Arboretum

To be completely honest I didn’t know what I was expecting when I found out that we were going to have class at the arboretum. I remember coming to State for my orientation, and having the biggest desire to visit the, what I knew then as “the awesome looking garden.” I have always been interested in botany, specifically carnivorous plants; I’ve found just the idea of them to be so mind boggling.  

It was really interesting to find out what was hidden back there, for example there was a pumpkin relative vegetable that was growing on the ceiling of this arched structure above a white bench, which was in a way pretty romantic. Also there was a remarkable floor sculpted map of “Happy Valley.” This was an extremely detailed and accurate depiction of the Valley. The garden had such a variety of flowers and plants; this was especially evident in a path where for a good 50 yards is just covered in different types of flowers. One plant that especially stood out to me was this minute jalapeno pepper shrub. I found their bright red and yellow color to be so appealing, and also I had never given much thought to how peppers grow, so this was an eye opening experience. At the end of the flower path there’s an enormous stone marble sun dial, with large marble stones in front of the sun dial aligned in three rows. Near the center of the arboretum there’s a cabin, and in this large cabin there’s sort of an open area that opens up to a beautiful view of Happy Valley. This made me think about how people probably have wedding services here, as there are white ceremonial like tents that open up. Towards the far side of the arboretum a good sized portion of land has been planted with bamboo. I don’t know how this subject was brought up along the walk, but a group of us were told that the ancient Chinese civilizations perfected a torture method which was actually attempted by Discovery Channel’s Myth Busters. This torture method consisted of lying someone down on a patch of soil which had been planted with bamboo. Then slowly but surely the sharp bamboo edges would sprout out from the ground and penetrate the person’s body.

On a happier note, this field trip brought back some nostalgia for me. Some years ago while in Brazil I went to visit my cousins in Rio de Janeiro, and while I was there they made the effort to take me to all the touristy spots, as I am from Sao Paulo, therefore it was my first time there. During the visit they took me to the national botanical gardens of Brazil. This place is miles long filled with a ridiculous amount of plant life variation. Also there was a lot of animal life, especially monkeys, which just so happened to be the nicest wild animals I’ve ever encountered.

All in all, I thought going to the arboretum for class was a great change of pace, as it can get very repetitive and dull having a lectured class every day, which thankfully doesn’t happen in an English class as small as ours. If there is a day where there is nothing to do I could fathom taking my family to the arboretum, but it certainly wouldn’t be my first choice to take my friends or family, just because there are a lot of better places to go in state college.