Smacholdt's blog

The three terms that I chose to explore in more depth were: Garden, Permaculture, and Anthropocentric.

1. Garden

From Merriam Webster’s Dictionary Online: http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/garden

1. Noun

a : a plot of ground where herbs, fruits, flowers, or vegetables are cultivated

b : a rich well-cultivated region

c : a container (as a window box) planted with usually a variety of small plants

2a : a public recreation area or park usually ornamented with plants and trees <a botanical garden>

b : an open-air eating or drinking place

c : a large hall for public entertainment

Verb: to lay out or work in a garden

transitive verb: to make into a garden

2: to ornament with gardens

Adjective: of, relating to, used in, or frequenting a garden

2a : of a kind grown in the open as distinguished from one more delicate <garden plant>

b : commonly found : garden-variety

Origin of the word:

Middle English gardin, from Anglo-French gardin, jardin, of Germanic origin; akin to Old High German gart enclosure — more at yard

First Known Use: 13th century

This is how I feel about the image that I chose to represent Bryn Mawr. It’s beautiful, yes. It’s descriptive, yes. But it still seems like it only grazes the surface of what the physical campus of Bryn Mawr is to me. By choosing this picture (which is, by the way, not mine- I got it off of tumblr.com and searching “Bryn Mawr”) I have chosen to foreground the part of the campus where I spent much of my freshman year. I lived in the dorm farthest from the rest of the campus, but the trade off was walking to class gave me the best view of campus. Though that was two years ago, the view that comes to mind when I think “Bryn Mawr” is still this one. It feels magical to me- I love the roses, the greenery, and the castle-like dorm in the background. The flowers are fore grounded because I always find anything in nature much more beautiful than structures built by humans (such as buildings.) The terra incognita of the image would be the gym (on the left-hand side) and tennis courts on the right. Since I am more interested in the plants on campus than the man-made structures it doesn’t matter very much to me that the gym and tennis courts are not in the picture.

Nature is a world onto itself, but like anything it is impossible to observe impartially. It always needs a lens through which to be seen, and on this clear September morning, that lens was me. I wish that I could say that I walked out of my dorm and was immediately struck by the beauty of the natural landscape; by the morning dew, and the robins with nest twigs, or the damp moss and the squishy mud. I did notice those things. Just not initially. I first had to learn to look for them. My first thoughts were along the lines of, “okay I’m outside walking. NOW what?” Then, as I strolled through Bryn Mawr’s campus, something interesting began to happen. I didn’t think so much about the natural world, nestled up against the old, man-made buildings, but I thought about my experiences in the place. I remembered deep conversations held in the grass outside of an archway, and sunny afternoons spent on a blanket getting sunburned. My experience of walking was more about my memories staged throughout the campus, rather than looking at the campus itself. However, the more I walked, the easier it got to simply be present in the moment and observe what was around me rather than jumping back into past experiences. I began to take note of the foliage and the stiff air and the chunks of quartz scattered on the ground.

Hi everyone! I’m Sarah Macholdt, a junior English major at Bryn Mawr. The locations that I felt the most comfortable in on my walk through Bryn Mawr’s campus are as follows:

A)1. Morris Woods

2. The glass staircase in Dalton

3. English House I

4. Park Science 20

5. The Campus Center Parking Lot

B)I felt the most comfortable in Morris Woods, probably because I am generally happy whenever I am able to be outside. The outdoors always gives me a sense of calm and separateness from the cluttered, stressful, indoor world that I live in. I put the staircase in Dalton second on my list because it had a lot of natural lighting, and this always makes me feel more at ease. (This has something to do with the brain chemic serotonin, I think?) English House I was the next down my list because, as an English major, anywhere in English House holds a sense of comfort and sentimental value for me. Corny, I know, but I feel more comfortable in English House than say, the Park Science building which was next on my list. I felt the least comfortable in the Campus Center parking lot because it always seems to be hot, loud, and dangerous (I always think that I’m going to be taken down by a speeding car as I walk through that lot.)

C)The order in which I thought the plants were happiest:

1. Morris Woods

2. The Campus Center Parking Lot

3. The glass staircase in Dalton

4. Park Science 20

5. English House I