River Reflection 2

         This morning before my lecture classes, I walked to the Trinity River. Typically when I take

this route, I’m accompanied by a couple of my friends. With how hectic the last couple of weeks

have been, I was glad to find a little serenity by myself off campus. Although it certainly wasn’t my

first time on this path, I noticed certain things I had not noticed before. I noted leaves on the ground,

a trademark of my favorite season. So early in the morning, there was a crispness to the air which

would eventually be interrupted by Texas’ hot sun around noon. I walked down the winding path to

the water, and as I crossed the bridge over the Trinity River, I took note of the sun’s position, still

rising, blazing through the clear blue Texas sky.

           Walking up the river’s path, I decided to sit on the rock dam of the Trinity. The water flowed

between myself and the rocks, close enough for me to touch. I could have put my feet in the water, if

the Trinity wasn’t so disgusting. Nonetheless, sitting there was still relaxing. Hearing the water flow

past you is therapeutic, and I was thankful. I noticed that hardly anyone was on the Trinity Trail this

morning. A couple of joggers passed by me, but I couldn’t help but recall how active the trail was the

last time I was here. 

           During my reflection, I did not see as many animals as I was expecting to see. I did hear birds

chirping in the trees around me, though I seldom saw any. Typically when I go down the Trinity, I

see many turtles, but unfortunately on this trip, I didn’t actually see any. A few people on the trail

were jogging with their dogs.

             I started to reflect on the foliage around the river. Often, I complain to my friends about how

Texas doesn’t have Autumn, my favorite season. Although leaves do fall to the ground, the trees

 tend to go from green to the ground instantaneously, skipping over the pretty brown and orange

colors of Fall I miss. The trees around the Trinity are green and hanging on to their leaves as of yet. I

also noted the stark contrast between the perfectly trimmed grass of the golf course within my sight

of view and the grass around the trinity: unkempt and arguably unsightly.

               Reflecting on the river tends to make me thankful that we have the Trinity River in walking

distance to campus, but it also makes me wish there were more things to do outdoors in Fort Worth.  

I would love to be able to go on hiking trips with my friends during the day, or scenic canoeing trips

on the weekends. On campus, I feel cooped up with classes, homework assignments, and

meetings. 

                As time passed, I sat on the rocks, and the day became more active. More people began    

to appear on the path, as if the day were truly just now beginning. After a few moments more, I

decided it was time to start my day of lectures and labs and meetings.

Learning Experience

         When my freshman year biology professor asked me to be a teaching assistant for Introductory

Biology for this year, I wasn’t really sure what to expect. The only expectation I had was from

watching the biology TAs from last year. I thought I was nothing like them. They all seemed

superiorly intelligent and as though their lives were completely on track, with every facet in perfect

order. Now, midway through the semester, I can honestly say being a biology TA is nothing like I

expected it to be.

          Being a TA is less intense than anticipated. As a teaching assistant, I basically just facilitate lab

and answer any questions students have about the experiment. Because I’ve taken the class so

recently, most of the information is fresh in my mind, and comes back to me fairly easily. Initially, I

was sort of worried I would have to read over the labs extensively before class to ensure I was

knowledgeable enough to be of assistance to students, but luckily, I’ve retained most of the

knowledge from freshman year. 

          Helping students learn the material is rewarding; watching the class’s expression change from

confusion to an epiphany is a very special feeling. I have the opportunity to come up with and ask

challenging questions concerning the lab, furthering my own knowledge in biology as well as the

students’.

           As for sophomore TAs “having their lives in order,” we’re as disorganized and confused about

our futures as freshman are, if not more so. During sophomore year, students in the biology major

track take Organic Chemistry, or as I like to call it, the ninth circle of hell, is the bane of every pre-

med student’s existence. 

             I’ve learned a lot from being a biology TA. Students really do look up to you. The freshmen

frequently ask me advice on what classes they should take, which chemistry lab to enroll in, and how

to survive freshman year in general.

              Additionally, I’ve learned a lot from the graduate TA I work under, Kevin. Kevin is a

graduate student here at TCU, completing a masters program in biology. Still considering going to

med school, Kevin actually applied himself his senior year at TCU. During down time in lab, I get to

ask Kevin all about his research here with anthrax, what I should be doing as an undergrad, and what

the application process for medical/graduate school is.

                Basically, being a TA in general has been a learning experience for me this year. I’ve

learned what it means to be a TA, how to teach efficiently, and what life after undergrad should look

life. Overall, I’m really happy with my decision to be a teaching assistant. 

Learning Experience

         A River Runs Through It reveals the significance of water in our lives. In the story, two

brothers essentially grow up in a river together. Fishing on the river was a sort of spiritual experience

 for the brothers, allowing them to grow as people. Norman narrates, “In our family there was no

clear line between religion and fly-fishing.” The river is a place for the boys to play, compete, and

eventually, grieve. A River Runs Through It opened my eyes to the importance of water as a symbol

in this particular film as well as and in other major works, both film and written.

         Water is often used to symbolize topics in literature and film. While a river may symbolize

serenity and peace or the passage of time, the ocean often symbolizes strength, power, and

dominance. Unpredictable and uncontrollable, the ocean holds immense power over humanity.

Additionally, rain can symbolize an array of topics. Rain may be used to symbolize birth and renewal

and baptism, or conversely, confusion and despair. 

          As discussed in class, water is an important symbol in the novel/film A River Runs Through It.

