FINAL POST

What is sense of place. Define sense of place, using literature we read, videos we watched (at the beginning of the semester and in class).  Cite these at the end of the presentation,.  Define in depth and explain what you mean.  This should be an in depth paragraph or two.  It should be somewhat scholarly written.

     A sense of place is somewhere you feel a connection with, both physically and emotionally. With some, it can be the nature of our surroundings. For others, it can just be the atmosphere surrounding the place. Some go through great depths to feel a sense of place with their surroundings, like just sitting in the library to people watch, or sit in a park and appreciate nature.
     For me, a sense of place really connects to the atmosphere. If I feel that a place doesn't seem welcoming, then I won't feel at home there. Another thing I look for is the history behind a place. If I can understand why a place came to be, I automatically feel more connected to it.

A sense of place is a place where you feel most at home with your surroundings. Depict in depth what your sense of place is in the TOWN of Salem.  Include aspects you wrote about in #1 when you are showing what your sense of place is in the TOWN.  This can  build off your in class experiences, your experiences in town with friends...etc.  For example if you wrote that sense of place is about people and places, then include those.  If you wrote about typology of sense of place, i.e. super rooted or super placeless...then describe those aspects and why.  If you wrote about the type of relationships to place, then include those and name them...This should be in depth and the equivalent of images and writings that are a tad extensive that capture your sense of place in the town. Use photographs, anecdotes, information, nature drawings, history etc

My sense of place in the town of Salem is probably still neutral. Now, while I definitely feel more at home than I did in September, I can't imagine living here past my four years here. I want to be closer to Boston, if not actually living in it. However, despite this, I do feel somewhat at home in certain areas. One of these areas was the museums we visited. Now, while I may be an English major, I did debate on becoming a history major, just because I love it so much (I still may pursue it as a minor).
The one place I felt like had the most sense of place for me was the town of Salem itself. Salem reminded me of Boston. with it's extensive history and feel. From the times I went because of our assignment, like the farmer's market, to the times I went on my downtime, like Halloween, i felt a strong connection. I truly felt at home there.

Depict in depth what your sense of place is to the SSU campus.  Include aspects you wrote about in #1 on what sense of place is i this depiction. See #2 for examples.  Use photographs and anecdotes.  Explain in depth the places, as well as the reasons why.  

My sense of place on Salem State is in multiple places. At first, I felt isolated and alone, since I was in a new place surrounded by new people. However, I soon found my place. One of these places was the hockey game. I went with my sorority sisters as a sisterhood event. We all sat together, and it had been my first hockey game here. Sitting in the arena, surrounded by sisters and other Salem State students, made me feel at home.

Conclude your sense of place in Salem project with a statement about where you started in September, where you are now and where you think you will be in four years.

In conclusion, this class has helped me a lot with my sense of place here in Salem. When I first arrived, I felt so out of place I could never imagine what my life would be like here. But over time, I got used to my surroundings. I branched out, making friends, getting close with my roommate, as well as getting involved on campus. I joined a sorority, Theta Phi Alpha, and began to start therapy to address issues I was having. This class introduced me to one of my closest friends. Now, I am more comfortable and can imagine spending another year here. In the next four years, I have no idea where I will be. If i stay, I imagine I'll be living off campus in an apartment with people I've come to know. Either that or I'll have transferred out to a school in Boston.

College Wide Event

PLease post a blog on the college wide event you attended.

I attended the Men's Hockey game at the O'Keefe Center. I went with my sorority, Theta Phi Alpha (although the event was college wide).

It can include the link to the event, ticket stubs, photos.

Reflect on why you chose this event, is it the original event you thought you would do at the start of the course?  Reflect on what you thought of it and how it might have contributed to your own sense of place in Salem.  Was it the attendees, the presenters, the venue, the vibe, the topic?  Share your perspectives

I chose this event for multiple reasons. I love hockey, and find it an exciting sport to watch. I also felt like it would connect me with the university more. Plus, my sisters were already going, so I thought it would be fun.

This really made me feel a sense of place. I loved the atmosphere of the game; I hadn't experienced anything like it since I had come on campus. The energy from the crowd was amazing. I think being in an event with a lot of people feeling the same thing makes everyone connected for that one short moment. 

Thanksgiving

Blog about the way you celebrate Thanksgiving. 
1. Share your traditions. Explain them in depth

- My Thanksgiving traditions are, as I imagine, like most families. My mother makes a large dinner (with a turkey) while my sister and I watch the parade and help her clean. My father, for a while, usually worked to make the family a little money. However, after his surgery, they changed his hours, so we were able to eat together. After we eat, I watch the dog show, because I really like dogs.

2. Share who you share the holiday with. Describe them.

- Though the number and people have changed, I usually share it with the same people - my mother, father, and younger sister. My mother cooks. My sister will sometimes help, but she usually sleeps. My father will also help.

3.Draw or photograph your celebrations and traditions.

4. Share where you tend to be when you celebrate.

- We celebrate at home, and occasionally go out with friends or family.

5. Share the meaning of the holiday to you, in depth.

- The meaning, to me, is to spend time together. The idea behind Thanksgiving was to celebrate how the Native Americans helped the Pilgrims survive their first winter. However, the story ends with the Pilgrims giving the Native Americans smallpox in order to take their land. Because of this, I choose to look at the actual message instead of the historical celebration.

The Other Park Trip

1) Please post about what this trip did for your sense of place, and be honest, if it did nothing, then state why.  If it was contributing, state why.

- This trip contributed to my sense of place in several ways. The first was it allowed me to learn about my environment. I discovered a place where I could visit and hang out on my free time. Another is that it made me feel at peace.

2)Explain where we were.

- We were at a park at the end of the bike path. It also had some marshy areas and a forest.

