Interpreting Nature

Weekly Blogs for ENVS 3000 

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Blog #1: My Relationship with Nature

Living in major cities, Toronto and Seoul, I’ve been surrounded by concrete buildings with some grass, trees, and small parks sprinkled here and there. I would notice a pretty flower in passing here and there. My relationship with nature up until I was in 10th grade was almost nonexistent. My childhood did consist of summer camping trips and frequent trips to Algonquin park, I feel that I was too young and naive to be appreciative of my surroundings. When I moved to Seoul from Toronto, I had the privilege of traveling around Asia, visiting rural areas, in which I began to notice and appreciate nature

I went on a class trip to Thailand where I stayed in a fairly forested area for a week. When I stepped out to the balcony of the place we were staying, I was flabbergasted at the view. It was the first time I noticed how beautiful nature could be. I took a picture (as shown below) but it does not do it justice.

(Thailand, 2015)

Simultaneously, my joy of taking pictures of nature and scenic areas grew and I became more aware of how beautiful nature is around me. After, I was lucky enough to have the opportunity to visit China, Japan, and Malaysia. During these trips, I was more appreciative of how beautiful nature is. The people who gave me ‘a sense of place’ were tour guides who acted as interpreters. They were able to enhance my experience and relationship with nature by explaining the roles of these lands, the culture/heritage of people living there, and the importance of environmental management.

(China, 2016)

(Japan, 2017)

Moving back to Seoul, the main person who gave me ‘a sense of place’ was my aunt. My aunt had lived in Korea all her life and since it was my first time coming back to Korea since I was a baby, she dedicated much of her time to showing me around. She took me around the large city and explained the significance of every location we visited - whether it was cultural, ecological, or historical. I had learned a lot from her to the point where I had felt like I had never left Seoul.

(Korea, 2015)

During the three years I primarily lived in Korea, I felt very connected to nature. However, since the pandemic hit, I feel that my relationship with nature regressed back into a very superficial one. However, I do very much care about the environment and protecting nature, especially after taking ENVS 3010 last semester. I think that my relationship with nature has transformed into one where I appreciate and acknowledge the importance of nature and its interpretation. Furthermore, I do hope to explore more after the pandemic and pursue a career to protect nature.

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Hey Lisa, 

It was a delight to read your article! I'm envious of you since you've gotten to visit such lovely countries and try new things. The photos you shared are stunning; I, too, enjoy capturing scenery. It definitely makes me appreciate nature and helps me connect to my environment. When I look back at those images, I still can't believe I was there to see those memories firsthand. I've been obsessed with sunsets because they're different every day, the sky is constantly changing, and it fascinates me that we can see such changes.

Getting in touch with nature has numerous advantages, one of which is that it causes a significant shift in our perspective. Our perspectives are open, and all of our senses are engaged in the world around us. We can appreciate the influence of nature in our life because we can understand what a small place we inhabit in the world. It is grounding and soothing to connect with nature in order to care for ourselves and the earth. Feeling the sun on your face and inhaling some much needed fresh air can make us feel more alive and inspired, and it provides us with a unique opportunity to engage in natural experiences. Our minds are always changing, evolving, and absorbing up new information whenever we get the opportunity. Although travelling to a new and unfamiliar place can be stressful, I feel as though that allows us to grow as individuals and further our connection with nature.

Can’t wait to read more of your posts and I agree with Shelly, don't be shy, we all want to see photos from your trips!!

Hermiela :)

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Blog Post #1: My Relationship with Nature

Describing my relationship with nature is quite tricky. On the one hand, I understand the importance of nature and how it shapes our everyday lives and our future. The impact it has on different aspects of our lives because it is the foundation of our economy, culture, and our basic life. The food we eat, the air we breathe, and the water we use to irrigate our crops are all provided by our forests, rivers, oceans, and soils. We also rely on them for a variety of other goods and services that are essential to our health, happiness, and financial well-being. However, I feel like my personal relationship with nature has changed throughout the years. Like many children, when I was a kid I spent the majority of my time outside, exploring and learning new things about the environment around me. Nothing brought me more joy than being under the sun for hours as I played with friends. Playing sports outside, learning about different plants, going down paths that led to different trails and discovering new things were all parts of my childhood that I adored. Going on trips with my family to see different natural attractions was something I always looked forward to during summer vacation. Although, the current me has definitely been more disconnected from nature than I would like to admit. As I’ve grown older different responsibilities came upon me and less time was available for me to spend doing activities that I enjoy, especially those involving nature. This is probably common among many people but I recognize that I could do more to be more appreciative and involved with nature.

I wouldn’t necessarily say that one singular person offered me a “sense of place” within nature. I feel like I’ve had different interactions with many different people, all who have contributed to me finding my place in nature. For example, when I was younger I visited my family in Eritrea, which is an East African country, for three months. Over those three months I got to learn the importance of nature to our culture and how they use it in every single aspect of their lives. Each day I spent there was an adventure. There was always something new to learn, see and do, and I found this very eye opening as a child. Getting to experience the place where my parents grew up, the different villages, and attractions was honestly like a dream to me. Each time we headed out I would get to go with somebody different in my family and this to me was incredibly fun. Being introduced to new things by a different person each time was almost like their way of welcoming me into their environment. Through those opportunities I feel I was able to discover my own placing in nature. Now don’t get me wrong, I was a kid then so my placing has definitely changed, but I value all the knowledge I had the opportunity to gain and am incredibly grateful. Who knows, maybe I’ll head back there someday soon and will be able to reconnect with nature.