Before this class my connection to the ecology around me was one of cautious longing. Longing, because I knew of the life and healing within it, but cautious because I couldn’t quite see myself as part of it. I wanted to be connected to nature, and yet every time I saw a bee, a bumblebee at that, I would freeze in fear. I was born in NYC and have lived in apartments my whole life. In the city you often choose if and when you want to interact with nature. The sky only comes through between buildings, every park is manmade, and the trees are usually struggling twigs. Everything else is concrete. 

Still, I knew how important land and nature was because of my family. Both my parents are Colombian, and both were born and raised on farms. They always talked about the fulfilment and life they experienced, but both their families had their land taken away. In a long succession of events, they ended up in cold, concrete, New York. I love my city, but I always wanted to feel the connection and importance they were raised around. 

I’ve been in Georgia for three years now and I’m changing how I see the outdoors. At times it feels daunting, and during others everything feels connected and comforting. This course has been a very big part in creating that feeling of comfort. I am learning to see myself as a part of the ecology around me, giving and taking from it, learning through it, and perhaps one day I’ll understand the land the way my parents did. Until then, I’ve learned to be less afraid of the little pollinators.