At some point in our conversation last Thursday, we arrived at a discussion of whether or not texts should always be accessible to us. Now, I completely understand the frustration that comes with not understanding. I definitely felt shut out by Footfalls and Mark's comment that there really was no take away. Well then why are we watching it!? But, with that said, I can't help but think about how English departments around the country would be out of a job if students understood everything they read. So much of my learning, specifically in high school, revolved around making the inaccessible accessible, and our teachers provided the tools for us to do that. What is analysis if not breaking down a text and its literary elements to further your own understanding? And then you write an essay to share that understanding with others. As a writing center tutor, every day I come across people who struggle to understand their class texts. To work through this and try to find some meaning that is accessible and interesting to them, I see my tutees grasp on to a certain aspect of the text or a particular motif, whatever. Through further exploration of the little accessible piece that they pull out, the entire text starts to gain a deeper meaning for them. Rather than shutting down like I was tempted to, I also used this method during Mark and Catharine's performance. After it became painfully apparent to be that I wasn't going to "get it", I shifted my focus to something I could appreciate, which was Catharine's craft of her role through voice.

Never did I expect to find myself at an all women's college. Men have always played a huge role in my life whether they were my best friend or my boyfriend or my father. However, now that I am here nothing seems very different. There are still men around there are just less of them. The other day when I was talking to my friend Brian he was telling me that as he walks around Bryn Mawr and will often get prejudice looks from Bryn Mawr women. My father also recieved the same feeling the first time he visited campus as well. Although Bryn Mawr is a women's college and fosters a culture of strong women, is not the point of doing this to decrease the gender gap not increase it in the other direction? Does anyone have any thoughts on this? I know this is less about the environment and more about the culture of our campus but I feel it should be addressed.

Staying outside in such weather was all about keeping myself warm. I used to feel reluctant to go to my spot because I had to spend an hour there ALONE, and this attitude was soon changed because the I always enjoyed my hour. However, this time the situation was very different. I've been to the Labyrinth in complete darkness, without having breakfast, when I was exhuasted - All types of unpleasant situations, but I always had a positive recover after spending an hour at the Labyrinth. It did not work at all this time. The cold air invaded me. Probably because of the overcast background of the sky, the whole scene looked extremely gloomy. The trees near the Labyrinth were still somewhat lively, but several tress on the Senior Row looked completely spiritless. Even though with or without leaves those trees were quite alive biologically, I didn't feel the cheerfulness that spring/summer green trees usually delivered to me. Keep moving did not warm me up. (I should have gone there today. The sunlight may make a difference...) I was not able to really concentrate on anything and the restless short visit did not last long. I was really disappointed that I was not able to enjoy the visit because I could not resist the low temperature. I was the only one in that area then and honestly there weren't many people committed to outdoor activities these days. However, the squirrels really delighted me. After Sandy, my friend and I were really worried about them because we saw much fewer squirrels around after the hurricane.

I decided to do something different today. Rather than walking the path, I took note of some unfamiliar changes to the surrounding area and the way the site itself appeared today. The sky is very cloudy and the wind has a strong, chilly current - probably because the region is in its last few stages of recovery from the hurricane. Inevitably, the winds have stripped the trees surrounding the labyrinth of most of their leaves. When I last walked the labyrinth, there were a few leaves on the path but the path was still easily visible and my walk lacked a deep "crunching noise". Today, however, the path was filled with leaves, especially in the regions closest to the trees. Taking a few steps in the labyrinth, I noticed my feet crushing the leaves under me.

I also wondered about two lines of white paint drawn from alongside the main, walkway towards the library - alongside the labyrinth - and finally to the wall enclosing Rhoad's North (directly behind the Labyrinth). The lines turned into arrows and letters I did not understand by their end. What are the plans for this paint? How will this affect the labyrinth and the trees surrounding it? Maybe I will try and find out.

“Black Women and the Wilderness” by Evelyn White reminded me of something that I briefly mentioned during a conversation in class at the beginning of the semester; that it is harder for women to go outside and feel free and safe in nature. The reason that this is, is the same reason for us as it was for Evelyn White and other black women at her time. Because of the imbalance of power between men and women or white and black, women and especially black women need to worry about their safety when they are in the wilderness and do not have the protection of a locked door, their friends, and their family. I feel really strongly about wanting to change this because all people deserve to feel like they can live comfortably in our natural environment and explore the earth. 

check it out

From a NYTimes article on Facing New Reality: "Hurricane Sandy is now a gauge of the region’s new fragility.... to simply mop up is a fool’s errand...."We just can’t rebuild it the way it was. The worst thing to do is to have this experience and not learn from it"....Hurricane Sandy...should lead to a “massive reordering of priorities.”

And from another on Protecting the City, Before Next Time, three proposals: for marshy edges and absorptive streets; re-built oyster beds; and a dam w/ tidal gates.

Besides briefly seeing it from a distance, I had not seen or visited my spot since before Hurricane Sandy hit the area. Luckily for me the bench had survived the storm although it was still soaked from the weather we had the last week as well as looking much more weathered. Besides this, there was also plenty of other signs of Sandy even a few days afterwards. Although the trees around the bench had been spared for the most part (save one that was slightly uprooted and leaning slightly on its neighbor) there was one tree that had been blown down that I had noticed on my route to the bench. Likewise looking around the ground was strewn with, sticks, and fallen braches so Sandy certainly had done some damage to the general area of this section of the arboretum. Besides blowing down the branches, Sandy also helped the transition towards winter by blowing off a good portion of the tree leaves, so the rainbow of colors I had noticed on the tree line earlier was now replaced with patches of bare leaves. Although this did allow me a better view of the nature trail I also could see Haverford road more clearly, so the scenery unfortunately was not solely a beautiful natural setting. For the most part the area was pretty empty, both of individuals using the nature trail and of the usual signs of nature, so at times I felt like I was my current observation period was rather dreary. It was cold, windy, and cloudy so that didn’t really help.