Read Nature 2018

This is a short reading from my book "My Apprenticeship: An Intellectual Journey." It describes the change of perceptions during fieldwork in Zambia, here specifically my perception of nature. The letter to my mother reveals that the early part of fieldwork was particularly stressful. I was in a relatively isolated area and had to make myself known to every official from the top down and then to people in the valley. It meant considerable reconnoitering. What surprised me was nature and the effect of it on local populations. I was used to seeing only nature's beauty. Here I was made aware of its starkness.