Author: Magdalene Kennell

Paradise

Although this place doesn’t have sand or water, it will always be my oasis. As long as I’ve known how to breathe, the fresh air filling my lungs has been intertwined with the sound of birds singing. When the robins, cardinals, chickadees, and mourning doves sing their songs, I find myself at home. Lying under the hundred year old locust tree, even before it blooms, is an ethereal experience. The branches sway, I hear the birds chirp, and I know then that I’m home.

The Pond

No more than 100 feet west of the locust tree is the pond that I’ve spent endless summer mornings sitting at, mesmerized by the frogs, koi, and goldfish cohabitating with each other. Today is one of the first days of the year that the aquatic creatures perform their routine for us. After my mother throws a fistful of fish food, they all swim to the surface, eager to get fed first. The beautiful koi fish glimmer in the sunlight just before the clouds come to dull the pastel colors of spring. My beautiful blonde kitty saunters over to the pond, crossing the wooden bridge while hunting the first dozen frogs to appear this season. The frogs have gorgeous green speckles and sit patiently waiting. I could never know what they were waiting for, but I could sense their calm patience, and it washed over me. The dead and brittle remnants of last year’s lily pads and reeds fill my family with anticipation for springtime.

A Walk Around the Grounds

Once I’ve exhausted our examination of the pond, I take Dolly’s lead, my cat, and begin to walk to the front patio of my house. Who knew just an acre of land could hold so much value for a family, and so much beauty, even in the death of winter’s last moments. I’ve never felt more privileged to live here than when I get to watch the land turn over and gain a new life once a year. I sit on the front patio with my mother and let her tell me which birds are singing and which ones are her favorite. As we listen to the birds, I look up towards the sky and see the perfect shade of baby blue, with heather gray clouds passing by. I imagine where the sun is and how it shines down on the Earth, allowing my house to be dimly lit in the late afternoon in the most perfect way.

Conclusions

I feel such peace surrounded by Mother Nature; though some could dub me a tree-hugger, I’d much rather be known for my loving attitude towards the place we call home. I’ve walked every inch of this property, I know where every tulip will come up and where the deer will cross into the woods. It’s undeniable that during spring, I feel most connected to this land.

Throughout the semester I feel like I’ve learned a great amount of information about computers, the history behind the invention of the internet, and AI. At the beginning of the semester, I was very skeptical of this class because I am not very knowledgeable with computers beyond saving to Google Drive. I didn’t know if I would enjoy the class, however, I have thoroughly enjoyed this class and the different concepts we’ve learned so far. I’m also excited about what’s to come later in the semester.

I think the most practical thing I’ve learned for my job field, education, is the information about Henry D. Thoreau. I had never read much of his work before this class, and our readings and analysis of Walden have been the easiest part of this class for me so far. I think especially seeing the many different drafts of Walden and reading the various manuscripts has been useful to me for seeing the editing process. I’ve learned that even the slightest change to the manuscript can have a big impact on the meaning of a text after seeing how the manuscript changes over time.

Learning about the history behind the invention of the Internet has been eye-opening for me. I had watched the movie Hidden Figures which details the involvement of women in America’s journey to space, so I knew we, as a country, had a history of asking women to solve problems and then denying them the credit they deserved. However, I didn’t know this same system is what was used to create the Internet. Learning about this has reinforced the idea of the importance of representation in all fields of work. Giving credit where it’s due is definitely important for creating an equal playing field for job fields such as computing/technology.

I think the most valuable information I’ve learned that I will be able to apply to my personal life is the knowledge of the terminology and the use of things like Git Bash, PowerShell, the GUI, and other such components. My boyfriend is a Masters student at RIT in Information Technology and Analytics, and I have thoroughly enjoyed talking with him about what we’ve done during this class. Admittedly he has helped me to better understand some of our class concepts better if I’m having trouble with something we learned during the week. I feel like after only a few weeks of this class, I can actually understand what he does during his day to day life at school, and what he aspires to do outside of college. I’m thankful for that understanding so I don’t have to make guesses anymore as to what he does.