Geology: A Possible Career Inspired by my Travels
Since the age of nine, I had always loved natural beauty. I could not resist smiling the moment my eyes met a mountain range or a large waterfall. When I was nine, I went to Switzerland with my family and I just couldn’t stop looking at the beautiful Alpine Range everywhere I went. I used to say “The beauty of mother nature” even though I had absolutely no clue how these enormous mountains were formed.
However, it wasn’t until sixth grade where my love of nature started evolving into my passion for geology. I had my first full year earth science class, in which we spent the first three quarters studying the basics of geology. We covered several topics including plate tectonics, earthquakes, volcanoes, rocks, and erosion. Studying these were really interesting, even though it required a lot of effort and hard work. The thought of studying geology further did not come to me until I saw what I learned come to reality.
This was exactly what occurred during April vacation week later that year. We went on another trip to Turkey, in which the first stop was a region called Cappadocia. We saw several interesting rock formations, including mushroom-shaped rocks which were my favorite. Our guide explained that there was a volcano eruption many years ago and the rock eroded over time to create these formations. I was amazed at how I could use my recently acquired knowledge to piece together this information and understand which forces contribute to the magnificent masterpiece before my eyes!
We continued going to different geologically active places including the Grand Canyon, Cancun, and Peru. Therefore I have had a chance to see a variety of geological features. One of my favorites is the Atunci cave which we toured in Cancun. Each of these trips made me recollect, apply, and enrich the basic geology skills I learned in sixth grade, making me more fascinated in this field. I also started reading various articles on how geology influenced places that I have not visited and recent research/advancements in the field. Even though these activities are academically related, they serve as a break from my regular schoolwork and aid me in learning complex geologic processes, which I hope to study further in the future.
A landscape formed by volcanic erosion. The soft rock, also known as tuff create the iconic fairy chimneys. Also, has many underground cities connected by tunnels. 
Many churches in the soft Capadocian rocks. Natural Beauty in Switzerland
When I was nine, I went to Switzerland with my family. I heard that it had a beautiful Alpine Mountain range, which I was extremely excited to see. While landing down. I could see rows of snow-covered mountains. Now, more than ever, I couldn’t wait to get on top of one of them.
We ended up going to the top of a few mountains such as Mount Blanc. I remember staring in awe at all of the buildings as we went up the cable car. Upon reaching the summit, a magnificent view awaited me. I loved the sight of rows of munts and the beautiful valley in between them. They seemed to come together so well.
I remember that we took a day trip to a beautiful town in Italy. To get there, we needed to go to a 17-mile tunnel, which felt that it never was going to end. The town had a lovely square which we could walk around in. I loved sitting in the square and admiring the vibrant colors of the sunset.
I also remember taking a stroll through Geneva Lake. The coast on the other end looked beautiful. I observed as the sunlight reflected at the water. It all seemed so magical. I imagined what it is like to live in such a mountainous area and see this lake every day. I wished that I had the opportunity to do that.
Another activity that I thoroughly enjoyed was paragliding. Although it is a scary activity for most people, I was extremely excited to try it. After going up a mountain, I got strapped to a parachute and ran as fast as I could before gliding off. As soon as I got in the air, I fixed my eyes on the amazing landscape: mountains that surrounded me and the patches of the land beneath me. As I continued gliding, I felt a light breeze going through me. I felt so light up in the air. It was a wonderful experience.
My favorite thing about the trip was just looking at the mountains when we were driving. They looked humongous from below. I loved how different each one was, even though they looked identical from far away. They never looked old no matter how many times we drove past them every day. My favorite city to drive through was Luzern. There the mountains looked majestical. I enjoyed seeing the horseshoe-shaped that they formed around the buildings and water bodies.
This trip was what first brought out the “nature lover” aspect of my personality. Even though I had no idea how these mountains and lakes formed, I just couldn’t take my eyes away from these magnificent landforms. I will never be able to forget the beautiful views that symbolized my spectacular experiences in Switzerland.
Peru Trip Highlights
Paracas National Reserve – we went on a boat tour to Bellistas Islands. While on the boat, I saw different sized pieces of rock scattered all around the sea. They had strange shapes. I was dazzled by the shining colors and crevasses. I was trying to figure out how they formed. I had hypothesized that once there were glaciers near the poles and then they slowly moved towards the equator. In the afternoon we went on a guided tour and I learned that these islands had come from 60 degrees South of the equator and I was extremely happy that my hypothesis was correct. I also saw a red sand beach on the tour. I found it quite beautiful and interesting that there were so many red rocks in the place that a beach entirely made up of eroded red sediments existed.
Rock slides- when we went to the Inca ruins in Sacsayhuman, near Cusco, I thought that we only came to see the ruins. However, in the corner, there were huge slides made out of natural rock. Both my brother and I jumped with glee upon the sight. Then we climbed up the mini mountain and slid down the steep slides. WEEE! It was very fun and not scary at all to me. Of course, I had been on several slides in my life, but the fact that this was natural and the surprise element is what made it to the top ten.
Sightseeing in Andean Mountain Range – all throughout the trip, we drove tin and out of the mountains. I would spend several hours just admiring their beauty. Each angle portrayed a unique view of the mountains and the same mountains never looked the same – the sides had different vegetation and were carved with different amounts of erosion.
