Final Sense of Place

After spending a semester trying to find my sense of place in Salem, I think sense of place has many different definitions because so many aspects play a part. It is the feeling you get in your environment from the connections you get from the people around you, how you connect with your surroundings, and how you think you play a part in your community. Overall, it is how you perceive a place.  In the article "Sense of Place" by Adams, Greenwood, Tomashow, and Russ, I like how they mention sense of place includes place attachment and place meaning. (Kudryavtsev, Stedman, and Krasny, 2012) Going to the farmers market made me look at Salem from a completely different perspective. The vibe and bond I felt with everyone there was something that made me feel like I belonged.

From my perspective, right now I see Salem as a quiet place to think about how I want to start my life. I love the sense of community I feel here and the people I connect with every day. The Halloween parade is one of the view Halloween attractions that is much less of a tourist attraction. Most of the people there were locals and I saw so many students form Salem State. Everyone looked so happy to be there. They were pleasant but into the spirit and enjoying the parade. Reading about Salem's history in our past assignments also gave me a better understanding of the culture and diversity that still lives here today. From our first National Park Service assignment where we had to research one of the topics given, I researched the Polish immigrants that travelled here. They created a new society and many of them stayed on Derby street in tight knit communities. After learning more from the NPS worker and seeing a variety of different sites in Salem, I could picture how times were and how it formed the community and environment Salem is surrounded by today. The people I've met is definitely one of the biggest factors in my sense of place here. Meeting different people who have common interests as you and want to have a good time and explore new things with you makes the place you are in that much more special.

I have a neutral sense of place at Salem State University. Again, the people I meet make everything more enjoyable and have given me positive feelings towards being in Salem, but I can not picture spending the next three and a half years of my life here. For example, for my school wide event I choose to go to a basketball game. The sports life is not what I imagined, and the only thing that really made it worth while is the select people in the audience that do come out. I feel there are so many students that come here that I don't know, or might not ever meet. I feel as though I belong here, but this was just a nice place to start my new found freedom.

In September, I had hope for finding my place in a new town so far away from home. Now I know a little more about who I am and what I am looking for in a college and environment, so in four years I think I will be in a spot where I'm satisfied and trying to accomplish everything I have planned in life.

SSU vs. RIC

I recently went to my first sports game at Salem State. It was a basketball game against Rhode Island College, which was interesting because I am from the Rhode Island area. I chose this event because I love going to sports games. Basketball is such a fast paced and engaging sport, and the people who attend are very into the sport. At first, I didn't know what event I was going to attend. The school offers so many and I wanted to do a lot of them. Going to this game was a great experience, everyone there was fun and had passion for the players. I loved the vibes I got being there. This really helped me build on my sense of place because I felt like a was apart of the game and felt a connection between everyone watching and the players. You could feel their dedication from the bleachers and I felt a sense of community between everyone. This was a great chance to meet new people, and in the end we got the win!

Thanksgiving

One place I went during vacation was back home to Attleboro. I have lived in the same house since I was born so going back home is always bittersweet. This place is important to me because this is really all I knew for 18 years, this is where I learned who I am, how the world is, and how people act towards each other. I have made so many connections here with teachers, students, and even people from cities nearby. Most of my family lives in the same area, so everything that I know is down there. Although Attleboro isn't the best place to grow up, there are still so many experiences that I cherish from growing up there. One place that is very relevant to me is Capron Park, in the picture to the above. In high school, every day before school and every day after school I would go here, and my friends would always be there too. It was a place where every day we built on our relationships and encouraged each other in school without even realizing in. In the fall, the leaves all turn beautiful colors and its so relaxing taking a walk through. It's a very open space, so people mind their own business and it's usually quiet, unless its spring and summer when children and their families are on the playground. So many people walk through Capron Park Zoo a day, it is definitely a place to go if you are looking to meet more locals, and high school kids. Every time I go home I like to at least pass through to see the scenery and see who is around at the time. Overall, Attleboro is just a city with really nothing to do, so you make the best out of what there is and spend it with people you really know and care about. And that's what Thanksgiving is all about!

