My Final Impressions

My Six Weeks in Colloquium

      This course has not nearly been what I expected it to be.  I had heard horror stories about Colloquium from my peers and was dreading this requirement mandated by the university.  But, I couldn't have been more wrong about the class.

      I feel so lucky to have had Professor Cornelius as my professor for Colloquium.  Not only is she understanding and truly wants to see her students succeed, but she is also hilarious, constantly making us laugh throughout the semester.  As Professor Cornelius and my classmates all opened up to one another after a few weeks, we ended up having such a great time in this class.  I can't believe I'm saying this, but I'm actually going to miss Colloquium!  I won't miss the assignments too much though, I must add.

      Although I won't miss these assignments, I didn't mind them at all.  I actually enjoyed many of them, such as writing these blogs.  They may have been time consuming, but it was nice to be able to express myself freely and discuss my opinions about the course, the field trips, sustainability, my community, and my personal experiences.  I am very grateful to have had the opportunity to do so, since this is not a commonality in majority of my courses.  I was also impressed with the field trips because I'm not going to lie, I had expected them to be pretty miserable.  My least favorite trip was to ECHO farms, just because of the swarms of mosquitoes that wanted to suck our blood until we dropped dead.  I would suggest recommending body armor for students who go on the trip to ECHO during the summer.  

      The worst part about this course was the time limit on reading the Swamplandia! novel.  It was very difficult for me to finish the book on time because of my hectic personal life, which has included two classes, training for volleyball, and working as a server and bartender this summer.  I am aware that this was necessary because of the shortened time period of the course, but I am sure glad I won't have to do that again!

      Overall, my experience in Colloquium has been a great one.  I feel more connected with my environment and my surroundings now.  I also feel so blessed to have had the opportunity to complete my service-learning hours at Shy Wolf sanctuary, an experience that I will not soon forget. I will certainly be fighting for other FGCU students to have this opportunity in the future as well.  

   

Marge's Sense of Place

An Interview with My Third Grandmother

     Since I don't have any living grandparents of my own, I interviewed my best friend's grandmother, Marge Forsyth, who was like another grandmother to me growing up.  Growing up in the backwoods of upstate New York, Marge had a very different sense of place than myself.  She lived on twenty acres of property just outside of the city of Auburn.  As a child, Marge says she would lose herself out in the woods, venturing out for sometimes the entire day, not coming home until dusk for supper.

      

      As I talked with Marge, she explained how different things were back when she was growing up.  She was born in 1918 and described to me how much things changed over the years, but was so proud to say that things were still the same out on that old property in upstate New York.  Although she doesn't have any family up there anymore, she took a visit ten years ago, just to return to the area where she has always felt most at home, even now at the age of ninety-four.  She was nervous to see how much the area had changed, but was so relieved to see that things were just as she remembered.  She took a walk down to the lake where she would sit and read books next to a big pine tree and sat there again, breathing in all of the fresh air, making her feel like a child again.

      My interview with Marge was so rewarding.  My talks with her growing up had always consisted of her family or things going on in my life, but I had never learned anything about her childhood until this point.  She has always been such a joy, so I'm praying for her now and sending positive thoughts her way, as Marge was just admitted into the hospital this afternoon.  She is a truly wonderful person and I wish her a speedy recovery.  

Here is a picture of Marge and her beautiful family!  That's little ole' Marge in the middle of the picture in the black and white and my best friend, Chelsea, on the very left.  This was my second family growing up.

Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary

Better Late Than Never

      Although our field trip was postponed quite a few weeks, I was so glad we were able to venture out to Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary.  The sanctuary is an absolutely beautiful place.  I found it so peaceful and relaxing there, except when I walked into a spider web.  I enjoyed looking for creatures hiding among the grasses and alligator flag, and I was amazed to learn  about the Living Machine.  What a great idea!  The worst part of this trip was dealing with the extreme heat.  Other than sweating bullets, I had a great time at the sanctuary and I will definitely visit again if I have the opportunity to do so.  Here are some pictures I took on our journey!

Corkscrew is such a unique area,
the only area left untouched in Southwest Florida
(Other than the boardwalk that was built
throughout the sanctuary, of course)

Saw palmetto is abundant through the sanctuary

Our lovely tour guide, Ariel!

Ariel teaching us about woodstorks

The wildlife sighting board before you venture on the boardwalk.
What a great idea! 

The edge of the cypress dome.
It looked like a mountain!

Yup, no water.  The land was bone dry!

We weren't lucky enough to see any black bears,
but there was signs of one marking its territory
or sharpening its nails on this cypress tree!

