Tag Archive for: course-nocourse

Well hello again, it’s been awhile since the last post and since my last post I have spent my weekend at Channel Island, specificity the Santa Rosa Island. This post is one of three post about my weekend at the Santa Rosa Island and I hope you enjoy not only the writing and the pictures I post as well. The island is exactly what I Imagine a paradise would look like but it does look a slightly run down. It obvious that the island is feeling the effects of the drought. The island as apposed the pictures I’ve seen online is much more brown and dry instead of lush and green. Honestly though it didn’t look that bad when I got off the boat. The pier looked refurbished and as if it were maintained very nicely except for the bird poop but as I went up the hill things begin to dry up. The grass even the trees are drying up but it’s not completely desolated there was still life on this island besides human. There is also a very beatify sense of  peace on this island, maybe it’s the lack of Wi-Fi or the fumes everyone is giving off since there is no showering on the Island but the island does slightly exists in its own universe since it’s so separate from the mainland. The main guy here, Cause broke the news about the showers…it’s on next time I see him. But it’s cool I ended up washing in the ocean without soap or shampoo but then finished up in the bathroom sink, washing the essentials(you know what I mean). I really do like the island though the place does need some extreme love and it’s starting to get it. Some if the island deep in the mountain where they had us hiking was very lush and had very few signs besides the trail of human interference. The mountains we walked through were very steep as well, I’m not very sure how I got up the hills and believe it or not heading down was an even greater challenge because of the fear of falling to my death. Plus all the walking with Breana and Linzie had better have canceled out my Freshman 15 lol. While out here I’m hoping to not only earn a lot about the island and what they do here to help but also what I can do to also contribute to the island or at east what I can do to not damage it anymore that it have already been done to the island. I hope to also learn how in the field research is conducted and how I could go about doing it on the Santa Rosa Island or anywhere else.

The first day started off extremely awesome but as the day went on the things were a lot more boring and uneventful. Sorry but it’s kind of true we started off with a car ride up to a small seed facility where we were able to help with the seeds. My group started off by packing in dirt into small pods and then once we had shifted through the dirt and packed it away we were able to plant purple grass. Which were these little hair like strands with purple bulls at the end. While we were there we also separated out acorns from a bucket of water to help tell which ones were to be kept and which acorns would be trashed.  Both process were very peaceful and felt as if I was able to give back to the Island since we were contributing to the process of replanting new grass as well as acorns and it was especially fun since after I played in dirt I was able to dip my hands in cold water.

After we finished replanting we were then driven back on the ATVs (bumpy ride) to the main encampment. We then moved on to work with a different guide named Matt. We were able to see the island through a different set of eyes. Matt the artistic guide was able to show us the beauty of the island. We took a tour of the island but unlike the other ones we were able to see past dead grass as well as see much more than just the beach. We were able to see crazy things like a long row of trees that were put in to help block the wind but just ended up a bending to one side from the strong winds that had the island have to deal with. Also were able to see some very beautiful natural occurrences and on the beach. The wall backing the beach (separating the mainland from the beach) has a unique horizontal design of different 2 inch levels poking out towards you when facing them.

The final activity we experienced that day was the bird watching and sight-seeing through binoculars with Dr. Alison Alvarado. I was a major fan of this one but that was probably because I don’t have a love for birds and it was the end of the day lol. Well I did have learned a lot about birds and species on the island as a whole, for instance the species on the island are all derivatives of the mainland. And these species have gone through differ mutations to adapt to the island. Also learned about the Theory of Island Geography which is the number of species is based on the distance of the island to the mainland and the size of the islands.

We are all a part of this world, nonetheless our presence isn’t the essence of the universe. Over the course of three days spent on Santa Rosa Island, I have seen the world go round. I’ve felt it move in waves. The experience woke me up. I could finally see the presence existing inside me being reflected all around me. It was magnificent. Everything seemed to come together in a sense of “unity, isolation, and place”, as Cause had clearly emphasized.

Belittlement is hard to overcome. Trust me when I say it’s not easy to stay calm when the waves start to sway harder, faster, and stronger than I could even imagine. But even though I struggled to get out of my little self and into the grand adventure that this island had presented in front of me, I realized I couldn’t do it alone. I couldn’t get out of that dark place that consumed me without letting go. Santa Rosa Island, with the help of the people who traveled with me had brought me clarity. One of these people being a very intriguing art sculptor and geology minor named Matt Furmanski. He taught me two things that I will always keep close to home. One being when Matt expressed that “Influences in our lives help establish the way we are”. Instantly I took that in spiritually, humanistically, and environmentally. He talked about the way trees grow, and how they’re influenced by the wind and the position of the sun. I could see clearly how my family is the wind and God is the sun to me. The realization in this has ultimately shaped me into the person I am today. Without these two reinforcements I couldn’t get through any of life’s challenges. For I know that I am not alone in this world and those connections are a part of me.

Acceptance has eluded me to humility in whatever experience I may face. For this is in relevance towards my own perception of Matt Fermanski’s quote of the “Geological scope of time”. He expressed how the birth of planets and the formation of mountains, ranges, and oceans are all connected within this principle. In that instance I was drawn to the environment around me, in knowing that just like me, it will constantly change on the outside. But my connection to the world around me, as well as the people is what stays the same regardless of what happens. Ideally, I’d like to believe that the environment will one day be balanced in that same connection with Universe but like most things in life, only time will tell.

