Paint Nights!!

I choose to attend a paint night with my friends on September 15th in Vets Hall! We chose to attend because we love painting and thought it would be a fun event to attend. This was the original event I thought I would attend in the beginning. At the paint night the artist was there and she walked us through the process of painting a city horizon. The night was a lot of fun as we learned different techniques to paint. The artist was very helpful and made sure every one was having a good time, and relatively at the same place. Also painting with my friends made for a fun story and  and even better memory. 

 We had so much fun at our first paint night that we have attended to other paint nights! One was at the Gatsset Fitness Center and instead of painting what the  artist had in mind me and my friends switched it up a little bit and painted other things! The other paint night was hosted by the Italian club and me and my friends pulled topics out of a hat about what we were all going to paint. That made our night that much more fun as we all tried to think about what we were going to do with our topics!
 Attending these paint nights helped play a role in developing my sense of place by drawing my friends together to have a fun, stress free night!

Thanksgiving

My house has been the place where I have lived my whole life. I feel connected to my house because it is where I learned and grew up! Every time I turn the corner of my street and see my Bright blue house I become ecstatic. It is the I realize I get to see my 4 siblings, my parents, my 2 cats and not to mention my dog. My house is filled with fond memories including many traditions that are changing ever so slightly as my siblings and I grow up. We have hosted many thanksgiving, Christmas and Easter dinners at my house. This would be a joyous time spent with not just my immediate but my extended family as well.

Over the years my older sister took over hosting thanksgiving dinner with her boyfriend! Although the tradition of thanksgiving dinner being with just my family, it has been fun mixing our family with my sister's boyfriends family. But the tradition of being with family has lived on at her house!
Our Christmas tradition of being all together at my house has lived on as we all still meet on Christmas morning at my house, waiting on the stairs for everyone to arrive. Our Easter diner is still hosted at our house and is another tie when  our whole family gets together.

So for me my house represents not just a place I love but family, A place where the one's I love meet.Ever since I was little me and my siblings have continued to grow closer and closer together, and our house is a place where we have meet up and continue to build new fun memories. I'm glad that for Thanksgiving break I am able to say I got to come back home to my house and meet up with my family and hangout!!

Bike Path Trip!

Taking the trip down the bike path towards Marblehead to the other park, contributed to my sense of place. This was due to the fact that it allowed me to explore a new place I can go with friends and explore further. Also as we were walking there it expanded my knowledge of where things were surrounding Salem State University. This in my eyes showed me the importance of being able to find your way around and always be able to get your way back home. During the walk I noticed new things I had not known existed like the second soccer field and the park.

Even though my knee was bothering me I really enjoyed being outside on such a nice day. It was such a beautiful day to take a nice walk and explore the surrounding community in Salem. I enjoyed the beautiful scenery of the fall leaves, I especially enjoyed crunching the leaves as I walked. The park also had beautiful views of the ocean, as well as some beautiful homes that had fantastic views.The fact that we then got to explore and record what we considered to be our sense of place was with the I-pads was fun! I think having more time to explore would of been valuable.

The pictures below showed a portion of my groups and my journey back to our home at Salem State university. This trip was eye- opening to understanding that sense of place is seen in every new experience or journey you encounter!

The Salem Diner

Me and my partner  went to The Salem Diner because we heard it was good and we both hadn't been there. The location of the diner also made it easy to meet up and fit into our really busy schedules. We ultimately decided we would go on Wednesday at 9:30 and we would meet up in front of Meir after class and walk over. We called the local diner to see if we would be able to interview a waiter or waitress. In order to interview them we had to get permission from Chartwells, since they oversee the diner as well. 

Prior to going to the diner we came up with ample questions that we were curious to ask including... 

 1. How do you like working here?- I really like it my coworkers are nice and the customers as well.
 2. How long have you been working here?- I have been working here for about 6 months.
3. Who comes more often to the diner?- Mostly SSU students come here but sometimes you see other people.
4. When was it first opened?- It was first opened in 1941.
5. What is your favorite thing to do here?- My favorite thing to do here is interact with the customers and have a conversation with them.
6. When did Salem State University bought it?- It got reopened in January 2014.
7. How do you like here living in Salem?- I like it especially when it comes to Halloween you get to see many people around having a good time in downtown.
8. How is it like being a waitress?
- It is hard work trying to be on time giving out the food but overall it is great the only thing is when we get our check is not much since waitresses get tips we get paid differently.

From visiting the small diner I was able to compare it to visits to other small diners I have visited. It was not my favorite diner I have ever been to but I found the  small atmosphere to be warm and inviting. When walking in through the doors I was overwhelmed with the smell of food. I especially remember smelling bacon, even after leaving I remember the lingering smell of bacon on my sweatshirt. From interviewing the waitress I learned a little bit more on the Salem Diner. I found the overall design of the dinner to be a really cool concept. When I was standing inside the diner The atmosphere reminded me about how space plays a role in a sense of place and how one thinks. 

