Arboretum!

I had no idea that this thing called the Arboretum even existed before last week, and I didn't what to expect when told that we needed to meet there. It was really cold, I was lost, and I wasn't going to make it to class on time since I had just come from work, so I almost turned around and took an excused absence day. I'm glad I didn't, though. The Arboretum is a really beautiful place with so many different things to look at. It's quiet and it makes you just stop and think for a minute about what you're missing out when you live life on fast forward.

While there, I saw so many different types of flowers and plants that I've never seen before, or didn't expect to see up here at Penn State. For example, there was this huge tropical elephant ear type plant that you'd see in places with temperatures similar to Florida... I have no idea how they even grow here! I'd be interested to find out how they deal with those types of plants during the winter.

Although it's not too uncommon, I found the sunflower field really interesting to look at (even though a lot of them were wilted). There was one area of the sunflower field that was right next to a pathway, and in the distance there was absolutely nothing. Just field. It was really inviting and peaceful. It reminded me of a scene from an old movie like The Man On the Moon, or something like that.

They were also building a rose garden in the front end of the Arboretum; I'm anxious to see how that will turn out. With all the other beautiful things that they have there, I'm sure that it will be an amazing part of the whole place, and will add a nice touch; like the icing on the cake!

I definitely will have to go back to this place again; it was a really relaxing experience. I'm really glad that our English class took the field trip to see it! Even though it's only a five minute walk from my dorm, there's no way I would have heard about it otherwise. Next time I want to just get away from all the hustle and bustle of State College, I will keep the Arboretum in mind.