Colin Phan - Week #15: Sniffing Smoke and Pine
Is this just me, or do some smells bring back memories? Not like a general feeling of it, but like exactly where you were and what you were doing? It’s weird how powerful scent is and how it impacts our memories. I don’t think about some memories for years, and then from one smell it brings it all back like the memory always stuck with me.
Smoke
The smell of smoke always takes me back to 2017. During my 1st degree black belt test, I had to run a mile outside (for the fitness portion) at midnight while smoke from the Napa Valley fire filled the air. Everyone was wheezing and suffocating, but we still had to finish the run. My instructor literally said “No pain, no gain,” and to just push through. This is one of my core memories in martial arts and showed me the amount of discipline needed in order to truly say that you are a black belt. That smell has stuck with me ever since. Every time I smell smoke, I remember how hard that mile felt. And I made it through anyway.
Christmas!!!
The smell of pine trees, cinnamon, and something baking always makes me think of Christmas. Even in the forest while camping, the smell of pine reminds me of Christmas more than anything. If you went to Science Camp in 6th grade, I know there were pine trees in that area, because I remember distinctly telling my friends it smelled like Christmas. This smell doesn’t remind me of just the day of Christmas, but more of the holiday break itself and the cold weather, family together, and music playing in the background. It’s not like a specific year like the smoke smell, but a vibe. This smell means winter break, decorations, and feeling at home.
Smells are more important to our memories than you may think. Unlike songs that lose their spark over time, these smells never change. I realized by writing this blog that sometimes the fastest way to remember who you were in a moment in time isn’t through a video or photo, but through a scent that brings the version of you rushing back. Go and smell something nostalgic!
Source: https://www.nosenetwork.nl/the-smells-of-winter/
Hi Colin,
ReplyDeleteI saw your Instagram story about the creation of this blog, and I thought I would check it out myself to see what you were so excited to share. I agree with you that smells do bring back memories because I always find myself drifting down memory lane when I smell pumpkins or other pleasing scents. I think the reason is because our brain likes creating shortcuts for our memory, so it associates that feeling of that smell to the actual thing. For me the smoke takes me back to the days when wildfires ran loose in California, and you could see the smog outside. It was a terrible experience to go outside to play tennis because the ground would be covered in a layer of soot for at least 2 weeks. I also like the vivid imagery that you use in your conclusion to really make your audience understand your point. Overall, I enjoyed your blog and wish you a great Spring Break.
-Krish
Hi Colin! I absolutely agree that smells carry their own memories, and those specific fragrances are usually so rare that the feelings behind those memories never fade, unlike the feelings that get replaced by exasperation when a song “lose[s] [its] spark over time.” I find it really interesting how smoke reminds you both of pain but also of the triumph that you were able to get from it. The smell of gingerbread, which, like pine, is most prevalent during the holiday season, reminds me of when I made gingerbread houses with my classmates in first grade—it was probably my first experience with holiday celebrations and always stuck with me. The aroma of gingerbread, mixed with the sickly-sweet smells of icing. gumdrops, and licorice filled the air, and I now associate it with festive decorations cut from red and green construction paper and the sound of children’s laughter. I like the fact that you’re not only reminded of specific memories, but feelings, which—though vague—can carry the same amount of importance when it comes to core values like family. Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteHola Colin, this is a really fun blog! I remember learning from my psychology class that smell is strongly linked with memory compared to our other 5 senses because its signals travel directly to our limbic system without arriving at the thalamus first. Maybe that’s why it’s almost impossible to forget some scents, unlike songs and tunes that disappear from our memories over time. If I had to rhetorically analyze this, I would say your key device here is personal anecdotes! It was interesting to see that the smell of smoke reminds you of your achievements because I personally associate smoke with negative things like the cigarette smell. It's cool how different experiences can alter our associations with certain smells. Christmas is also my favorite holiday and I get what you mean by that Christmas smell is more of an experience than smell. I also loved how you separated your blog into different sections, focusing on different memory triggers for each paragraph.
ReplyDeleteHi Colin, I totally agree with your statement about how smells make you recall your previous memories! I definitely recall experiences with fire too. I’m not sure when, but sometime (I think it was during quarantine?) there was literally orange air outside and you couldn’t see very far. I had never even felt the reality that California was fire-prone before that moment. And still, it doesn’t seem real to me because I haven’t experienced a fire in such a long time. The smell of that smoke definitely still brings me back to that moment I remember of me standing outside and staring into the orange air.
ReplyDeleteActually, I did not go to science camp in sixth grade. Because of quarantine. I’m still a little bit salty about it. When I wasn’t in sixth grade, all the older kids were hyping it up and I was so excited, just for it to get canceled due to COVID. I feel like I missed out on a core memory 🙁.
Thanks for sharing! See you on Friday and good luck on your AP exams!