Arguably the best part of this entire course has been the opportunities to go on field trips around Fort Worth to explore water in different ways. From canoeing on the trinity to touring the Amon G. Carter art museum, these hands on experiences have made me grow to truly love this class. One of our most recent trips to the Fort Worth Water Gardens was particularly interesting. I had never actually visited the gardens, and I had no idea that they were hidden right in the middle of downtown Fort Worth. I also had no idea what to expect, because what exactly is a "water garden"? Many definitions of water gardens describe them as gardens of aquatic plants, but that is not the case in Fort Worth. The water gardens we visited were focused primarily on the water, not on any aquatic wildlife.
One of my favorite water features was the active pool that has gallons of water cascading down large steps into a small pool. We were able to walk down into the middle of the pool and take in the rushing water. It was a complete visual and auditory experience, taking in the entire water feature from the center of it. The active pool used water's power and sensory beauty to create a breathtaking show.
Some chose to sit and observe the active pool for most of the time, but we chose to explore what the gardens had to offer. Just past the active pool was the aerating pool, a large pool indented into the ground with water spraying up creating an illuminating and refreshing experience. If you caught the right light, all of the different water sprays created a beautiful rainbow. The aerating pool was incredibly serene and peaceful, portraying the beauty of water in a different way than the active pool did. Some of the pictures we took of the aerating pool turned out simply breathtaking because of the way the water caught the late afternoon sunshine.
Our final stop on our exploration was climbing up the "mountain" to look over all the water gardens and even see outside to parts of the city. The mountain was obviously not a water feature, but climbing to the top did give us a birds eye view of some of the other features, once again offering just another perspective to looking at water.
The water gardens serve as an oasis in the middle of bustling city. Tall buildings loom over the gardens, yet the large oak trees provide enough cover to make you really feel transported somewhere else. The gardens are an extremely peaceful place to visit and make you stop and take in the beauty of water. These field trips are a great addition to this class, even if sometimes because they're just a great excuse to explore our city. You can read about something as much as you want in class, but actually canoeing on, walking around, or observing water will always be the more rewarding activity.
Saturday, November 22, 2014
Wednesday, November 5, 2014
Fall break adventures
For fall break I had the opportunity to travel to the Woodlands, Texas with my best friend. I had never been to this area of Texas and was excited to see what adventures this road trip would bring. The Woodlands are true to their name, the city is filled with trees everywhere! On the Saturday of our mini-vacation we actually got some rain, making the abundant nature look even more lush and beautiful.
One of the best part of the Woodlands is that all over the city are little pockets of serene nature that can make you feel completely secluded from the rest of the world. On that particular rainy day we decided to find one of those perfect little spots and take pictures of all its beauty. After exploring around a bit we stumbled onto a tiny creek completely surrounded by massive trees. We ended up spending over an hour exploring along this little creek that was in the middle of no where yet in the middle of a highly populated town. The water was calm and serene, just waiting for someone to stumble upon its beauty. The small, still water was nothing special, barely even big enough to be significant to anything. But it was its plainness that made it so beautiful to us. Something that ordinary becomes so much more meaningful when so much else is going on in your life. Spending some peace and quiet time by the water relaxing on the glass made our fall break that much more detoxifying for our minds.
This little adventure was a wonderful reminder of the quiet beauty of water. It was like a mini version of the Trinity River, but instead surrounded on all sides with breathtaking nature. There was no civilization in sight, but actually just behind those trees were major roads and large neighborhoods. Exploring along the sides of the creek was so much more fun than I ever thought it would be. Our mini adventure turned into a surprisingly relaxing experience that gave us yet another picturesque view of water.
And yes, when we first stumbled across this creek on our adventure one of our first reactions was, "Oh my gosh water! We can blog about this!". So blessed.
One of the best part of the Woodlands is that all over the city are little pockets of serene nature that can make you feel completely secluded from the rest of the world. On that particular rainy day we decided to find one of those perfect little spots and take pictures of all its beauty. After exploring around a bit we stumbled onto a tiny creek completely surrounded by massive trees. We ended up spending over an hour exploring along this little creek that was in the middle of no where yet in the middle of a highly populated town. The water was calm and serene, just waiting for someone to stumble upon its beauty. The small, still water was nothing special, barely even big enough to be significant to anything. But it was its plainness that made it so beautiful to us. Something that ordinary becomes so much more meaningful when so much else is going on in your life. Spending some peace and quiet time by the water relaxing on the glass made our fall break that much more detoxifying for our minds.