A pond apple- one that we learned would not be tasty to eat!

We thought this was a salamander at first,
but we learned it is a five-lined skink!  

Signs of a caterpillar that had rolled up in
this alligator flag leaf

Blurry, but you can see how enormous that
grasshopper is!  I was surprised to learn that it is poisonous.

A green anole!  We watched as it turned different
shades of green as it moved from leaf to leaf.

My favorite picture from the trip- a tree frog!
What a beautiful little guy.

Apparently this is an area where alligators usually thrive.
As you can see, the area is a tad dry right now...

The unique trunk of the cypress tree with a strangler fig
growing around it

I was bummed we didn't see some of these beautiful
animals that people had seen earlier in the day,
but I added things to the board that our class saw!
I wrote in the five-lined skink, the tree frog, and the banana spider.

     These pictures capture some of the beauty we saw in Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary, but there's nothing like seeing these things in person for yourself.

My Ecological Footprint

Ecological Footprint Calculator

      Since the consumer consequences game was no longer available online, I chose to measure my ecological footprint through another option that was given on that website, created by Discovery's Planet Green.  Through this analysis, I discovered if everyone on the planet lived as my roommates and I do, we would need four planets to support all of us, since our ecological footprint is 25 hectares.  This was some extremely shocking, concerning, disturbing information.  Thank God everyone on Earth doesn't live the way we do....

  

      I also discovered majority of my ecological footprint comes from my household's need for energy; 67.3% of our footprint actually.  This is followed by our need for crops, our need for grazing land, our need for forest land, and is followed up by our need for fishing land.  I was aware that we probably don't live as eco-friendly as we should, but I had no idea how truly devastating our lifestyles are to the environment.  

Solutions to Our Big Feet

      After taking this footprint test, I called my roommates into my room and showed them my results.  They were amazed that if every household in the world lived like we did, we wouldn't have a planet to live on.  Since we've all been trying to eat healthy in order to prepare for our upcoming volleyball season, we decided we should try to find local farmers where we can purchase our food.  Although it might be a little more expensive and less convenient to do so, our bodies will appreciate the change and so will our planet.  

      Since we already carpool together in order to save gas and energy, we also will be focusing on being more energy efficient in our house.  When we first moved in, we made a pact to make sure to save as much energy as possible by turning off all lights and electronic devices when they aren't in use.  Yet, we've strayed from this pact over the past few months, so we've decided to pay more attention and do our part in saving energy, which will help us save money on our energy bill in return.  With these goals in place, we hope to reduce our ecological footprint in order to save our planet.  The least we can do is make sure we do what we can make our lifestyles more sustainable.

Mine is certainly way too big...

Sources:

http://www.google.com/imgres?um=1&hl=en&safe=off&sa=N&rlz=1C1SKPC_enUS336&biw=1366&bih=677&tbm=isch&tbnid=y2vKudjSGV7BXM:&imgrefurl=http://www.rsc-northwest.ac.uk/acl/eMagArchive/RSCeMag0910/May10menu/ecological_footprint_number_1.html

http://www.google.com/imgres?um=1&hl=en&safe=off&sa=N&rlz=1C1SKPC_enUS336&biw=1366&bih=677&tbm=isch&tbnid=s-wKNi7ce1DtVM:&imgrefurl=http://www.allspecies.org/neigh/nbrfootp.htm&docid=BCYIvVu_tgzgKM&imgurl=http://www.allspecies.org/images/rtfootprinto3.jpg&w=216&h=327&ei=DzYLUOLjHYms9ATV4tnACg&zoom=1

Downtown Fort Myers

Southwest Florida Historical Museum

      I truly enjoyed the time we spent learning about the history of Southwest Florida.  Although I wasn't keen on having a tour guide at first, which I had not been expecting, it ended up being a very good thing.  We learned so much detail about the past, such as the struggles of the Caloosa Indians, the importance of cattle in this area, and the creation of technology into the twenty-first century.  It was a very interesting experience and I was very happy to have this opportunity to learn by traveling through time through each exhibit.  I was so focused on soaking in everything around me that I completely forgot to take pictures of my own! So here are some pictures of exhibits that I thought were really interesting, thanks to the museum's website.  

Here are some of the weapons the Caloosa Indians made.
I was really fascinated by their way of life.

Growing up in Fort Lauderdale and moving to Fort Myers,
it's still hard for me to imagine actual forts here!
 I can't believe people actually had to chop their way through
the wilderness in order to get to the fort.

Thomas Edison was such an incredible man.
After passing by his estate downtown, I will be sure to
take the time to visit sometime soon, it was beautiful!

