My Country

Ytterboe Loop

Yesterday in my Nature and the American Landscape class we watched a video on Georgia O'Keeffe and a large portion of what she said resonated with me.  One idea in particular explains something that I have felt for a long time.  For her, New Mexico is her country.  Other places are nice, sure, but they aren't made for her like New Mexico is.

The idea of belonging to a place is something that I've thought about my whole life, and living away from home has especially solidified the truth that, like New Mexico is Georgia O'Keeffe's country, the Pacific Northwest is my country.  It's my home and I almost feel as if I belong there and nowhere else.  That is not to say that I do not enjoy being in other places.  If anything, because I feel so attached to my home I feel like I need to get away at least for a bit to experience other places.  This is one of the main reasons I came to St. Olaf, to experience a place quite different from what I am used to.

Another topic or theme that's important to our class is the imagined landscape.  What is it that I conjure up as beautiful when I think of a beautiful landscape?  It's different for each person; Georgia O'Keeffe would probably think of the desert of New Mexico, whereas others might think of a coral reef or a densely wooded forest.  This picture inside each of our heads adds to the lense that we see all landscape through, a concept we've called a constructivist point of view when discussing landscape art in class.  When Georgia O'Keeffe was talking about New Mexico being her country and her finding beauty in the desert, I realized that the reason I'm not finding anything here to be particularly engaging is that I'm viewing it through the lense of an Oregonian and trying to find places that remind me of home.  This is only furthered when I think of my favorite spots along my running route in the Natural Lands here on campus that I make sure to visit every time I'm out there.  Here are a few: (Also note the picture at the beginning of this post)

Road to STOGROW

Big Trees near Skoglund Pond

Notice the trees?  I do.  They're largely coniferous, evergreen trees, trees that I see near home.  They remind me of the forests that I hike through and live around.  I'm drawn to these places every time I go outside because of this. 

I feel like my view is a biased view, one trying too hard to find something to remind me of home.  While this will always be the case, my goal is to figure out what HERE is, not how here is similar to  THERE.  I want to appreciate this place more and discover how this campus makes itself a part of the Midwest landscape.  This I will try to do as I continue to reflect on the impact of this landscape on my life.