Second Park Trip

Last Monday in class, we took a walk down the bike path to a park right next to Marblehead. There was a walking path, with many trees and water you could look down at. It was a peaceful experience and I think this contributed to my sense of place. Finding new spots to bring friends or do some thinking by yourself is always interesting and its such a short walk. A reason I came to Salem was because of its location on the water, so its satisfying knowing there's places I could go and see the water if I please. From the experience, I took the most value from taking pictures and working together with one other student. I work better in small groups, in my opinion you have more time to talk and connect on both of your feelings and interests. My group member and I explored the area together, and if it wasn't for this experience I probably wouldn't have ever gotten the chance to get to know her. That's why for me every experience is important and contributes to your sense of place, whether big or small. The pictures we were taking had value to me as well, they were things both of us found cool or beautiful and we planned each one to look as artsy as possible, it was fun and for me each picture now has a different story behind it. All together I liked going on this trip. Sometimes I will have a friend drive us to the beaches in Marblehead, but now I know I'm in walking distance of another park right in Salem. Getting a chance to talk to explore and meet everyone in the class was something I have been wanting to do. Meeting new people is a great way to get connections and find out who you really want to associate yourself with, while taking pictures really helped to remember the scene and see the beauty behind the place. I couldn't think of a way for this experience to be improved, I think tying in art was a great choice since it's something everyone can respect and relate to. I'm not sure where the movies are posted, but I would love to see them. I'm sure they came back great!

My Triad Experience

My group chose to go to the Salem Witch Museum for our triad project. The three of us all thought the witch trials were interesting and were eager to learn more. There was no one we could really meet with because they were very overwhelmed at this time with the tourists and Halloween, so we just decided our own time to go. Since we are Salem State students we also got in for free! Since they were so busy, none of the workers really had time to answer questions so we kept to ourselves, but some questions I had prepared were, "How many people were accused during this time period? What caused people to think these people practiced witchcraft? What years did this occur?" All of these did end up getting answered during our tour. On the picture to the left is a list of every person who was hung and the afflicted. The picture to the right is a general picture of what boys and girls wore during this time period.

Although this wasn't your typical museum, I still learned a lot from the tour and all of their exhibits. One thing I really wanted to learn about was why people began thinking this way. Twenty innocent people died, why?  Nineteen people were hung, one was crushed, and seven others died in jail. Some of these hangings actually occurred the day of my birthday. At this time there was a huge belief in the devil, and with all of the sicknesses going around people had so much fear. People wanted a reason as to why bad things were happening, so they started to blame people of practicing witchcraft. Something sad that I learned was the exact location of where the bodies were buried is unknown, but the victims were just cut down and dropped unceremoniously on the side of Gallows Hill. Families traditionally came back late at night to take their loved ones bodies and bury them on their own. These causes, and the fact that twenty completely innocent people had to experience such an awful death is what I found more interesting. Fear is a huge cause in many things in our history, including communism and the Vietnam War. People feared that communism was taking over, so they decided to fight over it. People act irrationally when they are in fear so I'm not surprised they took their fear of witchcraft this far, along with the fact that this occurred during the 17th century. I also learned the definition of two important terms. The afflicted were supposedly possessed or tormented, while the accused is who called the name of the person possessing them. All of this information was so important to me, if I had to choose one thing that didn't really stick out to me it would be the aftermath of these trials. You would think the workers would talk about the short turn and long term effects of the trials, but all that was said was people apologized, and the victims families got restitution. 

This experience related to my sense of place because this is something many people first think about when hearing about Salem, like me at first. This is such a huge part of our history, and learning about the history of your city really makes you appreciate it more. Even though we went on the trip to Derby St downtown and looked at the maritime history down there, I still want to learn more about the history of not only Salem but also the North Shore. For my research paper, I am going to write about one specific victim in the Witch Trials, one who was hung on my birthday. I think learning about one persons life and seeing the transformation would be interesting, as well as just learning about how people used to live in this time period. 

