Querencia Essay, Research Paper

Querencia

When I think of the place that I am most comfortable, relaxed, and in my element I think of the “Great Outdoors”. I really like being out in the woods or on some trail just being part of nature. When I am outdoors I have a feeling of oneness with nature a feeling that I can not get anywhere else. Oneness with nature I think is one of the most important things that people need these days, to get away from everyday life and just get out away from computers, cell phones, cars and all of the other everyday luxuries that we always take for granted. When you go out on a hike, or Alpine, and Nordic skiing you get a feeling of being one with nature. As you experience the solitude it helps you to appreciate the simple things in life and realize that nature was the beginning of it all. When the first people came to America they did not have trains, cars, and airplanes. They did not have the luxury of phones or modern housing, or furniture they lived off the land and made their houses from logs and carried their messages by horse. As a society I think that we take nature for granted and we do not see the things that nature brings like clean air, or fresh water, or food.

When I am outdoors I get that special feeling of solitude and it really helps me to sort things out, to just sit down and think. When I go out to camp in some secluded place and live off the land and live the simple easy life cooking over a fire and boiling my water I am in my qurencia and I can think and sit and rest from the hectic world around me. Just me and nature one on one working together like our ancestors of old.

Solitude is one of the most important things to me and a lot of other people. Most of the people in the world need a temporary time out from things to get away from it all and just relax. Some people who never get to have any time to themselves start to go crazy or turn into Lawyers or paper pushers or something.

When I grow up I hope that I get to do something in the outdoors because that is where I am the happiest that is where I get along the best and have the most fun. When I consider my future profession I will definitely base it on my qurencia.

One of the things that I enjoy doing in my querencia is white water rafting. It is so much fun to go out in a 14ft. raft on a raging river with water roiling all around you never quite knowing what lies ahead or if you will even make it off the 18 mile roller coaster ride alive. Another thing that I enjoy doing is skiing, when I go down hill skiing I enjoy the feeling of the fresh air blowing in my face racing down the hill at incredible speed always alert for obstacles or the next turn. Or when I go cross country skiing I enjoy the solitude of the snowy trail and the presence of the forest and the animals that claim it as their home. Or just going for a simple hike camping on the trail working your way to your final destination and the feeling of triumph when you finish a long hike. The other thing that I enjoy is climbing and repelling the feeling of scaling your way up a almost flat cliff face, finally getting to the top and feeling the triumph of conquering the huge rock standing on top of the world just to come soaring back down only with a rope to save your life.

My querencia is the “Great Outdoors” and it is where I am the most happy and have the most fun.