Author: rachelniesen

Class of 2015, Geologic Hazards, Physical Volcanology, Teaching Lessons

Volcanic Weight Loss Program

I can feel it forming inside my stomach like it does after every trip to Lucky’s. My food baby, expanding and giving me stomach cramps. Each night, I get a gyro, I eat it too fast  a food baby is formed. The chicken and tzatziki combination melts on my mouth and becomes too good not to finish as soon as possible. I devour the beautiful pita sandwich and for the rest of the night, I carry the burden of my food baby. Eventually though it will go down, once it’s digested but like it always does each night, it will rise. I will go out to eat those delicious gyros from Lucky’s, and it will happen again and again until I am forced to leave this beautiful island.

Continue reading “Volcanic Weight Loss Program”

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Ancient People, Class of 2015

A Little Ash Never Killed Nobody

Warning signs: we see them every day, from hazard signs on the roads, to symptoms in sickness. Some warning signs are only found in certain areas, for example mass wasting signs are usually only next to steep slopes. When getting sick, most people will experience symptoms before a full blown fever. It just so happened that the day we learned about warning signs, I was beginning to have warning signs of a cold myself (talk about one with the classroom). The warning sign that caught my eye though, was a thin layer of ash in between non-Minoan ash and Minoan pumice when our class visited Caldera Beach. Continue reading “A Little Ash Never Killed Nobody”

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Ancient People, Class of 2015

A Little Bit of Color in Ancient Thera

After a brutal mile hike and an elevation gain of 369 meters, I reached Ancient Thera, one of the many reasons I wanted to visit Santorini for school. Located on the Southeast corner of Thera, the Spartan town of Ancient Thera was once used as a port for war purposes around the 9th Century BC[1]. As I walked into the ancient city, I could see the civilization, like many others, in ruins with crumbling walls and roofless structures(Fig. 1)(Fig. 2) . For many, the ruins look like scattered bricks layered on top each other with little importance, but to an anthropology major, the ruins remind me of the past, of what could have been. They demonstrate the greatness of the Spartan military and their empire. Since I came for geology though, I also look for the story and history of the rocks and how they landed at the second highest point on the island. Continue reading “A Little Bit of Color in Ancient Thera”

rachelniesen6 Comments