The Nature of Life

There have been many new experiences in my life in the recent years but further to experiences I have found myself in numerous new places and atmospheres.

Yes, coming to Munich to study was a big event and so far it has been absolutely amazing. However, when I think of nature and what it means to me I often think of home. Vancouver, Canada is one of the most beautiful places I have had the luxury of not only seeing but living in. I have seen many beautiful places around the world but I truly love and admire my home city and country. Vancouver is surrounded by nature, by this I mean I have the ocean, the mountains and the forests at my fingertips. It is very difficult to pinpoint one specific experience or time I felt emersed in nature. However, there is one particular hike that comes to my mind when posed with the question: what does nature mean to you?

It happened one spring day at the end of my high school journey. As my friend and I sat in class we looked out the window and saw the bright sun shining through, melting the morning frost off the grass field. We found ourselves full of regret for attending the rather dull English class that morning. As a rather rare form of a spontaneous decision on our end we decided to ditch our afternoon classes and head out on a hike on the biggest local mountain called “Cypress Mountain”. A quick stop home for clothing and sandwiches and we were on our way!

As we drove out of the city and towards the mountain along what is called the “Sea-to-Sky Highway” we noticed the change in our natural surroundings. The further we drove the less concrete we saw. The grey was instead replaced with more green as well as the deep blues of the ocean that sat to our left while the dark brown rocks remained on our right. Once at the base of the mountain remnants of winter’s snow laid scattered on the ground. We hiked, we slipped, and we ran out of breath but most of all we had so much fun. The higher we got the thinner and colder the air felt but the deep green of the trees, bright blue sky and glistening snow made for an acceptable breath-taking experience. These natural colours, nothing but the sounds of crunching snow and birds, as well as the feeling of freedom is what nature is to me.

My friend and I had the best afternoon that day. We left the confinement of our concrete school and found ourselves in the thick of Vancouver’s natural beauty. I may never know exactly what we missed in school that afternoon but I will always remember the feeling, views, and experience I had on that hike.