Reflection of Forest River Park

When we got to the park and heard that we were observing the connections we feel between each object, my first idea was to create a nature journal. I am not the best drawer but I wanted to map out where everything was placed and really show how each thing connected. I felt connections the most connections with the trees and the water. The tree video we watched before leaving for the park made some interesting points. Trees are all interconnected through their branches underneath the land. Each tree has their own different and strange appearance and they provide us with oxygen. I have always loved a water view, and going to this beach was very peaceful. The waves have a constant current which reminded me that my life will continue to move, no matter what obstacles come in my way. This park already has so much meaning to me. When I first came to Salem State, this is where my friends and I would spend some time together. It was always a lot of fun, I could feel the connections with the nature and the connections between each of us grow. All of the benches to me represented a sense of community as well, and like they were trying to encourage people to sit down, enjoy the view, and just talk. When I first began working on my sense of place, going to this park seemed like a good place to go to meet new people and enjoy the views of Salem. It helped me build friendships and gave me a sense of belonging. The thing I liked the most about going on this field trip is that everyone got to go on their own and see what they felt individually with each object, then coming in as a group and seeing the similarities and differences in what we saw. The day we chose to go to the park was a little cold, which kind of ruined the experience for me because I didn't bring a nice jacket, but other than that there was nothing that I didn't like about spending our class time this way. So, of course I would love to do more things like this in class! I'm sure there are plenty of other great views in Salem.

Panel and Advising Meeting

Our class with the First Year Office Students was actually really helpful. They started the class by handing out index cards and if anyone had a question to write it down then hand it up. Sometimes if students are shy to answer questions in front of other students it helps to write it down and have the teacher ask and discuss instead. Many students came up with questions which helped a lot too.
They discussed everything we needed to know about registering for classes and gave some advice, like using rate my professors and creating a class shopping cart. Some people wanted to know about how you become an RA, so they told us that you first need to maintain a certain GPA, and the interview process is a little weird.
Another very important thing they discussed was how to succeed in college. You need to use all of your resources. If you need help, go to academic advising and the first year office, don't struggle by yourself. Ask your teachers after class for a more in depth or one on one explanation, that is what they're there for. Learning how to have time managements is a major key to success. One thing they said to use was Buzzfeed's Bullet Journal method. Having a planner or a calendar is something to consider as well.
Personally, I think this school is dry and not many people are around on the weekends. They told us if we want to find events we should download the Salem State Events app which continuously updates all of the events going on each day. Getting involved on campus by either joining a club, sport, or finding a job is also a way to be more a part of student life.

Justin then came in to talk to us about advising. He went through step by step of how to look at your unofficial transcript and how to use your degree tracker. It was also very helpful how he printed out copies of how it looks on the Salem State website so you could follow along and have help while looking at these resources at home. My adviser is James Gubbins and he sent out an email to all of his students saying how and where to set up a meeting with him, as well as how to be prepared and what to bring. I really think Salem State cares about your success. They have so many different resources for any problem a student could even imagine having. All of the teachers they hire also seem to be down to help if you need it and don't want to see you struggle alone. I have already created my class shopping cart for the spring semester and I am really excited to begin these next classes. Now that I know what to expect from college I can't wait to begin these new classes, get a fresh start, and experience the beautiful weather in Salem.

