I am currently in the dining hall watching the Gourd carving demonstration, and while I’ve never been particularly interested or even curious of gourds in the past, watching the artist work on her piece of art has made me appreciate gourd carving so much more. Even though she realizes that not many people are expressing interest in the carvings as they are either engrossed in their conversations with their friends or just eating their meal, she works diligently on her gourd, and all with a smile on her face. It fascinates me to see how much effort and time it goes into a gourd carving to make them look like the picturesque gourds on display and on her website. Nonetheless, her clear passion and interest in what she is doing has made me appreciate the art of gourd carving and sparked my interest in this pieces, and seeing some people go up to her table and ask questions clearly illustrates how her passion sparks others’ interests.