Post 3

Since I arrived to class about 45 minutes late, I think it is safe to say this was my first trip to the Arboretum. Now just to clarify, I am not directionally challenged. I am actually quite good at finding my way around; you can ask my roommates (who are very directionally challenged, by the way). The problem was that I used directions off my phone, which took me out along University Drive and then over to Big Hollow Rd. It felt like I was in the middle of nowhere. Despite being lost, I had a really lovely walk. It reminded me of the back roads I used to go running on in my home town. I was walking in a very agricultural part of the university, which also felt familiar because the university where I live is a very ag-oriented school, complete with grass fields, tractors, and, yes, the lingering smell of manure.

I would like to classify myself as a nature lover. Although I am picky about what kind of nature I like. I like fun nature, like camping, hiking, and going to the beach or to the lake. And I like pretty nature, like flowers and gardens. But scary or gross nature, like spiders, I avoid as much as possible.

I suppose I’m a nature lover because I was raised around it. My family went camping a lot, we hiked a lot, and we visited arboretums and gardens around the country (the Filoli estate near Palo Alto has some beautiful gardens, as does Longwood Gardens here in Pennsylvania). Also, my dad is really into gardening in his free time, so it is always fun to spend time outside with him while he works in our yard. He’s landscaped the front yard so that it’s all California natives, which means most of the plants are drought-tolerant (they don’t take up much water). And he’s landscaped the back as well with more of a mix, including climbing roses, lavender, lemon, lime, and tangelo trees, and more native plants. By spending time with him while he works and having him tell me about all of the flowers that he’s planting, I’ve learned to really appreciate it.

I also like to spend time outside on my own to sort of meditate, to clear my mind and calm myself down. It's soothing. I spent a lot of time de-stressing this way at home. So I suppose I could see myself walking out to the Arboretum to just relax.

It was fun to see all of the flowers in the Arboretum here. They were beautiful. In particular, I loved the peppers that they had mixed in with the flowers and I loved the sunflowers that were off to the side. I also liked that the path wound around and made it relatively private, and that the designer incorporated wooden benches and chairs in among the flowers for someone to pause, sit, and enjoy the nature around them. I’m glad I finally made it to the Arboretum. It’s very beautiful and it was fun to see a new part of Penn State.