I hate science, but I have to take a science class with a lab in order to graduate — and I didn't want to wait until my last semester to take it. Instead of taking the lab for astronomy (which I took during my first semester), I decided to try a class that I heard a little about.
Described as the "lab for students who aren't science majors," I was anxious about how my experience would turn out. The name of the class is the "Natural History of Cleveland," and it lasts from 9 a.m. to about 5 p.m. every other Saturday.
Usually we spend about an hour or so in lecture at the beginning of class, where we learn about the history and other aspects of the particular place we'll be visiting that day. After taking notes and listening to a lecture, we pack up and head to wherever is scheduled.
Since this class is only on every other weekend, there have only been a few places we've gone — and a ton more to come. Places visited so far, in order, include: the Cultural Gardens, the Main Branch of the Cleveland Public Library, the Cleveland Mall, and the Cleveland Museum of Art.
I was very skeptical about whether or not I would actually enjoy this course at first, but I found that it turned out to be one of my favorites almost right away.
After visiting and exploring a few parts of the Cultural Gardens, I was hooked. Since I didn't grow up in Cleveland, or even visited until I took a college tour when I was 17, every part of the city and surrounding areas is brand-new to me.
I've been wanting to explore more interesting aspects of Cleveland since moving here last year, but I haven't had much time between classes, work, and friends. This class enables me to do just that, explore, without having to find the extra free time.
Along with exposing me to places that I wouldn't normally have visited before, I learn about the historical and geographical context behind each location we visit.
Some of the more recent places we've gone, like the Cleveland Museum of Art, I've been to before. Even so, we had a short personal tour led by one of the staff, and I felt like I was seeing something new that I hadn't noticed during previous visits.
Along with the art museum, our professor wanted us to experience all the public transport that is available throughout the city. We've driven to our destinations in the previous weeks, but that Saturday we took the bus and a few different train routes back and forth throughout the day.
Though this class can be exhausting some weekends, I'm glad I stuck with it and I can't wait to discover more about my new home.