In watching the film, our class learned that the Blackfoot River represents being replenished and

becoming whole again. Paul and Norman’s fishing trip with their father is significant as Norman

realizes that Paul is perfect, yet the moments cannot last forever, quoted, “And I knew just as surely,

just as clearly, that life is not a work of art, and that the moment could not last.” After Paul’s

traumatic death, for example, Norman uses the river to mourn the tragedy and find peace. As stated

earlier, the river may symbolize the unstoppable passage of time; Norman is able to grieve Paul’s

death by accepting the ephemeral nature of life, as the flow of a river.  

           Noting the symbolic nature of water in A River Runs Through It, I also reflected on the

symbolism of water in The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. The Mississippi River is a crucial

symbol in Huck Finn, representing change and freedom. Huck narrates, "We catched fish and talked,

and we took a swim now and then to keep off sleepiness. It was kind of solemn, drifting down the

big, still river, laying on our backs looking up at the stars, and we didn't ever feel like talking loud,

and it warn't often that we laughed.” On the raft in the river, Huck and Jim are equals, making the

river the medium in which Jim becomes free. Also, in a literal sense, the river is bringing Jim to

freedom as they journey to free land. 

            In my life, water has been an escape from the “real world.” Whether it be a lazy river, the

ocean, or even a neighborhood pool, water is always associated with a sense of freedom in my life.

Whether it be movies, novels, or our own lives, water is an overarching symbol in life.

Conversation Partner

        My conversation partner,  Linda, and I met up for the first time this past Saturday at Market 

Square for lunch. After we selected our food and picked a table, I began to ask her questions. My first

question for her was how she felt about the food at the BLUU, and food in the United States in

general compared to the food she is used to eating in China. To my surprise, Linda loves the BLUU.

She enjoys that the BLUU has many options she cannot find at home. Outside of the BLUU, she said

her favorite restaurant is Subway because she can point to the menu items she wants without

worrying about an error in translation. I thought that was very interesting, and had never thought 

about how difficult it must be ordering food in a foreign country.  

         I asked Linda what “American food” is to her, and she described pizza, hamburgers, and 

cheese. We bonded for several minutes over the importance of pizza. 

         Back home, Linda said, she went to high school at boarding school just outside of Shanghai, so 

she was used to being away from her family for long periods of time. She mentioned that she video 

chats with her father, mother, and grandmother once a week. I asked her if any of her boarding 

school friends went to international schools after graduating, and she replied that she was the only 

one. 

      She was pretty interested in what Americans do for fun. I told her about my typical TCU 

weekend, including hanging out with friends, avoiding responsibilities, and going to football 

games. 

Linda thought it was intriguing how much Americans invest in sports. In fact, she had no idea we 

had a football game later that day against OU. Linda explained that rather than focusing on sports,

 her culture tends to focus on the importance of academics. 

        The topic changed to holidays. I was interested to know what holidays are celebrated in China, 

and Linda told me about Chinese New Year traditions. She told me her family used to do fireworks, 

but they have ceased because they are not environmentally friendly. Linda in turn asked me about 

Halloween here, and I was more than happy to tell her, as Halloween is my favorite holiday. She was 

excited to tell me that she already had a Halloween costume picked out, and showed me a picture on 

her phone.  

       A lot of the time, I could not understand what she was saying, so I had to ask her to repeat 

herself. I can only imagine how hard it is to speak more than one language. A few times she had to 

bring up an application on her phone to translate a word from Chinese to English so she could 

describe what she was talking about. 

Learning Reflection

       The Big Thirst illustrates humanity’s complex relationship with water, and asserts that the

 problem of water instability is escalating at an alarming rate. While water purity and availability

plague multiple regions of the world, little is actually being done to solve the problem. As the

problem worsens, people turn a blind eye, assign responsibility elsewhere, and procrastinate. 

       The Big Thirst teaches that people will not deal with a problem until it is too late. This basically

applies to everything. We tend to not get gas until we’re on “E,” forcing us to call AAA for a tow.

Although I can shake my head at and scold society, I identify with this issue at a very deep level. 

     As a personal example, I am completely and utterly procrastinating studying for physics by

writing this blog entry. Additionally, our Literature and Civilization class has six essays due in three

days, and naturally, I have five more to write. 

     Interested in the issue of procrastinating (and also procrastinating myself), I decided to research

why exactly people procrastinate in the first place. After watching a couple of cat videos on

YouTube, I found some a interesting article. Through my research, I learned that twenty percent of

people identify themselves as chronic procrastinators in all facets of life, whether that be

assignments, payments, or Christmas shopping. Intrigued, I read further, “Procrastination is not a

problem of time management or of planning. Procrastinators are not different in their ability to

estimate time, although they are more optimistic than others” (Psychology Today). 

     As I read further, I learned that procrastination predicts higher levels of consumption of alcohol.

People who procrastinate typically misjudge their limits, leading to an excessive consumption of

alcohol, which pretty much sums up the college experience. 

      Skimming down the Psychology Today article, I noted that procrastinators tell lies to themselves,

such as “I’ll definitely do this later” and “I work better under pressure.” Haven’t we all done that?

Personally, I convince myself that a nap is totally a good idea and I will definitely get my work done

after a one hour power nap (which naturally turns into a four hour coma). 

      From the issue of water to global warming to filling up our tank, people procrastinate. So what

was the conclusion of Psychology Today’s article on procrastination? How do we solve this issue

plaguing society that renders us inefficient? 

     Well, the article concludes, “. . . highly structured cognitive behavioral therapy.” I’ll look into it

later, probably.