Nick's Writing Journal

     I have previously discussed my major here (Human Geography and Global Studies) which is of a prime interest to me, as I enjoy all things human and development. But there is another huge aspect of geography that I don't think many people are well aware of. That is GIS- Geographic Information Systems . It's a bit complicated, but one can think of it as the computer programming side of the discipline. Basically, you are able to use software to display data in a spatial form. So instead of presenting a spreadsheet of the number of Ostriches per country, I could make a map where the more Ostriches, the darker the color filling the borders.     I am by no means an expert in GIS. Far from it. There are many students in Geography where this is all they do and they are amazing at it. I, on the other hand, have let it take a bit of a back seat as I study more within my emphasis. But as the pandemic continues, and I am stuck inside with less and less to do (come fall ...

After long consideration I have decided that it is only right for me to discuss my Swiss heritage, given today's date. Many of you may not know it but today is Swiss National Day - essentially Independence Day for Switzerland. I have come to know, through your blog and discussion posts, that many of you have much closer and probably more interesting ties to where you and your families are from. But, being Swiss, even if I was not born there, is still very important to my identity. Even if it is just another way of saying that I'm white. I'm actually half-Swiss, my Mom was born there, but I still get to have dual citizenship. My Mom grew up in Bern, the capital of the country, and almost all of my family lives in the surrounding area as a result. Bern is in what can be thought of as the "Swiss-German" quarter of the country. The other quarters, split along language and neighboring country lines, are French, Italian and Romansch. This means that the German I am lear...

Of all the subjects that I could discuss, I thought I would start with my major, since it is not everyday that you meet a Human Geography and Global Studies student. You also probably had no idea that that was a major, nevertheless one at SDSU. Human Geography is a social science that looks at people and social issues through a spatial lens. Think of it a bit like Anthropology, Sociology, a bit of physical science and a bit of information science/ statistics all melted together.  My class schedule can include classes with names like "Food Justice" or "Latin America" or "Geographic Information Systems" or, my favorite so far "Environment and Development". That last one has really been the most important to me, because it has driven me in a direction I would never really expect. Development studies look at how different societies develop and how we can assist those that are struggling in this current landscape. I really enjoy this because we get t...

I am from cat hair from cartoons in books and on TV. I am from Little Tikes basketball hoop pickup games grass shedding under our feet screams of joy ricocheting around the block. I am from creaking hardwood floors, black and white tiles, the back yard that acted like my own personal park, botanical garden and zoo. I am from The Beatles and sad eyes, from Daniel and Heinz. I am from thinking before speaking, the advertising department, from the devotedly undevout. I’m from She’s Leaving Home with a layover in the Caymans and loses undeserved by any. I’m from Monika and Charles, Helvetica and toy soldiers. From the childhood my grandfather gave up so his sister could afford one the second lives my parents chose. Our holiday dinners seat two but I do not feel alone. I feel the cool walls and hear the fridge hum and I know that I am home surrounded by family despite the oceans and decades that dislocate us.

Silver Linings Out of Dark Times Despite being the kind of person that is happy to stay at home and away from others, I tend to struggle if this way of life is forced upon me. Summers without my friends or that one semester I only took online classes have ways of wearing me down. And at first, the COVID pandemic was no different. I found myself with little to occupy my mind with and the inability to see or talk to other people, even if just in passing.  Recently, though, things have begun to change. My online classes began and allowed me to learn about topics that I really care about, as well as expose me to new books during a personal renaissance of returning to reading. Perhaps as a result, I have also jump-started my pursuit of applying to graduate school. This has meant asking myself some tough personal questions (as well as answering some tough questions for the GRE) about what I want my future to hold. But it also means that I get to explore new topics and disciplines that br...