Below is a link I used to get more information on academic advising.
https://www.salemstate.edu/academics/2424.php

Halloween Parade

The Halloween was my first Halloween related event in Salem, and it was actually really fun! At first I got a ride with my friend Brett and we were walking around downtown Salem. I saw Salem High School, the NPS, and many other organizations that we have talked about in class. When looking at the parade, I saw about five of my friends just walking in the parade. I walked over to them and when I asked what group they were with, they said they just wanted to walk in the parade. People were still waving at us, and some would cheer when we walked by. The people of Salem really are so nice and very accepting. They are all comfortable with each other and I feel most of them have close relationships with other families. I also got a ride from my friends on the way home from the parade, although it wasn't too far of a walk. I really enjoyed the feeling of being a part of such a nice community, especially through a holiday like Halloween.

A Trip to the Library

When I first toured Salem State, the library is one building that stuck out to me the most. I loved the huge windows and all of the different seating there was. Each floor has a different volume level so if you need to work with another person or want to be in a quiet environment there is a place for you to go. The comfortable chairs and private study rooms motivate people to stay and study which I like the most. A majority of the windows look out into the North Commons, which has a lot of nice scenery and many people walk people. This location always gives you a feel of sense of place because it is right in the middle of everything going on in this part of school. So many people come to the library to study you could always find someone to talk to. One thing that Jason taught me was how to get to the ground floor area. Every time I walked in I would see tables and computers in that room but never knew how to get down there. It seems like a quiet, comfortable place to stay as well. Another thing Jason spoke about was researching. I can never find enough scholarly websites that relate to my topic, so I was glad he mentioned so many useful resources and ways to find cite worthy articles. After Jason discussed all of his tips, two people from Mapworks came and explained what the survey would do for us. When they pulled up an example of someones results I was not expecting so much feedback. They even give you people you can call to ask for help. Even though we only went to the library, I learned a lot more about why they built it the way they did and more about everything Salem State has to offer for you success.

Farmers Market

On September 22, I met with a local farmer at the farmers market. His wife, who also helps him in the farm, stayed at the stand while my group and him went to talk and learn more about what he does. What struck me most about the farmers market in general was how many people went. I definitely wasn't expecting there to be such a wide variety of materials for sale as well. Some questions we developed before arriving to the farmers market were how big his farm was, who else tends to the farm with him, and what type of food does he make. Each question he answered eagerly and to the best of his ability. The farm is 2.5 acres, and he works on it with his wife and father in law. When we asked what type of food he produced, he said vegetables, flowers, and mostly pickles. 6,000 pounds of pickles are produced per week! These are sold all throughout New England and goes through cooperation's like Sysco. Another question we asked him was why he likes to farm. He said he likes it because he feels food is very important and big cooperation's are taking over. Fresh food is so much better, and large productions put so many chemicals, preservatives, etc in their food. Unfortunately, I got a new phone so all of the pictures I took at the farmers market got deleted so I found one from online shown at the above left corner. I thought this connected with my sense of place in Salem because there is so much energy downtown. There is so much to explore and the people of Salem seem to just have so much to offer.

The Historian of Salem

In class I had to opportunity to meet the historian of Salem. He moved here after he graduated high school and loved it ever since. He loved the environment, community, and everything there was to do. One of his favorites was going to a downtown store called Reds, which I will post a link about on this blog and have a picture of to the right. What struck me the most was how much he loved everyone in Salem. He said he was always a people person, but he said the people here were all so different yet kind. His favorites were Portuguese people who lived in the same neighborhood as him. They were always so loud and were straight up with each other, meaning they would say whatever was on their mind and be fine the next day. He eagerly answered everyone's questions, and I wish I asked more about what Salem was like when he first moved here because that sounded more interesting. New people are coming in and taking over what this Historian used to love about Salem. Even though I did not complete the homework before our guest speakers came, I do not think it impacted my engagement at all. I was still very interested and loved hearing what he had to say. He made me feel much more confident on finding my place in Salem if I just give it more time. I think it would have went better if the second speaker came on a different day, because by then I already had taken in so much information from the first speaker, and find it difficult to sit and listen for long periods of time. Overall, I would rate myself a 3 in my engagement because although I was very intrigued by what this person was saying, I asked no questions and had no feedback afterwords.