It has been a while since I last posted on my blog. A lot of crazy things has been happening since senior year started. I learned how to camp for the first time, joined my first team sport, and juggled work, clubs, classes, and personal life.
Long story short, I am feeling burned out, and I know I'm not the only one.
However, I feel I sing a different tune whenever I'm outside with my classmates in my field class which entails learning plants. At first I was daunted by the hiking and unfamiliarity of the plants my professor talked about, but I thought to myself I should learned about plants and their ecosystems before climate change continue to threaten their existence as well as ours. I also pondered on how the public education system I gone through K-12 has not trained teachers to emphasize our environment in terms of learning the different communities plants, animals, rocks (yes rocks because they are cool), and water systems create. I guess you could say I like to go outside a lot as a kid, but I admit I do that I often don't explore outside.
But now, I want to be outside and I admit I would blab scientific names about a specific plant to my friends who think I am weird and a nerd. I think my classmates are also doing similar things as me because it is refreshing to identify the plant with its unique characteristics instead of grouping it as a simple cool green growing plant.
It is also amazing to be in places in CA where you can see how it was like thousands years ago in terms of the remaining plants and geologic features left behind. I really wish more people are pushed to go explore and appreciate nature not just for personal relaxation or use but to understand the world we're in and the Native Californians who managed the land we travel on. Often times, we don't talk about Native Californians and their cultures, and it's a tragedy to not acknowledge their presence and impact in their land.
I hope that my little spiel can encourage you all to take a moment outside our busy lives of getting XYZ done and traveling from point A to point B to look and appreciate the nature and history around us. Hence, why it's called nature history in my own little words.
Yes, these are my thoughts before a special day for me. Enjoy the unedited pictures.
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| Taken at Big Sur |
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| Taken at Observatory Hill, my favorite spot on campus |
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| Taken at Van Damme State Park |
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| Taken at Sequoia National Park Admire the alpine field |
