site sits

For the longest time, I wasn't even aware that Bryn Mawr had a labryinth. I went to look at it around second semester of freshman year with my friends, but the sign oat at the beginning of the labyrinth described the labryinth as a place to meditate and reflect (although I couldn't find the sign when I went back this time). So, at the time I didn't feel comfortable walking through it just for the sake of it. Today, I decided to take the opportunity to explore and reflect, only the ground was covered in atleast 3 inches snow and it was surrounded by flags (possibly meaning that I wasn't supposed to go in? but I did anyways). The labryinth itself is surrounded by multiple trees, a corner of Rhodes South and Canday Library. It also overlooks both of the outdoor athletic fields.

A light dusting of snow coupled by a pale grey sky blanched my world. Deep burgundies and greens were muted by the layers of white that blurred autumn’s bold outlines of gold and red. Sitting by the duck pond in winter allowed me to exist in a timeless space. I could imagine sitting on the same bench in the early 1900s, gazing into the same scene. The same snow falling onto the same trees. The same progression of ice overtaking the pond’s contracting, liquid center.

I've wandered around Ryan Pinetum before today, but not attentively. For the past year and a half, when I would find time to visit the Pinetum, I would walk around the field, staying in the semi-designated walking paths, or sit on a bench (one of the many) and look around the field from beneath a tree. On this walk, I weaved among the conifers' green branches now weighed down with snow. Spruces and pines have been a backdrop to many of my experiences in the outdoors. They remind me of mountains, of tangled undergrowth and cold winters, of home. Being close to the trees, I would rub a few needles in between my fingers and press them to my nose to look for that familiar scent.

I figured exploring the geology of the campus was kind of cheating for me, so I chose to read about and then explore some of the trees on campus. First of all, reading through parts of the Bryn Mawr tree guide was mind boggling. I knew we had many lovely trees here on campus, but I had no idea there was so much variety! I felt a strange mix of excitement and sadness when I realized this. Excitement because I love trees and I was so excited that there was so much to explore and that there was no way I could really inspect and appreciate every single tree on campus in my walk because that would take forever - meaning that even after this walk there are still so many trees to explore and touch and love!

- Rank the five locations in order of where you felt happiest.

1. Morris Woods

2. A laboratory in Park

3. Glass staircase in Dalton

4. English House

5. Campus center parking lot

- What influenced your comfort level? Why did you rank the locations the way you did?

It seems that other than Morris woods, all the spaces that made me happiest were the most familiar to me because I visit them most often.

1. 1. Rank the five locations in order of where you felt happiest.

Glass Staircase, Labratory in Park, English House, Morris Woods, Campus Center Parking Lot.

1. I felt happiest on the Nature Trail (1), followed by the Meditation Room in Woodside (2), the front sitting area in the GIAC (3), the South Lot (4), and the organic chemistry lab (5).

In order of where I felt happieset to where I felt least happy: Morris Woods, Mineralogy Lab, English House, Dalton, Campus Center parking lot.