I am back from a week of traveling 1700 miles all over the South West. I saw so many things in one week that it was almost too much to take in. I'm far too exhausted to be too contemplative in my reflections on the week, but it had been far too long since I blogged. I am including a few pictures.
It was an interesting week, in the sense that I didn't have any friends on the trip, know any of the professors, or know anything about Geology. It turned out surprisingly well. I signed up for the trip to be inspired creatively by beautiful scenery, and I was. I haven't had time to actually attempt writing anything worthwhile, but I jotted ideas down in a notebook all week and have generated some good ideas. Hopefully between that and the three hundred pictures I will be able to recreate specific moods and mild epiphanies. I think the biggest epiphany was that I didn't have a dramatic sense of enlightenment. I guess, that's what growing up does--complicates things. There's no right or wrong answer that illuminates itself nicely. I think the fact that I felt okay with that all trip is a type of acquired wisdom.
Being surrounded by these mountains that are hundreds of millions of years old blows my mind. I can't even comprehend that much time. It makes me feel so trivial and in awe of the Earth's beauty and power. I feel like it could eat me up in a second. I saw volcanos, mountain peaks that were a couple miles tall and covered in snow and pine trees, Arizona red desert rocks, all sorts of crevices and cracks in the Earth, and was able to be humbled by its beauty all week. I needed something like that. Then there was the contrast to all of this with our time spent in Las Vegas. Las Vegas is the craziest experience. All of the flashing lights and crazies roaming creates a type of unnatural high. I feel like it reflects our culture too honestly--Nothing is in moderation, sex is everywhere, then there's the wasting countless amounts of light and energy without hesitation, and yet still some form of beauty emerges. The beauty doesn't make it right, but it reminds me that no matter how severely we are messing up that we can and need to find beauty somehow.
I made a few new friends, which I certainly can use up here. I'm so busy that I don't feel lonely, but after I go home and have too many friends to try to see and fit in, and then have nights like my birthday here, which consisted of celebrating with a very small group, the contrast makes me miss having a lot of friends available at all times. I have a lot of acquaintances here and I love my classes and clubs so it keeps me going without much thought about in depth friendships or a lack there of. I usually have a party or some type of way to be social, so it's okay. I am thankful to have a few more people I can have decent conversation with after this trip, though.
Overall, I learned some interesting things, got to know some fun people, went to a bunch of new places, and was able to experience some warm weather and creative inspiration. If only I didn't have so much homework tomorrow, then I would be ready for the week on Monday. Unfortunately, I think that I won't be. It will be an exhausting week, but I am really looking forward to going home Thursday night and seeing the family and a few friends.
