By Imaginary Gardens Staff, Introduction by Jacqueline Ayala, Social Media Editor
Our Imaginary Gardens team took some time off to enjoy their summer these past few months! And it gave us some great stories of adventures from all over the globe. Our writers traveled everywhere from Japan to Mexico, while others had adventures right here in our beloved state of Tennessee. Our team has some amazing stories to share as we kick off this semester!
Rebecka Jones, Staff Writer
This summer was a big one for me! First of all, I had the opportunity to study abroad in Italy through TBR Global Studies. I explored Florence, Siena, and Rome while learning about modern world history. I was in awe of the beautiful architecture of the cathedrals, homes, and landmarks such as the statue of David and the Colosseum. The pasta was fresh and tasty like nothing I’ve had before. I even made friends with other students and created memories with them that I will never forget. That trip was the biggest part of my summer, but I also did a lot of other things such as river tubing and exploring an underground lake. I’d never gone tubing in a river before, but it was fun floating down a river and jumping off rocks. I explored The Lost Sea, a large cave with a lake, and went on a little boat ride in it. On a much lesser note, I got into Stray Kids, a K-pop boy band, and have been listening to their music nonstop!
Emma G. Harrison, Editor-in-Chief
My summer started by furiously working in my garden, where I have grown a plethora of fruits, veggies, and herbs. Once everything was planted, my best friend and I took a quick trip to my grandparents’ house in Nashville. There we learned how to make peach cobbler and went to the Hendersonville Hometown Jam, where we saw Lucas Leon and others perform! After a relaxing month or so, I went on a study-abroad trip with TBR Global Studies to the Alps! We went from Chamonix, France, traveled by train for a full day across Switzerland, and ended our great adventure in Salzburg, Austria. It was truly the trip of a lifetime (an article about this to come), but after being gone for a month, it was time to get back home and soak up my last few weeks of summer. Right as I was getting over the jet lag, I went to the Tame Impala x DJO concert in Nashville (more about that also to come), I celebrated my sweet friends at their housewarming party, then I got sick with the flu and spent about three days in bed watching the original Star Wars movies. Now, over sickness and ready to jump into the semester, I have been volunteering my time here at Imaginary Gardens, making sure everything is in place to kick off the first week of school with some banger articles! Enjoy!
Jackie Ayala, Social Media Editor
My first part of summer was… work. Whether it was at my retail job or at my brother’s car shop, where I helped as a receptionist. There were a few days I was off, and so my mind was almost completely hardwired to think entirely about work. That is, until mid-July! While I unfortunately wasn’t a part of the TBR trips some of my Imaginary Gardens friends went on, I was one of the few who went abroad. My journey took me to the state of Jalisco, Mexico, to my family’s hometown. Getting the chance to visit family I rarely get to see was the highlight of my summer. I spent most of it with my cousins and friends whom I reunite with every summer, drinking delicious coffee, having the most scrumptious food, and even seeing my cousin get married! Every trip to Mexico leaves me feeling as if I have reinvented myself into a better person. I get the chance to breathe and leave all of my struggles. It was bittersweet to leave my cousin, who I see as a sister, behind. But I know next time we’ll pick up right where we left off.
Heather Schroeder, Faculty Mentor
My family had an art studio built in our backyard this summer. My 12-year-old is passionate about woodworking, and I love making pottery. My husband runs our kiln. Anyone who has ever done any of these hobbies will understand why we needed a dedicated space for our beautifully analog hobbies. The studio overlooks our garden that is in the process of being rewilded with Tennessee native plants. Our neighbor’s bees swarm the flowers; the birds chorus from the trees above. The breeze comes in through the screen door. It took us all summer to get the space dialed in, but now we have what we’re calling our anti-AI space–a place to fall into our creativity and to connect with our crafts and one another.
Trent Eades, Faculty Advisor
I taught this summer, which took most of my time, but I did get a chance to visit my 90-year-old father in Texas. He’s a character, a player, to use the parlance of my generation. He drives a fiery red Mustang convertible with a muffler so loud it has the neighbors all in a-twitter, complaining on the local social media about those “damn kids with their obnoxious cars.” We spent a lot of time cruising my old stomping grounds; when tired, we went home and watched old episodes of “Gunsmoke” and chewed beef jerky.
Addison Chrivia, Managing Editor
This summer after graduating high school, I kept myself active, either working, hanging out with friends, or cooking and making art! I got a job baking bread and frying donuts in the early mornings. I also went on a TBR Global Studies trip to the Alps, where I got to explore the beautiful mountains of Chamonix, France, and the busy city of Salzburg, Austria, while reading Frankenstein. I got my driver’s license (finally), watched a lot of movies, shaved my head, and went on adventures with my friends old and new! I couldn’t have asked for a better summer!
Ruby Caver, Graphic Designer
My summer was honestly an emotional roller coaster, in a good way though. I was tested for Autism, and passed with flying colors. Then I shaved my head… for the second time in a row. I got a new piercing in June, but decided to remove it two months later because it just didn’t feel like me. I was part of the summer Orientation team for Pellissippi State; it helped me to get out there and improve my people skills. Last, but definitely not least, I had surgery in July and was diagnosed with Endometriosis, after years of dealing with an “invisible illness.” These past few months have taught me that change is okay.
Patrick Dobyns, Editor
I’m not really the kind of person to go out and do some big vacation over summer, so usually I spend the time decompressing from the stress of classes. That doesn’t mean I didn’t do anything, though. I rented some gardening equipment and, after tearing up the grass that covers my backyard, helped to start a small garden. Tomatoes, chili peppers, okra, squash, and corn were just some of the delicious crops I planted at the start of the summer, and though not everything made it to fruit (the constant rain caused several plants to succumb to rot), what made it through the bad weather was the best kind of reward. With everything so easy to get at grocery stores nowadays, having gumbo with all fresh ingredients tastes all the better when you know exactly where everything came from.
Olyver LaGabed, Staff Writer
This summer was a pretty big one for me. I started hormone replacement therapy (HRT), decided where I wanted to wind up in the next year, got promoted, and generally just went on a ton of small side-quest things over the past few months. One side-quest of note would probably be the night I went and saw DJO and Tame Impala at Nissan Stadium in Nashville. It was an amazing show, and I don’t regret any of it… Except for the fact that I had to be awake for an entire 24 hours because I had a 4 a.m. shift, a concert, and another 4 a.m. shift consecutively. I was basically awake from 3 a.m. to 10 a.m. the next day. I don’t recommend that. But it was worth it!
Anna Matsen Cantrell, Faculty Advisor
My family’s biggest events this summer were a vacation and a summer camp. We visited my family in central Tennessee and went with the whole family on a trip to Gatlinburg. It was relaxing getting to spend time with my dad, my sisters, and my nieces and nephews. We also went to Dollywood with members of my husband’s family, and we look forward to going again in the fall! After the vacations, my nine-year-old attended Camp Quest — a week-long, technology-free summer camp in the Smoky Mountains filled with creativity, critical thinking, and adventure! Other than that, we largely spent time at the pool or around the house — ultimately, a delightful summer that provided some needed rest. Now, to rev up for a strong fall semester!
