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.)