This little adventure was a wonderful reminder of the quiet beauty of water. It was like a mini version of the Trinity River, but instead surrounded on all sides with breathtaking nature. There was no civilization in sight, but actually just behind those trees were major roads and large neighborhoods. Exploring along the sides of the creek was so much more fun than I ever thought it would be. Our mini adventure turned into a surprisingly relaxing experience that gave us yet another picturesque view of water.
And yes, when we first stumbled across this creek on our adventure one of our first reactions was, "Oh my gosh water! We can blog about this!". So blessed.
Pizza Snob and the Women's Club
After many busy weeks for both of us, Janaina and I were finally able to meet up again for lunch. We were originally planned to meet at Potbelly but switched at the last minute when Janaina invited me to join her and some of the other girls from the program at Pizza Snob. In turns out that all of the girls in the English program have formed a women's club together. They've done yoga together, volunteered at a local church, and had a dinner party at Janaina's house. At lunch Janaina came up with idea to have a cooking party soon, while another girl was talking about leading a zumba class in the near future. All the girls were so candid and fun with each other, and they brought out a side of Janaina that I hadn't experienced yet. According to Janaina, the girls all feel that they can be their selves together because its just them girls. At Janaina's house the girls from Saudi Arabia were able to remove their head scarves and show off their beautiful, long hair. It made her so happy that the girls all had each other to do things together. I recognized a few girls from the IEP social last week, and one of
the girls actually remembered my name and talking to me, which made me
actually feel really special.
Janaina introduced me to one of her good friends Hannah, who is from Saudi Arabia. Hannah has just graduated from the language program and was waiting for her test results before applying for petroleum engineering programs. We joked about how students in the medical field are intimidated by engineering (like I am), and she told me that she feels the same way about medicine. Hannah and Janaina talked with me about everything from family (Hannah will be seeing hers for the first time in over a year this December), to boys (Janaina told both Hannah and I that we should wait until after college to worry about them), to shopping in Fort Worth.
Janaina and I also talked about her teenage kids who still do not know they aren't going back to Brazil for the holidays. Janaina has decided that they should stay in the US and experience the holidays here, but has been worried about telling them this. They will however all be going back for the summer, where her daughter will be turning 15, a big holiday in their culture. According to Janaina, this means a big party and a lot of craziness. I got the feeling that maybe Janaina was not too excited to plan this huge party, and I can't really blame her!
Janaina is constantly entertaining visiting friends from Brazil, and apparently all they ever want to do when they come here is shop! Things are cheaper here than in Brazil, something that I did not expect. The constant stream of guests coming and going means going shopping all the time, something that Janaina doesn't necessarily mind, but apparently is taking up a little bit too much of her time.
Overall the lunch was a success, and I am so happy that I was able to join in on their women's club for the afternoon. What better way to get to know some amazing international girls than over delicious pizza on a rainy day?
Janaina introduced me to one of her good friends Hannah, who is from Saudi Arabia. Hannah has just graduated from the language program and was waiting for her test results before applying for petroleum engineering programs. We joked about how students in the medical field are intimidated by engineering (like I am), and she told me that she feels the same way about medicine. Hannah and Janaina talked with me about everything from family (Hannah will be seeing hers for the first time in over a year this December), to boys (Janaina told both Hannah and I that we should wait until after college to worry about them), to shopping in Fort Worth.
Janaina and I also talked about her teenage kids who still do not know they aren't going back to Brazil for the holidays. Janaina has decided that they should stay in the US and experience the holidays here, but has been worried about telling them this. They will however all be going back for the summer, where her daughter will be turning 15, a big holiday in their culture. According to Janaina, this means a big party and a lot of craziness. I got the feeling that maybe Janaina was not too excited to plan this huge party, and I can't really blame her!
Janaina is constantly entertaining visiting friends from Brazil, and apparently all they ever want to do when they come here is shop! Things are cheaper here than in Brazil, something that I did not expect. The constant stream of guests coming and going means going shopping all the time, something that Janaina doesn't necessarily mind, but apparently is taking up a little bit too much of her time.
Overall the lunch was a success, and I am so happy that I was able to join in on their women's club for the afternoon. What better way to get to know some amazing international girls than over delicious pizza on a rainy day?
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