ZoeHlmn's blog

When Professor Crawford was telling us about how she always walks looking at the ground because she wanted to look at the rocks I thought about all the other things that one could look at on the ground as well. Maybe an ant here or a flower there, but these things do not necessarily carry the history behind Bryn Mawr as well as the rocks do. I feel that next time I am staring at the ground I am going to look at the rocks like Professor Crawford to see if I actually notice anything, maybe if the rocks are shiny or if they resemble wistihicken (spellcheck needed). I feel that since we spend all the time looking around us when we walk that we miss a lot of different aspects of nature that are on the ground. Professor Crawford's different aspect has made me realize the importance of all the things that we do not think to do, like looking at the rocks on the ground instead of the trees. Our different frame of references of nature allow us to better understand each aspect of the environment.

I was sitting by the moon bench and staring at the buildings as I had done over and over before. They don't breath like the trees do. They don't shimmer and shake like the leaves do. At Harrington House the older buildings absorbed the sunlight or walled off the cold. They were ecofriendly. The houses take the heat from the sun to warm the house. It is as though the environment is in the house, or the house is part of the environment. As I looked at Park Science it was cold and rigid. Standing straight, not swaying in the wind. An upright posture compared to the more lackadaisical composure most students have. Park Science is a science building where I have biology class. Biology-the study of life. Life is all around the building except in it. The mahine made test tubes and assembly line/factory made tables. Compared with the houses at Harrington and the objects inside. In the kitchen the utensils were hand made and the chairs were carved from mahogany. 

The new movement toward ecofriendly buildings, lifestyles and sustainability is not new. It has always been there. This new resurgence of sustainability or even permaculture causes us to relook at the history of older buildings such as Harrington House.

Ahh who ever thought sitting down could be so restless trying to avoid the rain covered seat. I feel like a biirdy on a perch trying to mimic my fellow birdies in the area. When in fact they are actually silent. Is this not a chipper day? The dark clouds overcast, the bone chilling cold blowing through my jacket. This is quite a lovely day for me! I breath in through my noise and as the cold air enters my lungs it causes me to cough and clear my throat. I like the feeling of my toes vibrating everytime I wiggle them as the sharpe jolts of pain shoot around my foot.  I cannot be happier as I hear the acorns dropping all around me and wonder if one will make its way down onto my head. Kerplunk! Oh wait, that landed next to me. I enjoy giving up my comfort to sit on the top of the bench instead of letting my butt get drenched. I enjoyed trying a more comedic approach to nature because us as humans always seem so uncomfortable when we go outside our comfort zone and cannot get comfortable. So I thought I would play on that uncomfotableness and make it humerous since we all experience it.

Sitting. Feeling the wind on my skin. I am cold. Chills shake my being. Focusing on the shivvering trees and branches. My attention sticks to the wind. How can you capture the essence of the wind. Something real, something lifelike. Something that thrives on movement. A picture cannot capture the wind. A video barely can. The freedom the wind brings, not confining it to the pages of a book. The touch of the wind is something bechdel does not capture. One aspect that is untouchable is the physical feel of nature against your skin. Bechdel does not particularly highlight the aspects of nature that people feel on a daily basis when they walk outside. As I sat outside I enjoyed the feel of the wind blowing against my face and the sushine beating down at my back. There is no way to describe the wind and sun other than to experience it.

As I sat near the mood bench observing the green, steam was forcing itself out of my ears. The sky seemed blacker than ever. Even the bright lights seemed to darken my vision. I was in a bad mood. Nothing that I would normally do was helping. The sound of the crickets in the trees slowly, ever so slowly calmed me down. Just to be away from people. Just to once not feel like I was under a magnify glass when there is a whole world out there. A whole world where love exists and nature is a main component to life. As I was writing my third paper this weekend I thought about how our experiences are entangled pictures that all eventually define us as human beings. And as we experience life and the enviroment around us and take the time to do just that, its calming. By the end of my observation time, I felt more calm. I could bare all of lifes consequences and unfairness by just taking the time to stop and be away from people. This time alone has given me a new perspective on the word nature and life. I will remember this particular evening to calm the nerves and anxieties of life.

I choose this photo because of how it representst he past as well as the present. This is a picture of the first May Day ever held at Bryn Mawr. It was held in the year 1900. I choose it because it helps to capture the essence of Bryn Mawrs community, as a fun loving group of women that like to have a good time. During parade night I felt that same essence of the community first hand, everyone wanted to be a part of the tradition and enjoy it. One site that I have choosen to revist throughout the year is the campus green. I feel that in the photo above that huge area of open space symbolizes the freedom Bryn Mawr women have and the green on campus signifies that as well. Also since the green is currently under construction it will be an interesting this to revisit throughout the year because it will be constanly changing.

here is a link to the imgae: http://www.lowermerionhistory.org/photodb/full/164-2.jpg

I do not know why the image is not working.

As I traveled around campus and tried to imitate a Thoreauvian Walk my brain was unusually peaceful. All my school work seemed to fade away and whatever was plaguing my mind at the time was put on hold. When all these extra thoughts fell away I was much more aware of my inner monologue and the thoughts I contemplated during my walk. Why is everyone always rushing? I know that I do it too, but why must we live in a world of dates and deadlines that cause excess amounts of stress? I was not able to answer this question because ironically I had to be at the gym for a volleyball practice and was almost late.

I also thought about the different perspectives of each individual person and how their normal routes on campus only give them one personal view. My walk consists of leaving Rock, walking to Erdman or Haffner, then to my classes (in Thomas, Taylor, Park), back to lunch, to the gym, dinner, and lastly to my room. This walk is all very centralized and rarely do I walk along the edges of campus to see whats there. During my walk, I did walk behind Goodhart and found a ledge or patio that ran along the side of the building. My initial thoughts we "How beautiful". Then as I thought more deeply it occured to me that someone with classes in Goodhart was most likely fully aware of this picturesque view and had probably seen it on a regular basis. This concept of relative perspective has spurred my want to explore more of Bryn Mawr's campus.

Hi my name is Zoe Holman and I am from Walterboro, SC. like most of you I am starting my first year at Bryn Mawr. During my mini excursion through our five locations I had unexpected reactions to each of the spots on campus. I believe that I was most peaceful in either Dalton Hall or Morris Woods while Park Science and the Campus Center Parking Lot were areas that caused me stress. English House was somewhat in between the two and would have been a comfortable transition from Dalton and Morris to Park and the parking lot. I feel that the main reason I categorized these places as such was because of the amount of people I found in each of the areas. The more people the more stress; less people less stress. The plants however would thrive in Morris Woods because of the lack of people and fear of being trampled on. The isolation appears to be a common thread between myself and plants but the difference between us is our comforts. Where plants are more comfortable being outside 24/7 I am more inclinded to stay indoors.