This trip to Alaska came at the perfect time. My life has been chaotic the past couple months and I have been scrambling to find time to unwind. Life has been constantly throwing challenges and has been moving incredibly fast. I just recently bought a new car and have gotten hired for a nursing job when I graduate at St. Luke's ICU float pool. While this is all exciting, it have been also overwhelming. Thinking about grad school, buying an apartment for my dog Kobe and I, and paying off bills has been nothing short of stressful. I have been trying to adopt new hobbies such as reading, working out, and photography to keep my mind preoccupied but it is always pushed to the side because of school and work. I felt as if life was controlling me and I did not have a way to take the wheel. When we got to Alaska, we were given time to site see and the beauty took over me. I was taking pictures of the mountains and my classmates and my soul was at ease. I was in a different world, seeing land "untouched" by man. This was what the Native people were able to wake up to and live in every day. Some village's do not have jobs and only do "chores" to help support their families. They do not have the stress of technology or college and can focus solely on their family. Our lives are incredibly different and while I do love the life that I live, I sometimes envy the Natives. Where they live, living off nature, family being everything, having respect for others, and being educated by elders through stories. I have gotten consumed in the beauty and have a new appreciation for nature and how EVERYTHING is connected. Not only is nature there for the scenery, but it has many uses that we do not fully respect or use. I could sit in one spot and spend hours taking pictures of everything around me. I am blessed for what this world provides for us and I want to pass on the importance of preserving the land like Alaska.