3) State how you liked this trip, and why or why not. Expand on this in a paragraph.

- I enjoyed this trip. It allowed freedom, so we could explore our surroundings and take photos. I also enjoyed being outdoors. Usually, I'm inside most of the week because of my classes. This trip allowed me to view the world in a different way.

4) I will, on Thursday, make those pictures and movies into a slide show or combined movie for each. You can post a link to that too if you want. In addition, please talk about that experience and why you thought the ipad experience and the trip  was valuable or not valuable. State what you thought about taking the pictures and movies on the ipads. What would it make it better as an experience?  I experimented with this for the first time and your input on this would be great. I thought integrating art might be a different way to connect.

- I thought it was cool to take photos with the iPads. It let all of our classmates feel our different experiences. I don't see how anything would make it better, it was pretty simple and didn't feel demanding enough to intrude on our experience.

5) Look at the movies I post and tell me what you think looking at them afterwards. They will be available on Thursday.  Explain your thoughts...You can also post them here.

- My thoughts are that everyone felt a sense of place on this trip. Our classmates experiences were different, yet personal.

Triad Experience

Blog about your triad adventure!

1)  Post pictures of your trip here!  

2)  Let us know where you went and why you and your group chose this spot.

My triad and I went to the Salem Wax Museum. We went because it sounded very interesting.

3)  Share what you did to contact or set up your appointment or meeting time.

We didn't contact anyone - we looked to see when it was open and agreed to meet at a time that was good for all of us.

4)  List the questions you prepared for your contact and/ or experience.

- When was this established?

- What sort of wax statues are there?

- Are there similar places like this in Salem?

5) Write a reflection on what you learned, what you found most interesting and why.  This should be a couple of paragraphs. You can also include what was not interesting and why you thought that too.  Demonstrate critical thinking skills here from the SHUSHAN book.  Explain explicitly what strategy you are using.

I learned a lot about Salem's history in this wax museum. A lot of the statues depicted things that happened during the Salem Witch Trials, like people being hung because they were accused of witchcraft. The other parts of the museum focused on sailing around this time period as well. What I thought was interesting was the witch trials. I learned about them in school and have always found them fascinating.

The strategy I used most on this trip was applying. This is because I took what I learned previously about Salem and applied it to the visit.

6) Write about how this contributed to your sense of place in Salem or did not contribute?

This contributed to my sense of place because I felt like I learned much more about the towns history. However, I felt like it didn't at the same because it seemed like a tourist trap more than anything.

7)List off new questions you have and what you wanted to learn more about.

- How many people were accused of witchcraft?

- Are there tours that will show me more of Salem?

8)  What did you choose for a topic for your research 2 pager paper?

I chose the topic of the Witch Trials.

Sense of Place at the Nearby Park

1)  Do a nature journal drawing of some of your observations while in the park, it can be the whole thing, or of a small thing you noticed (Like someone said they saw squirrels hiding food in rocks, you could depict this).

2) Take a picture and upload your drawing.

3)  Reflect on the interconnectedness of you and the trees and living beings who reside in the park.

Everything in nature is interconnected. It starts with the trees, who give us oxygen to breathe. This allows for squirrels and other small animals to help spread seeds from trees around by burying nuts and eating fruit from trees. This cycle keeps parks healthy and clean.

4)  Reflect on how you value the park.

This park was beautiful. It was a lovely place to spend some time just thinking. The water made everything more blustery and cold, but it was refreshing.

5) Reflect on how this park plays a role in your own sense of place in Salem.  Explain.

This park allows me to really feel interconnected to my surroundings. While trying to fnd your place on a college campus is equally as important, connecting to nature also has it's merits. I now know of a place where I can go just to sit, walk around and observe. It's nice knowing I have a place to be.

6) Reflect on the field trip in general and what you liked most about going there.  Reflect on what you did not like.  

I loved going out on my own simply to experience my surroundings. I did not like having to answer questions (not that I don't like work, but I felt it ruined the experience). Next time I'd much rather we take pictures.

7) Reflect on whether or not you would like to do more little excursions like this one.

I would love to more stuff like this!

Referring to the article, please reflect on ways to develop a sense of place. Explain.

     - There are many ways to develop a sense of place according to this article. This article refers a lot to become one with nature, or at least interacting with it. In Salem, I believe it can be used in certain places, but not all. That's why I think the best way to find a sense of place is to simply to learn about the rich history of the city.

Record what you have done already as part of developing a sense of place in Salem.

     - I have learned a lot about the history of the university itself. This made me feel as though I could relate to where I live. In addition, I also joined a sorority. I did this to make friends and to feel at home at the university.

List the way the article suggested to foster a sense of place and explain what you have done that is similar. Explain in depth.

     - The article listed a lot of things that have to do with nature, like talking to rocks, touching trees, and simply feeling the earth under your bare feet. I personally have done number 14, attending, but in a different aspect. I have attended meetings for my sorority, so I could feel at home.

Record what you read about in the article that you have not tried but want to.  Share the aspects from the article and reflect on why you chose these. Explain.

     - One thing I would love to is number 10. I personally love water; I've loved swimming as a kid. However, I love water in nature. It's beautiful, and I love going on hikes to see different kinds of rivers.

Record what you read about developing a sense of place that you have not tried, but are afraid to try. Explain why.

     - From what I have read, there isn't anything on the lost I'm afraid of trying. Some of them I wouldn't do simply because I feel like they're not very applicable to my situation.

Record what you read about developing a sense of place that you have not tried and have no interest in trying. Explain

     - The ones I have no interest in trying are the ones that focus on talking to nature, like touching a tree or talking to a rock. I don't think that they're stupid. But I feel like they won't make me feel more at home here.