Well, this is different. We are supposed to look around us and write out our thoughts about our surroundings. I have been here for four years and have always wondered what the back of the alumni center looks like (as a squirrel looks at me). Itís pretty nice back here. I feel like I am no longer on campus but at a park or something. I know the squirrels are all around the campus but this is the closest I have been to one and it keeps staring at me. Do they attack humans or do they know that you are a UT student so they just leave you alone? I donít think I am carrying any nuts in my backpack or any type of food for that matter. Itís kind of pretty out here and surprisingly it doesnít smell like I thought it would. I also expected to see a lot of Daily Texans lying or floating in the creek but there arenít any. Iím trying to relax. As I start to relax, I hear the birds all around me and the water flowing in the creek. I canít believe I am still on campus. I am so busy during the week; going to my classes, trying to catch the bus or trying to finish my homework; that I donít really pay attention to whatís around me. It is quiet around here. Occasionally you can hear the buses and cars go by which reminds me that I am on campus. Other than that, all I can hear is nature. I can hear the trees move along with the breeze and the sound is very relaxing and soothing. I can hear the birds chirping above me and some are squawking. Please donít let it be a pigeon. I just took a shower. The squirrel has left and is now bugging someone else. She has some peanuts and gives him some. I guess he smelled nuts earlier and was trying to figure out if it was me. The squirrel takes the nuts and leaves her alone. The water in the creek is very low. I guess because we havenít really had any rain and it has been very hot. Wow, a light purple dragonfly just landed on a tree branch in front of me. Sometimes it still amazes me how mother nature creates so many beautiful colors. Every time I see a dragonfly, I think about the times when I was younger and lived in the Philippines. I used to catch dragonflies when I was a child. They came in all sizes from really small to very large. They also came in beautiful vibrant colors, bright blue to vibrant orange. As I am writing, I suddenly realized I am surrounded by ants. Should I move? They donít look like the kind that bite, though. They are actually busy carrying food. One of the ants is carrying another ant. I think the ant being carried is dead. What is it going to do with the dead ant? Will it eat it? I see another squirrel behind me. It is busy eating an orange cracker. I think itís the one with the peanut butter in the middle. I wonder where it got it from? I think itís the same one that was bugging me earlier and the other girl across from me. I think I better move. I feel some ants crawling on my legs. The sound of the water is very calming/soothing. Are those fishes in the creek? Or are they tadpoles? Itís amazing how these animals around me survive in the middle of the city. I guessed they have become accustomed to it. Austin really isnít as bad as the other bigger cities. No one really pays attention to them. At least I didnít. Thereís a bridge to my right.

It reminds me of the bridge I saw in Spain. The bridge in Spain was built by the Romans and is over 2,000 years old. It is still being used as a bridge by bikers and horse riders. Itís too narrow for the cars to pass through, though. I wonder if this bridge will still be here 2,000 years from now. I take a closer look at the creek. There are fish here. I just saw a gold fish swim by. It seems to be the only one in this area. The rest are colored gray. It makes me wonder how they survive in the creek, especially a small one. During the year, I have seen students empty their canned soda into the creek and sometimes their trash. I never thought that there might be fish living there. There is a bird in the water. I donít know if itís just playing by scaring a school of fish away or if itís trying to eat them. The bird moves around the water and with each step a school of fish nearby moves away from it. What do these fish eat? The bird flies off and another bird arrives. This bird has something orange in its mouth. I think it is Cheetos or a piece of cracker. The bird dips it into the water and then starts eating it. Now it looks at the water. Do they eat fish? As I look around, I realized that the creek is not completely clean. There are a couple of styrofoam cups behind me and a sheet of paper floating on the creek. A bird walks near the paper but it doesnít seem to be curious or bothered by it. It is probably accustomed to seeing a paper here and there until someone cleans it up. There are more dragonflies in front of me. There are also flies. Itís very quiet here. I close my eyes for a moment. A breeze passes by and the leaves on the tree rustles and its branches sways to it.

The bird chirps and squawks. The water continues to flow with a gentle, soothing sound. As I open my eyes, I am angered to see a chair to my far right. I didnít even notice it till now. Itís almost the same color as the ground. Itís covered by dried up mud and leaves. I canít believe someone would throw a chair in the creek. I know that one is not here by accident. I can understand a paper flying away but I donít think a chair just gets away and throws itself in the creek. It is so nice and peaceful here and it has been ruined by all this trash and this chair. I move to another area. The sun seems to follow me around wherever I go. I finally found a shade. As I take a deep breath and close my eyes to enjoy the soothing sound of nature, I smell the school buses pass by. I open my eyes and look around me. Next to me is an old leaf. Its leaves have withered away and all that is left are its veins. It looks very pretty like a piece of lace cloth.