It was so interesting to see the changes in the uniforms,
the weapons and the equipment used by the American troops
and firefighters.  Everything has evolved so much over time!

Urban Fort Myers

      It was too bad we didn't have the opportunity to walk around Downtown.  Yet, we were able to see so much more in such a short period of time since we toured around on the bus.  I was very familiar with the area where we first stopped, it was actually right across the river from the island where I watch fireworks from with my family on the Fourth of July!  My family actually has a house on the river just a ways East of this area.  But, I have never driven through Downtown Fort Myers before.  I was so surprised by what I saw, as I expected it to be much more rundown.  It was actually a really beautiful area!  The next time my parents come into town, I hope to bring them Downtown to explore the shops and restaurants with me.

Here is the Edison home!  I can't believe how close it is to the museum.

And here is the Harborside Convention Center, located Downtown,
where Obama was supposed to speak yesterday, before news of the
shootings in Colorado spread.

Sources:

http://www.swflmuseumofhistory.com/EXHIBITS/tabid/56/Default.aspx#

http://www.fortmyers-online.com/photos.htm

Swamplandia!

Jimmy Riffle of The Gator Boys

My Tie Between Alligator Wrestling and Swamplandia!

      The entire story of Swamplandia! is based on the slow failure of this alligator theme park and the alligator wrestling shows that are held (or used to be held).  Other than a short, barely-detailed recap of one of Ava's experiences wrestling a seth at the beginning of the novel, there are barely any stories of actual wrestling, most likely due to the fact that these shows ceased to exist after a while when Swamplandia! failed to attract tourists.  But, I am actually fascinated by alligators, and these seths are the part of the story that captivated me most.  

      

      As I mentioned previously in class, I went to high school with Jimmy, co-star of Animal Planet's hit show, The Gator Boys.  I have never actually seen his show in person, but I have been to Holiday Park where these shows take place and I watch The Gator Boys whenever it's on TV, regardless if its a rerun that I've already seen or not. I think alligators are magnificent animals, and I have a lot of respect for these volunteers that risk their lives on a daily basis. 

Jimmy is known as one of the best alligator wrestlers
on the planet

      I admire Jimmy for what he does.  It seems crazy to most people, but Jimmy loves alligators and caring for them is his passion.  Helping alligators and entertaining tourists with wrestling shows is Jimmy's ideal job, as there is nothing in the world he would rather do.  I couldn't help but think of The Gator Boys every time the alligator wrestling shows were mentioned in Swamplandia!

      Here is the link to the website of The Gator Boys where you can look through pictures, watch clips, and watch full episodes via Animal Planet online:

http://animal.discovery.com/tv/gator-boys/

My Venture to the Historic Cottage and Matanzas Pass

The Estero Bay Historic Cottage

      Our trip to the Estero Bay Historic Cottage taught me a lot about the history of the land around us.  It was so interesting to hear about the past of Fort Myers Beach and Estero Island, especially from the mouth of a woman who was actually there to experience it all.  Our guide was so passionate about the history of her neighborhood and I could not have chosen a better person to learn about it all from.  One fact I thought was especially interesting was how devastating Hurricane Charlie was in 2004 to Southwest Florida.  I had no idea it was that destructive to the land over here, as it had such a traumatic impact.  I would expect to hear news like that years ago, but I figured structures were strong enough these days to withstand hurricanes like Charlie.  It was fascinating hearing about this woman's life and her perspectives on the nature of Southwest Florida.  She was charming and I really enjoyed the time we spent in the cottage with her.

The Mantanzas Pass Preserve

      Here are some photos I took while walking along the Mangrove Pass of the Mantanzas Preserve!

The entrance to the preserve

The map of the trail

The water was brown! Yuck!

Beautiful black mangroves

The fingers of the black mangrove trees
sticking out of the ground

Our class walking along the pass

Too bad there were no sea grapes so we could try
the homemade jelly!

Sea oats

Looking up at the sea oats

These red mangroves really do look like they're walking!

Fungus growing on the mangroves

A dry path along the mangroves where water normally flows in

Can't believe this boardwalk was made completely of
recycled materials!

The estuary

Watching the boats pass by

Looking out over the water

The seeds of the mangrove trees hanging above

      And that's the end!  I enjoyed the walk along Mantanzas Pass Preserve.  It was a beautiful area and it was nice to have a tour guide, Ariel, who was very knowledgable, but didn't torture us by making us stand by the mosquitoes too long!  All in all, it was a very nice trip that was definitely more informative than reading these facts from a text book.

