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three hundred and fifty million years If you didn't know, for the past four semesters I have attented a technical college pursuing a degree in commercial art/graphic design. Mid-semester I decided to quit and pursue a bachelor's degree. (I should obtain said degree in approximately one decade.) So, as you can imagine, for the past two years my main course of study has involved design on a computer. However, to obtain a bachelor's degree, one needs to complete certain classes, not pertaining to one's major. Included in these requirements is a science class. As previously discussed, I have chosen botany. I AM TARA'S EDUCATION-CULTURE SHOCK Now, you may be thinking that by calling botany a 'class' it is an activity I attend a couple times a week to learn about the immensely intriuging topic of plants. Yes, I too was once unaware of the commitment required to take a science class. Let me warn you right now: BOTANY IS NOT A CLASS, IT IS A CULT! Not only do you have to attend a lecture three times a week, where an educated botanist speaks for approximately 14.5 hours, you also have to attend a weekly "discussion." Intrigued already, aren't you? But wait, there's more! Also required is a weekly "lab." I experienced my first botany lab wednesday, and let me tell you, I can't remember the last time my day has been so action-packed. Like the punctual little scholar that I am, I arrived to class 5 minutes early, only to find that 75% of the class had not only arrived already, but were RACING around the lab, performing what appeared to me to be, tortuous rituals to large rocks. I later learned that the students were in fact attempting to peel off layers of a coal ball, in order to examine 350,000 million year old plant seeds contained in the bed of the rock. I am proud to say, that I too extracted a layer of goo from a coal ball, AND viewed 350,000 million year old plant seeds under a microscope, with the help of my trusty lab partner Christian, who felt it necessary to massage my back everytime he wanted to view the lab manual, and also wanted to know if I'd like to "study" with him at a later date. But I digress. You may be wondering to yourself, why on earth it is necessary to examine 4 trillion year old plant parts underneath a microscope, but what I would really like to know is why other students found it necessary to sprint around the room furiously in an effort to view said plants. I'm pretty sure that plants imbedded in a coal ball for three hundred and fifty million years are not going anywhere. |
