I apologize if the pictures above are a little blurry, I can’t tell as I upload this blog so I guess I’ll see once I’m done.
As I was thinking of what to write on this blog I stared at the pictures I wanted to choose from. In the pictures: I am above, and my mother is below. This place behind us with a volcano and the dirt you see? This was once where my family lived. Unfortunately there was a volcano eruption in 2014 that wiped out my mothers entire village. Some people have begun building new homes down there again. The only person left of my family who survived still lives there and refuses to leave. You see in the picture I am eating grapes, the sweetest juiciest grapes you could ever feel your tongue brush on. The grapes taste so fresh and are so fulfilling. This land is the only land that grows these kind of grapes used to make the best wine 😉 if you’re under 21 sorry you are missing out. As I sit here and I contemplate place, I envision my mother playing here as a child. The woman my mother is, is the woman I hope to become. She is a vision, an inspiring art. My mother is so free but she was so confined at a young age. She had the strict parents so I know this place means something to her. I went there this summer on vacation hoping to learn more of my culture. Clearly you see the outfit I’m wearing I wanted to look ‘HOT’ for pictures BUT let me tell you sandals are not great for walking through hard lava rocks. I can feel the urge of crying right now because a place that was once so beautiful and carried so much culture now only carries burnt rocks. I know this place is special due to the fact the grapes can still grow even though the land went through that turmoil. I remember coming here in 2018 and seeing how much life was breathed into this place, the wilderness made it so beautiful. So yes I agree with Kingsolver when she states “People need wild places. Whether or not we think we do, we do.”(Kingsolver, knowing our place) Coming from a true city girl, because I won’t lie at all I love the city, the buildings the sunrise when they hit certain buildings. Though there is something about the wilderness, it brings a different perspective. It allows us to understand where something came from, how far we’ve come as humans. It puts us in “our place” as Kingsolver said towards the end of her excerpt. We know where we stand when we involve the wilderness, there is something grater than us clearly because of all the different animals that we get to see, the different types of trees, the bodies of water.
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Bell hooks starts us off with the quote:
“When we love the Earth, we are able to love ourselves more fully. The ancestors taught me it was so.”(Hooks, 363)
I believe this, my ancestors are from Africa and years and generations of my family come from Cape Verde. The same land they played on I played on, we seen the same things and at the same time we seen different things. Which is why I love my place so much,Williams says “Story offers a wash of images and emotions that returns us to our highest and deepest selves, where we remember what it means to be human, living in place with our neighbors.”(Williams, 3) Coming back to this place allows me to reminice and remembering how my ‘neighbors’ used to help each other. We would plant together, crop together, and build together. Williams reminds me of what its like to be human and understanding our neighbors from human to animals. When I tell the story of the volcano erupting all of my family members see what it was before the volcano rather than remembering what it is now. Although nature, and wilderness accounts for Volcano eruptions because that is apart of nature. The land still looks beautiful but in its own natural way. Yeah there’s no houses and buildings but theres so much land.
This is my mothers safe haven, but my mother is MY safe haven. So welcome to the Safe Haven inside of my mothers heart, Bem-Vindo Parque Natural Do Fogo.
Eco-feminists believe that humans should have a connection with nature. As do I, nature is everywhere, in every story. In every breath, in every move we make. We should care and give to nature, as nature cares and gives to us.
Thanks for coming again, xoxo Gossip Girl & a girl who just might be an eco-feminist?
Melany,
thank you for sharing this scared part of yourself. The story you shared here was very humbling yet powerful. I have half-brothers who are from Cape Verde, and they cannot stop ma marveling at the beauty of the islands. I wish I had that sort of connection to an island or country apart from the U.S. I don’t always feel “at home” here. I don’t know if its because of the lack of natural beauty or the rise of social issues but what I do know is, I am most at home when I am surrounded by palm trees, sun shine, and a cool breeze. Keep on creating those safe havens xoxoxoxo
Melany,
I really appreciate that you chose to share such an important part of your life with us. I wish I had such a strong connection to where my parents are from and an even stronger connection to my mother, unfortunately I don’t. I do however have a connection to nature here in the US. The quote you used from bell hooks about how when we love the earth, we love ourselves more fully. I think based on the story and pictures you shared, you embody that quote. You clearly appreciate the nature around and seem to love yourself. I love that you consider your mom your safe haven. I think you are very lucky to have such a strong connection to nature and your mother.
Test
I want to first say I am sorry for you and your family’s loss during the eruption and I just want to give my condolences. I honestly read your entire article when we were in class because of the way in which you wrote it. I love how you decided to write in a less formal way because it makes the reading of this blog easier. I love your pictures and from what you said about the grapes, I’m absolutely jealous. I feel as though another reason I like your article is because you decided to use your personal experiences with nature in order to support your points. You bring up the resilience in your land even though there was once so much destruction and the way in which this place is still home for your family to this day. You are a very passionate writing and are able to pull your readings in within seconds of reading. For someone to portray their personality through their reading isn’t very common. Everyone tries to write formal and proper, which can make some readings drag on, but you were able to portray your personality perfectly in your blog. Although all these aspects pulled me in to your blog, the ending is by far the best. I love that you ended it with gossip girl and I honestly started laughing when I read it. I can’t wait to read your other blogs and see what other creative ways you intend to hook your readers.