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I sit down with my freshly air-fried Trader Joe’s tempura bird nests and open TikTok. A
compilation of Isabella Rossellini’s animal reproduction series is my welcome into the app. I’m slightly intrigued but also uncomfortable. The bird nests are so good. A clip fo Ziwe’s talk show is next I love her. I mindlessly scroll through a couple more videos, most don’t really pique my interest so I don’t allow those clips to finish. I’m stopped by a video of someone reenacting Lady Gaga’s 60-minute interview. After the lady gaga clip there’s a video of someone doing the stanky leg to Stolen Dance by Milky Chance and I let out a chuckle. The next video is a complete change in mood. An art teacher shows she is only given 50$ to supply her classroom. I think about that for a second in disbelief. A cooking video is next, I love cooking videos. I can definitely make that. I scroll through a couple more videos. I’m stopped again by a video explaining the structure of the Wharf in DC. It raises questions about gentrification and pedestrian-friendly architecture. I’m done with my bird nests. I push it away. Another Lady Gaga video. Again I’m stopped by a video of a drag queen explaining her political beliefs; kill everyone now, promote cannibalism and eat shit. I think that’s funny. I like the video and keep scrolling. A couple of fashion videos and I stop at a video of someone making a sandwich made with a croissant, mayo, jelly, and pickles. Somewhat gross, I keep on scrolling. Some of these videos I just cannot explain in writing. Such as a video of a girl who made an instrument with two bottles of antidepressants tied together with a thong. I laugh at it and give it a like. I keep on getting videos of someone who keeps on trying to buy the Publix yellow plastic divider. Another Lady Gaga video. I scroll through a couple more videos not really paying attention. Makeup video. A DIY video that doesn’t apply to me. Breaking bad video. A clip from a podcast called sustainable life. It highlights the difference between the Netherlands and the US when it comes to car dependency. Most kids in the Netherlands can bike where they want because it’s safe to do
so whereas in the US most of the time that is not the case. Concert video. Video of upcoming horror movie lineup. Dog video. I keep on scrolling. TikTok gives me a one-hour warning video and I put my phone down.
Bull Run Occoquan Trail Hike
I began my hike slightly confused. This is the first time I’ve ever been hiking alone and
I’m chronically directionally challenged. A group of older hikers was in front of me and I shyly passed them. I’m not good at interacting with strangers. My new pair of hiking boots feel good and sturdy. I’m surrounded by trees and vegetation and I hear squirrels shifting the branches above me. I notice the trail is undergoing a dry spell by the looks of several dried-up streams. It’s warm but I’m covered by trees. I encounter a tree with several rings dug into the bark, possibly a beetle. I keep on walking. I admire the ferns decorating the edges of the trail, I always enjoy looking at them. I walk over a small bridge and pass a cool rock formation. My geology knowledge isn’t great so I snapped a picture so I could identify it later. I spot several mushrooms, mostly on dead trees. I start sweating hoping I won’t get eaten up by mosquitos. I finally reach the riverside. It’s a lot bigger than I thought it would be. I pass by a family who just went swimming. I keep on walking and accidentally disturb a group of birds. The trail is beginning to narrow and im surrounded by tall foliage and trees. I pass another cool rock formation and snapped a picture. I finally come upon a small cut-through towards the river and I decide to take a break on some rocks on the riverside. I squatted down and took a sip of water and looked down and thought I saw an odd-looking frog but it was actually a rock with perfectly placed snails that I mistook for a frog’s eyes. I sit there for a moment looking out upon the river. It’s calm and I take my time and listen to the sounds of birds and squirrels. I then get up and continue my hike. I pass by a tree with numerous carvings of people’s initials and it makes me sad in a way. It looks so odd in the middle of undisturbed nature. I keep on walking, My hike begins to incline and I
feel my thighs begin to burn and my breathing quickens. At this moment I regret my decision to do this hike but after trudging along I spot a couple more mushrooms and I changed my mind. I come across a large empty stump with different types of fungi and sit and check it out for a couple of minutes. I then continue walking and I’m starting to feel itchy, glad that my hike is coming to an end. I finally reached the end, sweaty and tired, but it was definitely worth the solo adventure.
This experience allowed me to be aware of what I was doing and experiencing. I feel as if
most of my time is spent doing mindless activities or completing a task and going to the next. This activity allowed me to focus on what I was doing and what I thought of it at the moment. Spending one-hour scrolling through Tiktok and writing what I was encountering made me realize how much information im exposed to in such a short amount of time. I grew up in an age of information so this is natural to me; however, it makes me wonder what it must’ve been like to not have all this information thrown at you. Life must be quite peaceful without it. On the other hand, spending one hour in nature was almost a relief. I found it calming without all the noise of the world thrown at me. The information I received was small observations from the world around me such as a cool-looking mushroom or rock. Experiences like these just reaffirm why I chose to be an environmental major.