A couple of weeks ago I spent some time with my uncle and aunt. They don’t live super far, only 35 mins driving like my mom and 20 mins driving like me (I’m kidding). Although they aren’t too far from me their house seems a world of way when it comes to nature. My aunt has massive gardens with every vegetable imaginable (even some I don’t like but pretend to eat). They also have a couple of fruit trees and bushes and are even growing pomegranates. Starkly while my dad doesn’t have a green thumb, my aunt’s gardens flourish. Greener than Kermit the Frog or the Starbucks mermaid logo, her garden seems like it never dies and if it’s lagging in luster just a smidge my aunt always says, “It’s just taking a nap, it’s tiring to be beautiful you know.” But above all what stands out the most in my aunt’s “farm” of a backyard is her Narenj tree. While known by meaning names: California Sour Orange, Bitter orange, and Seville orange, my family knows it as Narenj. A Narenj is a sour type of circus fruit that resembles an orange. It wouldn’t be the most delicious snack by itself due to its bitter taste but it’s great for cooking and that is in fact what my family uses it for. Looking at the tree as I spent some time embracing the sun made me think. While it may just seem like some orange knock off it means a lot to me. When I was younger my cousins and I would always go out and pick the fruit at my aunts and grandparents house. We would then help juice them or cut them up to put on rice and meat. But now thinking about it the tree meant more than just the fruit or the picking and cooking, it was a connection to my family and my heritage. As it has been stated before, this summer I have spent time trying to find and understand my identity. It’s a struggle believe me, but I’m slowly making progress. We call the fruit of this tree Narenji because in Iran that’s what they call it. Many don’t know but my mother is half Iranian (making me a ¼)  and thus I grew up around Iranians and Iranian culture. Although the genetics are there, I never felt “that” Iranian because of my skin color, and that made me feel isolated. To be honest there aren’t many black Iranians out there, and most Iranians like to have a fair complexion. However, harvesting this tree and knowing things about it always made me feel like I fit in with my cousins. It was a time to learn Iranian culture, dishes, and just have fun and as a kid that made all the difference. Now looking at the tree I see my ancestry in it. I see a way to stay rooted in my culture even if I’m thousands away from where my mom grew up. I see my great-grandparents, my grandparents, my cousin, aunts and uncles, etc in the tree. I’m excited that I’m starting to really make connections with nature and the way I perceive myself. Memories make my tie to nature and the environment so much stronger. I too hope to plant a Narenj tree at my house and help cultivate it with my younger siblings so that they don’t have to feel the sense of lack of clarity and confusion when they are their roots.

When you start off your week with a heat stroke, there’s only really up from there. And I feel my parents definitely upped the excitement indeed. On Wednesday, I went to a place that holds deep meaning and memories for me. Not a person’s house or a museum or theme park, but an alligator park! As a kid I spent many hot summer days testing out my daredevil skills, taunting and studying the alligators. I used to explore the grounds and create a whole new world in nature (in my head, I was very post-apocalyptic and started a new civilization in the woods kind of child). Now, less post-apocalyptic and more pandemic, I have finally returned. Ironically when we first arrived and I saw a sign that said “Stay your distance”,  I thought the park was practicing social distance not even realizing they meant from the alligator and not each other (what has our world come to haha). Also since the alligators haven’t seen people in while they seemed very comfortable in their space, and were not following their own “distance” rule. 

Overall, I feel like this week felt a lot like going to the alligator park. I spent a lot of time trying to connect myself with nature. Now, while that seems simple at first glance, I wanted to really evoke an emotional connection to my surroundings. I visited natural places with previous memories, I built new memories with my siblings outside, I even started reading poetry that tried to convey a deeper message when describing nature. I desperately long to feel something greater than myself and personal gain when I’m outside. At the alligator park, I could just “be” and watch. The alligators didn’t want anything from me and I didn’t want anything from them. Instead of taunting the animals around me,  pulling out flowers and plants, or disturbing the environment I just watched. I listened to the birds chirping, the bugs buzzing, and the water swaying and crashing. I took deep breaths of the fresh green landscape. My skin was warm and tingling from the sun, and I was at peace. This moment was special because I felt engaged with my senses and in tune with nature. I hope to carry this meditative ability throughout the rest of the internship and maybe even my life. I learned a lot from just “being,” and not trying to finish an assignment or write something down. There was no agenda, and it made me feel good. I hope to explore more state parks and natural spaces around Texas in preparation for my independent project and see what reflection will uncover for me. 

