Life Surprises

I wish I was at Newport Beach, watching the sunset. Instead, I am at my house in Fresno, California. It definitely is not the place I imagined I would be a year ago, but life took me on an unexpected path. Covid has made college overwhelmingly difficult and saddening since it is all online. I never thought constantly being at home would be so exhausting and lonesome. Therefore, I try to keep my life busy by doing schoolwork, going to the gym, and hanging out with my few remaining friends. The only positive thing about Covid is that I get to spend an extra year with my dad, mom, little sister, and two Jack Russel Terriers. Overall, I am doing fine, just like everyone else who is hoping they will wake up from this nightmare.

Writing has been a roller coaster ride for me. One moment I think I am doing great, climbing up the tracks and writing sophisticated essays. Then, I find myself falling, unsure whether I even answered the prompt correctly. I have always wondered if all writers experience this feeling or if it is just me. Additionally, I am a first year student and Writing 39C will be my second writing course. I took Writing 39B during the Fall quarter with Professor Darby Price. I was nervous about that course, but she was very supportive and helpful. I frequently went to her office hours, especially before a major assignment was due. With her guidance, I was able to earn an A and learn much about writing. Again, I am terrified about this course since failure looms over my head. Despite that, I hope to gain knowledge about animal science, learn new strategies for writing, and earn an A.

In terms of my “close reading” and writing skills, I think I am a little rusty. When I am given an article to read or essay to write, I feel like I know what I am doing until I have to put my thoughts into words. Thankfully, there is always room for improvement. On this note, annotating and attending office hours were beneficial in the past, so I will continue to use these strategies in this course too. I also have done research before when I was in high school. I am interested and nervous to learn how similar and different it is from research in college.

It was interesting to read about animal intelligence and consciousness in the article “Intelligence.” It stated that some animals are capable of doing sophisticated things, like learning sign language, yet people still argue whether they have intelligence or a conscience. There are two ideas that may help solve this mystery, which include the behavior within animal societies and the size or configuration of an animal’s brain. I chose this topic because it made me question whether animals really have intelligence or a conscience. I would like to learn more about this too because some scientists believe it can help determine whether or not humans have the right to torture and kill animals in inhumane ways.

I was surprised to learn that a debate is going on about whether animals have the ability to make friends in the article “Friendships.” It discusses multiple cases where two animals were inseparable until one of them died. Soon after, it was as if the other entered the mourning stage, just like humans when a loved one passes away. Also, the article states that some animals can make friendships while others are incapable of making them. I am drawn to this subject because the article claims that dogs are unable to form friendships, which shocked me. It would be fascinating to learn and research more about animal friendship and whether or not it is attainable in certain animal species.

My boyfriend took this picture of me when we were on a secluded hike in Kings Canyon National Park. Here, I am sitting on a fallen tree that crosses over a peaceful stream. While hiking, we were constantly surrounded by many towering trees that made us look like small ants in comparison. I even saw my life flash in front of my eyes when we saw a black bear thirty yards from us. The bear was probably just as afraid as we were because it ended up running away when it realized it was not alone. This picture reminds me of this terrifying and extraordinary moment that I will never forget.