It really is too warm at home, much warmer than it was in the UK! Way warmer than it has been in the past. The earth is a lot more dry now, and I can hear airplanes, birds, wind, squirrels, and cars from the road. The trees are pretty bare, so no rustling leaves, except for the animals moving them on the ground.

I’m pretty grateful for both this spot and my spot in the UK. Both are lovely, and good to sit by, and feel very inviting. They are not fully wild, but allow a spot to be connected a bit more to the natural landscape.

The lesson I’ve learned while being abroad is that everyone has a different perspective–we’re all like sides to a prism, which builds different pictures of reality depending on where you look. There isn’t necessarily one correct “side” to a prism, just as there really isn’t necessarily one singular “correct” perspective. There’s only one you treasure more, and that you feel most aligns with your values. It takes more patience, but I think it’s a valuable lesson.

I hope to take the lessons I’ve learned about sustainability and be able to apply them to Wellesley! Some, like having a little mini compost buckets in the kitchens, and bamboo utensils instead of plastic to-go utensils, seem like easy fixes. Others, like having more environmental orgs on campus, or increasing the renewable energy share Wellesley uses, seem a bit harder. I hope to continue the lessons I learn, and to build more points of comparison, during my next semester at Bologna.

Hopefully, as I build these new perspectives, I can carry them with me not only at Wellesley, but after Wellesley, when I hope to apply them to make a positive impact, whether that’s in climate fiction, sustainable finance, or another endeavor.