When I returned to my sit spot, it was unfortunately early November and quite rainy. I smelled wet leaves and smoke when I closed my eyes, and the chill smell of fall (I’m not sure how else to describe it). It was very quiet except for the sound of the rain and the gardener dragging the hose behind me. I felt the cold of the dirt leaking through the soles of my feet. I felt cold and wet. The only living thing I saw was a swan waddling from the lake into the canal opposite. He seems to be the only one consistently at the lake.

In terms of community, I can think of the gardener (who probably thought I was insane standing in the rain), the other students, the swan, the moss, the ducks, the lichen, the fallen leaves.

My flight footprint was definitely heavy:

I could offset by walking instead of taking the bus, eating more vegetarian options instead of beef, and trying to avoid any taxis or Ubers when I can take public transport (such as to the airport), and composting my food scraps. I don’t think they can fully offset my travel, but they can help.