Back from California
Mar. 13th, 2009 01:59 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
nycmermaidI'm back, jet-lagged and exhausted. I think it's good, though, to return to work after a vacation on a Friday. That way you only have to work one day and then you get a whole weekend to rest up. I could write a lengthy post about my thoughts on this trip, but as I don't have time right now and want to post something, here it is:
- The Monterey Bay Aquarium and its surroundings are more wonderful than I ever imagined. An example of how humans and animals can live peacefully side by side, it is a truly amazing, inspiring, and for me a very spiritual place. I'm still trying to figure out what it all means in terms of what I should be doing with my life, but I am leaning more and more to possibly teaching biology, ecology, and conservation. I've never wanted to be a teacher because I always viewed it as something people do for the people they're teaching. But if I choose to do it, it will be because I am so passionate about the subject matter that I want to share it with others. Because if I can inspire someone else to become the researcher/scientist I didn't, it would be the next best contribution I could make to science. I had a little "a-ha" moment at the end of my last day in Monterey when I was buying a book at the gift shop. The woman at the register asked if I was an educator, because they give a discount if you are. I said "No, not really, just volunteer." And without saying a word, she gave me the discount. And I realized, hey, I *am* a teacher. An educator. Maybe not in a professional sense, but I already am in a position to teach and inspire others about nature and conservation.
There is so much to be appreciative of in the ocean that people don't even think about. For instance, I have come to the conclusion that everyone should see the animal in person if they're going to eat it. Not the actual animal they're eating, of course; what I mean is that people need to appreciate the dignity of this animal that has been reduced into a can. Very few people realize what a grand animal a tuna is. The big yellowfin tunas were my favorite animals in the aquarium (followed close behind by the bat rays, which at the MBA you can touch!). I'd include a photo here, but the things are too damn fast for my camera. The big message of the MBA these days is eating healthful seafood that is fished sustainably and low in toxins. A tuna is a top predator, a wild animal, and an awesome powerful creature. Having respect for these wild animals, I think, is of utmost importance. My job as a volunteer docent at the CPZ is a great start and I want to throw more of myself into that. The volunteers at MBA, most of them retirees, just like at CPZ, were so gregarious and passionate. It was very inspiring.
- I am seriously considering getting the MBA logo as a tattoo. I'm not going to rush into that or anything of course. I'm not even sure where on my person I would want it. I'm thinking maybe I will set it as a reward for myself once I've made some inroads as to figuring out what I'm doing with my life and how I will let my experience at MBA drive me.
- The Monterey Bay Aquarium and its surroundings are more wonderful than I ever imagined. An example of how humans and animals can live peacefully side by side, it is a truly amazing, inspiring, and for me a very spiritual place. I'm still trying to figure out what it all means in terms of what I should be doing with my life, but I am leaning more and more to possibly teaching biology, ecology, and conservation. I've never wanted to be a teacher because I always viewed it as something people do for the people they're teaching. But if I choose to do it, it will be because I am so passionate about the subject matter that I want to share it with others. Because if I can inspire someone else to become the researcher/scientist I didn't, it would be the next best contribution I could make to science. I had a little "a-ha" moment at the end of my last day in Monterey when I was buying a book at the gift shop. The woman at the register asked if I was an educator, because they give a discount if you are. I said "No, not really, just volunteer." And without saying a word, she gave me the discount. And I realized, hey, I *am* a teacher. An educator. Maybe not in a professional sense, but I already am in a position to teach and inspire others about nature and conservation.
There is so much to be appreciative of in the ocean that people don't even think about. For instance, I have come to the conclusion that everyone should see the animal in person if they're going to eat it. Not the actual animal they're eating, of course; what I mean is that people need to appreciate the dignity of this animal that has been reduced into a can. Very few people realize what a grand animal a tuna is. The big yellowfin tunas were my favorite animals in the aquarium (followed close behind by the bat rays, which at the MBA you can touch!). I'd include a photo here, but the things are too damn fast for my camera. The big message of the MBA these days is eating healthful seafood that is fished sustainably and low in toxins. A tuna is a top predator, a wild animal, and an awesome powerful creature. Having respect for these wild animals, I think, is of utmost importance. My job as a volunteer docent at the CPZ is a great start and I want to throw more of myself into that. The volunteers at MBA, most of them retirees, just like at CPZ, were so gregarious and passionate. It was very inspiring.
- I am seriously considering getting the MBA logo as a tattoo. I'm not going to rush into that or anything of course. I'm not even sure where on my person I would want it. I'm thinking maybe I will set it as a reward for myself once I've made some inroads as to figuring out what I'm doing with my life and how I will let my experience at MBA drive me.