While at the diner we used critical thinking skills because we asked a lot of questions, and found out the answers and when things were a little confusing we asked for some clarification.  With the information we gained I also used critical thinking skills to make connections to my personal life. For example when inside the diner I made connections to the diner that my sisters work at back home where I live. Having my sisters be waitresses I have a greater appreciation for helping out the waiters/ waitresses by stacking plates when done with my meal. 

This contributed to my sense of place because it was filled with great people and it allowed me to experience another place that I could see myself going back too. The diner was very self explanatory. I decided to research what role diners have in affecting ones sense of place?

I tried to read the assignment due on  Nov 14 but it says it is unpublished. However I remember briefly talking about this in class and me and my partner are planing on playing a trivia game on your sense of place in Salem.

https://salemstate.instructure.com/courses/1127085/assignments/6011135 (Links to an external site.)

Pausing in life to experience one's senses!

I want you to close your eyes and imagine your sitting on the ground. The grass is bending and the leaves are rustling in the crisp Autumn wind. The wind is blowing your hair ever so slightly across your face. While the warmth of the sun is radiating from a black jacket you happen to be wearing. The sounds of the city are beating their way through the silence of being outside in a little secluded park. When you close your eyes you can hear the vividness of the wind, leaves, water, birds, cars and the occasional bar from a loving dog. When your eyes open you seethe beauty of the trees with the right shining sun with a few clouds scattered across the blue sky. If you turn your head you see the ocean with all the boats and the slight rippling of the water in the distance. You yourself are know part of the beauty the park has to offer.

This is the experience I had when visiting Forest River Park. It was a beautiful day. It was so relaxing to pause from the fast pace of the world and reflect on the simplicity of being one with nature. There's a sense of calm that rushes over me with the freedom of walking in nature and observing the beauty of the world away from the stresses of everyday life like school, work and even friends. It is an amazing time to sit and reflect on hard moments throughout your week that you need some clarity on.

Being in the park and reflecting on life as a whole helps me to gain another side of my sense of place. Not only can you build a sense of place on taking a break alone to sit and enjoy the beauty, but you may also read a book, draw or even write out in nature. You can write or draw what you see or feel, or you can escape the world even further by sliding up next to a tree and enter a new world through a book. 

I can not wait for spring when the weather is better to be able to go and relax and maybe read draw or do homework next to a tree. I really enjoyed going on this trip and being able to take a break, it allowed me to slow down and actually appreciate the small things in life. That was important because in a busy life it is hard to remember to take a break and just breath in some fresh air away from the exhaust of the cars. I believe that this trip was extremely insightful and was a very rewarding experience just to be able to relax in a class and have scheduled time were it is okay to just sit, relax, think, and to be in the present.

We have a panel of students come in and talk to us about registration and what was important to know about scheduling meeting with your adviser. They had us all write down questions we had for them and they answered them with ease. Informing us on everything and anything we would possibly want to know! It struck me that college is only going to get harder and busier as you get into your major classes. Time management is going to have to become your new best friend to allow you to juggle work, school, friends and most importantly sleep! At SSU you need to fully allow yourself to participate in your community to obtain your sense of place.

Justin Snow also came to talk to us about advising. He reviewed degree tracker, and our unofficial transcript. He was very informative and learning how to use degree tracker is really helpful in the process of trying to make your course selections. Using degree tracker you can see what gen ed classes you still need to fulfill in order to graduate. Knowing that will make sure you keep on track to graduate on time. He also went over our unofficial transcripts which will allow for you to see how many credits you have and after your first semester your grades and your overall GPA.

I contacted my adviser and he got back to me within a day with the process to sign up for a time slot to meet to talk about my spring semester. My meeting was last Tuesday and he was very helpful in helping me determine what classes I need to make sure to get into to stay on track to graduate. This was extremely important because my major includes a lot of vigorous course loads to me wanting to become a physical therapist. He was very supportive of the kind of carer I want to pursue and how to achieve my goal. 

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Exploring My Sense of Place

According to the Article, Developing a Sense of Place Through Native Science Activities, by Clifford E. Knapp, there are 25 different ways to develop your sense of place. Including Orienting to a place, changing positions, understanding yourself, telling stories, naming places, etc.... I have started to develop a sense of place in Salem by exploring the surrounding community at SSU and downtown. Me and my friends have been participating in SSU hosted events as well as adventuring downtown to explore and see where we fit in.

I have found a sense of place by staying in the present which they explain about talking time to realize and remember your past and think about your future and blend it into your present. Also I have observed nature and described how I felt with adverbs, adjectives and verbs. When in nature I have also looked for patterns. When I was younger my parents brought me to a labyrinth that really allowed for me to be able to move around and fully experience the place.

The rest of the methods shown in this article i have not tried and i have no interest in trying them.
I like my ways of getting to know my place in Salem and finding my sense of place at SSU.