My Sustainable Future

My Views on a Sustainability in My Life

      After learning about all the ways in which people grow their own food and support their own families and then seeing it for my own eyes at ECHO, I truly could see myself growing my own crops.  Although I could never be completely self sufficient unless my survival depended on it, I have been inspired to utilize sustainable practices and partake in creating my own garden perhaps.  I don't have the time or the energy to put into a project that would feed my family or a small community, but if we had no other option I would certainly use what I've learned and even learn more about making this my priority.

Here is a photo of a family that has taken on the
responsibility of growing their own food.

My Future in Feeding My Family

      My sister and brother in law have a garden in their backyard that is filled with crops that they use to feed their family.  They grow corn, squash, tomatoes, okra, and many herbs that they use to add zest to their food.  These vegetables are delicious and I hope to follow in my sister's footsteps when it comes to growing my own food.  She truly enjoys watching these plants grow, harvesting them when they are ripe, and then cooking them for herself, her husband, her two children, and whoever else is over for dinner.  The food is fresh and nothing sold in a grocery store tastes quite like it.  I could definitely see myself having a garden of my own in the future that I would use to feed my family delicious and nutritious meals.

Source of photo:

http://www.google.com/imgres?um=1&hl=en&safe=off&sa=N&rlz=1C1SKPC_enUS336&biw=1366&bih=677&tbm=isch&tbnid=wOsgHPg3PPslOM:&imgrefurl=http://www.growbetterveggies.com/growbetterveggies/gardening_classes/&docid=tiZrIi-7OxvIpM&imgurl=http://www.growbetterveggies.com/.a/6a00d8346ffdca53ef0120a69ca5c8970b-500wi&w=500&h=375&ei=OtH5T4uIKIaE8QSdx4XnBg&zoom=1&iact=hc&vpx=894&vpy=353&dur=776&hovh=194&hovw=259&tx=151&ty=90&sig=116002542731047199648&page=1&tbnh=153&tbnw=204&start=0&ndsp=17&ved=1t:429,r:15,s:0,i:123

ECHO Adventures

      Our field trip to ECHO farms was definitely an interesting one.  I learned a lot from those who work there and they enlightened me with facts and situations that people in third world countries deal with everyday.  Although the mosquitoes and the hot sun were quite torturous, these are conditions that people are forced to deal with on a daily basis.  Who am I to complain after being exposed to these conditions for a couple hours?

      Overall, I really enjoyed the trip.  I was so impressed with the different types of environments they have created as well as the many alternative ways to grow plants, treat water, and use other forms of useful technology for farmers with low income.  It was an eye opening experience and I am glad to have had the opportunity to tour the facility.  I am very impressed with all of the people who dedicate their lives to growing plants and helping others, especially because I could never see myself doing so in a million years.  Not that I wouldn't want to help the cause, but I think I would be one of the ones donating money rather than all of that time and effort.

      Here are some pictures I took of plants and equipment while at ECHO!

Our class walking through the trees

Who knew that a mulberry bush was actually a tree?
Not me....

I think cacti are so cool!
This is the prickly pear we were introduced to.

Banana trees; excuse me, we were taught they are banana PLANTS.

Our tour guide, Charlie Brown!
I couldn't help but laugh at his corny jokes.

Bamboo

Rice-- I was so surprised to learn US uses more rice than China!
I never would have guessed.

Papaya

Raised beds that help plants grow in areas that flood.
Great idea!

This is the tree where we saw the snake chasing something.
Yuck! I hate snakes!

I ate this plant... Can't say I enjoyed it too much.

Ate this as well.
It's called a peanut plant, but it sure didn't taste much like peanuts!

An archway made of vines and twigs that caught my eye.

It's hard to imagine using this to get fresh water.
It's crazy to think of not having access to water at the snap of a finger.

I felt so bad for this poor chicken cooped up in this cage!
He seemed plenty content, though.

My favorite flower! I love sunflowers.

Moringa leaves!
Although they didn't taste very good,
I ate a bunch of these leaves for their vitamins, potassium, calcium, and protein.

Our class learning about moringa leaves with Charlie.

Aloe vera! We have this in my backyard back home.
 I often use it to treat my sunburns.

If you look closely, you can see a bee to the left pollinating the flower of the banana plant.

These little guys were so cute!

Couldn't help but take pictures of them.

      That basically sums up my trip to ECHO!  I stopped photographing my journey towards the end of the trip because the sun got the best of me.  Plus, I was too busy slapping the mosquitoes that were feasting on my flesh.  But overall, I enjoyed the trip and I would definitely recommend visiting in order to gain a better understanding of just what life is like for so many people in the world.