Aligators On the Move 

(Check out that video of the alligator by clicking “alligator on the move”)

I’ve always been into art. When I was a kid I used to use everything to create something magnificent. Nothing was good enough until I got my hands on it. Macaroni, crayons, paint, string, everything was my medium. I was a little Picasso, or at least that what my grandma called me when I handed her a water paint splatter masterpiece or a ramen noodle doodle. Well flash forward about a decade, and I’m still in love with art. While my artistic abilities haven’t really upgraded from my childhood, I have grown to have a more mature understanding of art.

Due to the heat, I spent most of my time in my backyard. Surrounded by what seemed like the typical, I was finally able to take a moment and look longer and stare a little harder to notice all the art my backyard encompassed.

My dad is a man of many interests and hobbies, but one of the most interesting things about him is his love for plants. My dad purchases a lot of different flowers and plants from around the country (even the world sometimes) and plants them in the backyard. While he doesn’t really have a green thumb (and they usually die), the plants are cool and this flower really stood out to me. I never noticed it before (I recently found out its new one he just got), and I spent a lot of my time this week observing and sketching it in my journal. Its colors are so vibrant and a beautiful mix of purple, pinks, yellows, and green. Art at its finest. Staring at it was honestly a pleasure and helped me ignore the heat and bugs. At that moment, I felt like a little rambunctious kid making art in my room. 

The colors of the flower were so developed and defined. It is as if someone hand-painted each petal, and paid close attention to detail and texture. I tried to draw the flower in my journal, but I honestly don’t feel like I gave it justice (maybe I’ll get the courage to share at a later moment). Because of this flower, I can already start feeling a stronger connection to nature (even in my own backyard). I guess I usually just ignore things when I walk by because we live in such a fast-paced society. But staring at this flower for probably at least an hour (it took a really long time to draw), really put things in perspective. I’m excited to see more things that come out of reflection and time outside. I hope now that I feel this way I can be more cautious and observant as I explore more even if it’s just a walk to the mailbox. I hope this new insight is a step in the right direction to finding an independent project topic.

Howdy, everyone ! *Tips hat in peaceful Southern hospitality*

My name is Kayli Hattley (she/her/hers) and I’m class of 2022 and a Biochemistry major at Wellesley. I was born and raised in Houston, Texas, which means I grew up going to the Rodeo, eating barbeque, and sipping sweet tea…by the gallon. When I’m not baking in the Texas heat or overusing the word y’all, I like to spend my time with my two younger sisters and my puppy papillon, Kirby. While at home, I’ve been using my time to practice my drumset and guitar skills and even teach my siblings some shredding skills so we can start a family band and go big like the Jonas brothers. Similarly, back on campus, I take lessons for drumset, African/ Haitian style drumming, and violin. I’m also a part of orgs such as Wellesley College Television (WCTV), do biology research, and I am a Posse Scholar. When I’m not jamming out to music or hanging out with friends, I spend most of my time at the Global Flora Greenhouse taking care of the fish (mostly talking to them and teaching cool fish tricks) in the Mangrove Tank or wearing scrubs and counting pills at CVS as a pharmacy technician. In reality, I’m an easy-going, fun-loving, joke-telling girl, who is passionate about science and learning. This summer with the Paulson Initiative internship, I hope to push myself out of my comfort zone and broaden my skill set. I especially want to learn what eco-literacy means and how I can better connect and appreciate the environment around me. 

~Y’all Come Back Now, You Hear,

Kayli

*Rides off into the Sunset*