Last visit at the Nature Center

Two weeks ago we had out last visit to the Nature Center and continued clearing out privet. Compared to our first trip, I felt more comfortable being out in the wilderness. Coming to the Nature Center the first time I expected the manual labor to be easier than it was. After a couple of hours of cutting the privet out my body felt strained but much more reconnected with nature. By the last session, it felt more repetitive and less mentally stimulating. The first session time flew by. However, by the last one my classmates and I began playing games to pass the time while we worked. I was reminded that environmental work can be slow and not to glamorous at times. It did feel rewarding to help the Nature Center out, but I do wish we got to see more of what it had to offer. I will definitely need to return on my own time for a chance to see some of the animals and perhaps go on a canoe ride. 

With that being said, this class has been different than any other I have taken before here at TCU. In one of our first classes we did an activity where we "grounded" ourselves by taking off our shoes and socks to physically interact with the ground. The experiences at the Nature Center were similar in that we got to physically reconnect with the Earth. I think that learning how to zoom out is important for students to see what really matters - like taking care our of home.