23!
Hi everyone!
As I'm writing this, I've just officially turned 23 in the US but I'm almost done with my birthday here in Australia! I had a really great day, thanks to a surprise birthday pie, beautiful weather, great conversations, and a delicious dinner where I managed to convince the waiter to give me free tiramisu! Thank you all for the birthday wishes (:
The last few weeks have been nothing short of wonderful. I spent some time in Byron Bay, which is a stereotypical surfer town. It was really interesting but not really my style, although my impression of it may be biased because of some really annoying people staying at the hostel I was in.
Then I went to Brisbane and met with someone who is working on her Ph.D. about urban agriculture and greenspaces, which was really interesting to learn more about.
After a week-long hiatus back in Dungog, I came to Melbourne! I stayed with Liz (my friend Becca's sister) and her husband Caleb for the first 4 nights, although they were traveling most of the time I was there, but it was really nice to see some familiar faces from the States and catch up over dinner! I've spent a lot of time here exploring and meeting up with people who are doing all different kinds of nature-based therapeutic practices. I went to an event in a park called "Hike to Heal", intended to bring people together that are going through a hard time and enjoy nature together while getting some exercise. I was maybe the second-youngest person there, and there was ~25 people that day! I also participated in a 3-hour Forest Therapy session at the Royal Botanical Gardens in the city, which was lovely. I got to hug a tree and smell really interesting plants. Forest Therapy is also known as forest bathing, which is also known as shinrin-yoku (in Japan). It involves walking mindfully through nature, spending time experiencing all of the sensory experiences you can in your environment and seeing the world as if for the first time. It was really challenging by the end, but I loved it! I also met with a woman who is running her own Nature Therapy workshops for people in the city that want to get away from the "hustle and bustle" for a few hours each week, and talked to her about her thoughts on the workshops and the interactions between nature and mental health. And, I interviewed a horticultural therapist at a local hospital rehabilitation center and talked with him about sensory gardens and horticultural therapy for people with all kinds of physical and mental health issues, including traumatic brain injuries. I've been busy!
Through all of these different interactions and ways of learning about nature/mental health, I've realized that I'm not sure what to do with all the information I'm gathering. I don't really have an end-goal, I'm just focused on the journey. But maybe I should find a way to combine all of these experiences? I don't need to write any papers or anything, and my 'research' techniques involve grabbing a cup of coffee with someone and asking them what they think about stuff, and then telling them what I think about stuff, and so on and so on. Not very IRB-approved. If you can think of any ideas for what I could do to synthesize all of my experiences, I'd really appreciate hearing them!
Up next: Recre8 expedition reunion, then TBD, then flying to New Zealand on October 2nd! Woo!
time to sleep! <3
-Andi
As I'm writing this, I've just officially turned 23 in the US but I'm almost done with my birthday here in Australia! I had a really great day, thanks to a surprise birthday pie, beautiful weather, great conversations, and a delicious dinner where I managed to convince the waiter to give me free tiramisu! Thank you all for the birthday wishes (:
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| My trusty green journal and I, where I write my notes and thoughts down each day. |
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| Trying to figure out where to eat, a decision I do NOT take lightly. |
The last few weeks have been nothing short of wonderful. I spent some time in Byron Bay, which is a stereotypical surfer town. It was really interesting but not really my style, although my impression of it may be biased because of some really annoying people staying at the hostel I was in.
Then I went to Brisbane and met with someone who is working on her Ph.D. about urban agriculture and greenspaces, which was really interesting to learn more about.
 |
| I just really like this picture, so... you're welcome |
After a week-long hiatus back in Dungog, I came to Melbourne! I stayed with Liz (my friend Becca's sister) and her husband Caleb for the first 4 nights, although they were traveling most of the time I was there, but it was really nice to see some familiar faces from the States and catch up over dinner! I've spent a lot of time here exploring and meeting up with people who are doing all different kinds of nature-based therapeutic practices. I went to an event in a park called "Hike to Heal", intended to bring people together that are going through a hard time and enjoy nature together while getting some exercise. I was maybe the second-youngest person there, and there was ~25 people that day! I also participated in a 3-hour Forest Therapy session at the Royal Botanical Gardens in the city, which was lovely. I got to hug a tree and smell really interesting plants. Forest Therapy is also known as forest bathing, which is also known as shinrin-yoku (in Japan). It involves walking mindfully through nature, spending time experiencing all of the sensory experiences you can in your environment and seeing the world as if for the first time. It was really challenging by the end, but I loved it! I also met with a woman who is running her own Nature Therapy workshops for people in the city that want to get away from the "hustle and bustle" for a few hours each week, and talked to her about her thoughts on the workshops and the interactions between nature and mental health. And, I interviewed a horticultural therapist at a local hospital rehabilitation center and talked with him about sensory gardens and horticultural therapy for people with all kinds of physical and mental health issues, including traumatic brain injuries. I've been busy!
Through all of these different interactions and ways of learning about nature/mental health, I've realized that I'm not sure what to do with all the information I'm gathering. I don't really have an end-goal, I'm just focused on the journey. But maybe I should find a way to combine all of these experiences? I don't need to write any papers or anything, and my 'research' techniques involve grabbing a cup of coffee with someone and asking them what they think about stuff, and then telling them what I think about stuff, and so on and so on. Not very IRB-approved. If you can think of any ideas for what I could do to synthesize all of my experiences, I'd really appreciate hearing them!
Up next: Recre8 expedition reunion, then TBD, then flying to New Zealand on October 2nd! Woo!
time to sleep! <3
-Andi
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