November 8, 2014 - 09:09
Wenjun Wu
Paper #7
Nov. 7th, 2014
Lovable Trees
12:30pm. In a secluded group study room at the third Tier of Haverford Magill Library, I waved goodbye to my speaking partner in Japanese class. 12:32pm. I was certain I would be able to catch the 12:45pm blue bus back since it only takes 5 minutes to get to the bus stop. 12:36pm. I was lost. I was circling around and around from the first tier to second tier, back to the basement, passing through compact study carrels. “ Where is the exit? ” I felt trapped also anxious about missing the bus. 12:41pm. I was finally out of the library, felt relieved and widened my stride. 12:46pm. I was there at the bus stop, but the blue bus was gone. The next blue bus wouldn’t come until an hour later, so instead of sit and wait, I walked back school. It was fall. Everything was so orange.
Every day I take Blue Bus to Haverford. I did not know how much I missed until my first walk. I take things for granted not enjoying the sight. I googlemapped that the main road, Lancaster Avenue, which runs from Downingtown all the way to Downtown Philadelphia. Every town was attached to one another. If you know the orientation of the town, you can easily find it through driving. It’s so convenient from town to town and is which route SEPTA follows. It makes me think about what Doctor Luisa mentioned the fall line, a vertically line through New Jersey to Georgia. People would got easily to places.
Heading back to Bryn Mawr. I entered into a golden world. The most obvious is the Japanese Maple trees. It reminds me of home. There’s a saying in China called “Fallen leaves return to the origins.” “Bright orange and red fall foliage” reminds me of home. Thanksgiving is coming. Everyone misses home. And the crimson fallen leaves like they understand us, reflecting our emotion. Each season Bryn Mawr has its own looking. Spring, Cherry Blossom. Summer, Flowers. Fall, Maple trees. Winter, bare tree branches, which makes students know of each seasons. But I am also curious about why those various kinds of trees can actually be planted in the same soil. Is there any techniques?
Works Cited
Bryn Mawr College Tree Tour. Bryn Mawr: Bryn Mawr College Students and Faculty, n.d. Web. 07 Nov. 2014.
Comments
whereto this walk?
Submitted by Anne Dalke on November 8, 2014 - 12:42 Permalink
wwu2--
this is more of a posting than a paper, a short meditation on your walk rather than analysis of the ways in which the Bryn Mawr environment (or its environs) is represented in one of the texts we’ve read. So come to conference ready to elaborate on this draft: how might you develop a comparison between your experience of walking back to campus and some alternative representation of the area (perhaps Dr. Crawford’s geological maps?)
Your first paragraph is a vivid description of what it felt like to be trapped in the maze that is Magill Library, which gives you a nice contrast to the walk outside in the fall weather. Your second paragraph compares Lancaster Ave to the fall line that Dr. Crawford told us about. But the line of East U.S. coastal cities was created by the “falls” of the rivers—what created the “line” of Lancaster Avenue? (You say that the train line follows the same route. Which came first? Can you research this history?)
Your third paragraph is a poetic meditation on the fall colors of the trees…but I’m looking for a claim, an argument, backed up with evidence. Bring me more!
Lovable Trees
Submitted by wwu2 on November 11, 2014 - 11:07 Permalink
Wenjun Wu
Paper #7
Nov. 7th, 2014
Lovable Trees
12:30pm. In a secluded group study room at the third Tier of Haverford Magill Library, I wave goodbye to my speaking partner in Japanese class. 12:32pm. I am certain I will be able to catch the 12:45pm blue bus back since it only takes 5 minutes to get to the bus stop. 12:36pm. I am lost. I am circling around and around from the first tier to second tier, back to the basement, passing through compact study carrels. “But where is the exit? ” Swinging by all those unfamiliar faces and facing the convoluted “maze”, I am trapped, upset, and anxious. 12:41pm. Finally, I am out of the library, relieved, widen my stride and catch the bus. 12:46pm. At the stop, the blue bus has already gone. The next one won’t come until an hour later. I don’t want to stay at Haverford any longer—this place doesn’t belong to me—so I decide to walk back to school.
It is fall. Millions of multicolored leaves fall down and form an endless, seamless quilt. Every step I tread on, the creak of leaves creaks. The sun shines on my face. The breeze kisses my hair. Every day I take the Blue Bus and rush to classes, but I never am aware of the surroundings. Not until now, I know the Lancaster Avenue connects these two nearby towns. While walking along this road, I notice the road is almost straight and seems never end. The mysterious ending of the Lancaster Avenue raises my curiosity. To my surprise, Lancanster Avenue is extremely long, from Downingtown all the way to Downtown Philadelphia, stretching for 64 miles. One interesting fact is that the road was first built “to provide cheap transportation between the coast cities and the new Republic's "bread basket" region surrounding Lancaster” (The Paintings of Carl Rakeman). Now it makes more sense to me that the lane is the first long-distanced paved road which main purposes are to provide more convenient transportation and to improve economy. However, related to what Doctor Luisa mentioned in class, the main factor of building the fall line in the inner land is due to the environment. It was built along a higher sea level area so that the major cities weren’t be submerged and it was safer to develop economy.
Heading back to Bryn Mawr, I entered into a red and golden world. It is Japanese Maple trees’ season. Those “bright orange and red fall foliage” burst their splendid glory and fall into the ground (Bryn Mawr Tree Tour). There’s a saying in China called, “Fallen leaves return to the origins.” Those fallen leaves, for sure, reminds everyone of home, and that Thanksgiving is coming. The crimson fallen leaves seem to send us a message and reflect our homesickness. The trees in Bryn Mawr, unlike any places else, can “communicate” with us. Each season Bryn Mawr has its own looking. Spring, Cherry Blossom. We welcome the new semester, new start. Summer, Flowers. We look forward to the long break. Winter, bare tree branches. We suffer not only in academic but also in the cold temperature.
5:10pm. Peaking out from the french casement in Carpenter Library, I see the maple leaves are being blown down by the wind. Thinking of going back home soon, I feel expected. The redness gives me warmness, and feels like home.
Works Cited
Bryn Mawr College Tree Tour. Bryn Mawr: Bryn Mawr College Students and Faculty, n.d. Web. 07 Nov. 2014.
The Paintings of Carl Rakeman. The Philadelphia and Lancaster Turnpike Road. N.p., 14 Sept. 2014. Web. 11 Nov. 2014.