions. It was great. I even snagged myself a pair of good lab partners!
Our apartment is probably the homiest home away from home I ever lived in. One of my roommates brought vases with her for decoration, and we filled them with prairie plants from the park or rather "weed bouquets". They're beautiful :) We also have a couple of antique pieces of furniture that make the generic living room really comfortable. And photos on shelves and on the walls. I've had to adjust to sharing less space with more people again, but the company I have in this apartment is certainly worth the extra effort.
Saturday, August 21, 2010
mañana me voy
i'm packing up my life again for the third time in less than four months. preparing for my last fall in morris. my last semester of spanish classes. and my first time living with three other people.
costa rica made me more heat-tolerant than i've ever been before, so although i always look forward to autumn, the imminence of winter also looms. i missed the changing leaves and the crisp air that comes in the fall months last year, so i am looking forward to being eased into winter instead of thrown into it. i have come to love the heat and tolerate the humidity of summer. i do not feel anxious for the summer to give way to fall, but i know its time.
i look forward to several things about morris: a life uncomplicated by commutes, motor vehicles and traffic; the ability to bike off into the sunset until my legs tire with only harvesting combines to accompany me; living independently again in a supportive and engaged community; having an hour plus of spanish built into every day of the week; exploring photography.
many more good things await me in morris than i ever thought could at this time a year ago. although i am reluctant to depart from the metropolitan area (after all, i have many dear friends settled here and nearly all my extended family), i am not dreading it. that is a blessing.
bring on the fifth year! i am super-senior!
costa rica made me more heat-tolerant than i've ever been before, so although i always look forward to autumn, the imminence of winter also looms. i missed the changing leaves and the crisp air that comes in the fall months last year, so i am looking forward to being eased into winter instead of thrown into it. i have come to love the heat and tolerate the humidity of summer. i do not feel anxious for the summer to give way to fall, but i know its time.
i look forward to several things about morris: a life uncomplicated by commutes, motor vehicles and traffic; the ability to bike off into the sunset until my legs tire with only harvesting combines to accompany me; living independently again in a supportive and engaged community; having an hour plus of spanish built into every day of the week; exploring photography.
many more good things await me in morris than i ever thought could at this time a year ago. although i am reluctant to depart from the metropolitan area (after all, i have many dear friends settled here and nearly all my extended family), i am not dreading it. that is a blessing.
bring on the fifth year! i am super-senior!
Tuesday, August 17, 2010
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