Here we are, always close, never far from home. Through this experience and many others, I have come to see that home is living inside of me. Forever present, yet seemingly distant at times. I can’t imagine who I would be, let alone how I could be present in this moment without the comfort of home. Support is key to feeling any kind of joy. That same joy is what drives me to be me and move forth with gratitude each and everyday. Without the support I’ve been given from my friends, family, and professors, I wouldn’t be able to move forward without a shadow of doubt in my mind. 

My first impression on going to Santa Rosa Island to me was to be much more greener. And what I mean was that the island had a lot less vegetation that I expected. Going on about a three mile hike showed me how dry the island was getting when it came to the leaves on the trees and the plants on the ground. I also expected the island to be a lot less windy and I also expected for the boat ride to be a lot shorter. I expected us as a program (SURF) to come together and cooperate to become closer as friends and colleagues.

Day 1 

The first day of the trip was the boat ride. The boat ride was an awesome experience because the feel the mist of water mixed with the wind felt like nothing else. The boat tilting up and down against the current of the ocean was exuberant.

A couple of hours on the boat passed by and we had to stop at Santa Cruz Island because the boat was making a stop to drop off some people before going to Santa Rosa Island. Just looking and passing by that Island made me pretty excited because I got a little taste of what the island we were going to looked like. The rocks were ginormous and the water was a shiny blue the flowed calmly.

After the long three hour boat ride we finally arrived at Santa Rosa Island. We got off the boat with all of our belongings and headed to the cabin we were staying in. Us as a group settled in and went over the rules of staying on the island. Then we went on about a three to four mile hike and that was really beautiful. We went all through the canyons and though the tops of the hills.

After the long and tiring hike we got free time and that is when I got to explore. I got go up and down the pier and go down to the beach. The pier was beautiful with shiny light blue and green water and waves crashing not to far from the cliffs and rocks. It was really interesting to see how the cliff was formed with millions of unique rocky layers. The layers showed many years of past sea levels.

Day 2

The second day for me was the most interesting. We got into groups throughout all of us and went through three sessions of faculty explaining the different types of research they do. The first session was with a professor named Allison and she specializes in the study of birds. Her main point to get across to us was diversity. I have learned that there are so many factors that go into diversity like habitat, diversification, mutation, adaptation, and island geography. We also saw different species of birds including the ravens, hummingbirds, sparrows, and gulls. She also explained to us how we should love what we do as a future occupation.

The second session was with a couple of faculty that were trying to preserve the island’s wild life as much as possible. We took about a mile trip to a plant where they take care of the island fox that are injured. They also plant things in a green house to jump start vegetation  on the island. We took activity in planting all sorts of plants to create vegetation for the island. What I found interesting of what they do is capture fog into nets and use that fog for water. Filtering the water to drink and to water plants throughout the island.

I decided to disconnect yesterday, Tuesday, since I was planning to spend most of the way studying anyway. I was sure that being away from my phone, my computer, etc. would help studying progress much faster. When the day started I almost ruined it because usually when I wake up, the first thing I reach for is my phone. Just as I was reaching over I remembered but I decided to check the time with it only. After I took my sister to school, I went home and had breakfast. I will use my phone to look over the news or any social media while I eat breakfast but today I couldn’t and I felt like I was sitting wasting time while I was eating simply because I wasn’t multitasking. After breakfast I sat and talked to my mom for a little bit, not about anything in particular, just little things here and there. This actually happens pretty often, I didn’t need to promise to stay away from the phone for this to happen. For the rest of the time, until I needed to pick up my sister at noon, I studied and did other homework in my room with the phone in the living room I did have to use the computer to type up some stuff but I didn’t use it for social media or anything of the sort. At noon I left the house to pick up my sister from school and decided it would be the perfect time to take a trip to the store. When we got to the store I picked up exactly what I needed and then kind of wondered around just observe people I guess. I noticed that a lot of people were shopping by themselves. If they had company it was usually children too young to be in school. I think in a store people are kind of forced to interact because they can’t be on their phones while they push around a shopping cart. If they are with other people, there isn’t much to do besides talk, whether it be about the shopping or other day to day things. After the store I went home again and kept on studying/doing homework. The “experiment” ended when I go a text from work around 4pm that I had to answer. I didn’t find being away from my phone too hard because I usually don’t text/talk/look at social media constantly. It kind of made me realize though that sometimes you need it because other people need to communicate with you.

I am not the type of person who uses technology very often as it is, but during my conscious effort to cut back for a day, I noticed many things. It seems like a good portion of people walking around campus by themselves are looking down at their phones as they walk. I believe this is because people are afraid of eye contact or verbal engagement with anyone they may pass. Sometimes I am guilty of doing this as well, possibly due to my irrational dislike of small-talk. If I run into someone I know, but not well enough to want to contact them and arrange to spend time with them, it is always the same 5 questions… “How have you been?” “How long time you graduate?” “Are you still working at [place]?” “How is [name of high school friend] doing?” “What else is new?” A good portion of the people who are on their phones as they walk are likely not even doing anything besides looking through social media to kill time.

Another thing I noticed was the lack of people on actual phone calls in comparison with the number of ones texting. In a full day, I only noticed 3 people on phone calls and I lost count of how many people I saw texting.

During these last 24 hours I called 4 of my best friends that have moved out of county or state, and spoke to 3 of them. I know this isn’t the same as an actual visit, but it was more than I’ve been doing lately to maintain relationships so it was beneficial:)