Final sense of place

Sense of place is a place that you feel connected to, this place has a special meaning to you. Sense of place is our relationship with a place. In sense of place you have place connection which is having a strong bond or attachment to a place. There is also place meaning which is what a place means to you. This could include cultural, political, or historical meaning. Having sense of place means that this place gives you identity. Sense of place is determined by one's personal experiences, social interactions, and identities. How we perceive a place plays a huge role in sense of place. People perceive things differently because everyone is unique. People appreciate different aspects of an environment. People are influenced by how they interact with a place, what we value in a place, respect for others who live in our environment, and how we chose to better our environment.

A sense of place for me in the town of Salem is forest park. The park is right down the street from campus we went there one day on a field trip. I've been to the park a decent amount of times. The first time I went there was back in september with my friends we sat on the rocks and took in the scenery. One night my friends and I went to the park to set off fireworks, which was probably not one of our best ideas.  I feel connected to the park because it reminds me of home. On Cape Cod we have a lot of beaches and the beach is a huge sense of place for me. The park is right on the water and with my history and attachment to the beach it makes me feel at home. I feel connected to the park because it's a calm and relaxing place to be. Living on Cape Cod nature is huge to me, so being at the park brings back that connection and love for nature. Overall the park reminds me a lot of home and that is what makes me feel connected to it.

My sense of place on SSU campus is Peabody hall floor 1 where I live. The first floor of peabody is where all of my friends and I live. This floor is where I met some of my best friends in college. I spend most my time on this floor. Floor one is my home at school, it is where I live and spend all of my free time.  Floor one is a sense of place for me because of the social interactions I've had there. I met my friends Alexis and Vanessa while doing dishes in the bathroom. During the first floor meeting I saw my friend Eve who I had met during orientation. Living on floor one has made me the friends I have today. We are all so close because of living so close to each other we even have our own group chat. I feel a connection to peabody hall floor one because it is my home in Salem, even next year when I'm no longer living in peabody hall I will always remember it and feel a connection to it.

In september I had no idea where I was or my surroundings I hand't even been downtown yet. I also didn't have the same friend group I do now. I was just trying to find my way in Salem the town and school. Now I know the town of Salem and the school. I've grown up a lot since september too. I've learned to be more independent. I've had to become more responsible for my school work making sure I  do my homework and get good grades. I've also had to take care of myself. In four years from now I hope to be graduated from Salem State. I hope to start my career right out of college and be living on my own becoming an adult. I think my years at Salem State will prepare me for then and make me into the person I need to be.

Sources

https://naaee.org/eepro/blog/sense-place

https://padlet.com/anneliese_worster/55etla4vwe7j