Sense of place at the nearby park

    Connections human have with trees is that we breathe oxygen because tree produce it. The sun gives the trees life. Animals eat of the glucose the trees make. The weather like rain will make the tree grow even more.
    Going to the park was very good. I felt relax and at the same time happy because of the peacefulness that is there. I definitely value the park because not only do the trees provide us with food and oxygen but also because it is a place where people go and have fun with friends and family. But since global warming is happening people need to notice that they need to value or know how worthy nature is.
    This park plays a role in my sense of place in Salem because of the way people go there and find it a place to relax and enjoy with friends or family. I think a huge part of sense of place is feeling the nature and connecting with the environment surrounding you. So by going to the park it shows the meaning of enjoyment for people to go to.
    Overall this field trip to the park in my opinion was awesome because it reminds me of my nephews I always bring them to the park and also how peaceful it is there. I like that when I got there and had 20 minutes to do our assignments it made me feel more happier just sitting down and observing and also it made me less stressful. But what I did not like was the weather I was really cold but that is my fault for not wearing a better sweater.
     I definitely will go to another far trip like this I really enjoyed it and liked it.

Panel and advising

    On Monday students from the first year office came in and talked to us about anything like school, Salem, classes, jobs etc. When they came in they gave the class an index card for we can write questions for them and they will answer them all in class. The type of information they were telling us is very helpful I learned many new things from how to choose classes and putting them in your shopping cart in navigator, how to check professors at rate your professor and how helpful it will be when choosing classes for next semester and also talking about their experiences in Salem and how to become a better student. What struck me about how to succeed in college is to stay focus and not get lazy with your homework to make time for school but also make time for yourself to relax and chill with friends or family. Also what struck me about life as a student at SSU is that there are many ways to get involve to interact with others and make the most of being in college having some fun etc.

     Also on Monday Justin came from advising to talk with us about degree tracker, navigator etc. He was very helpful on showing us where to go to check our courses and how many credits we have already, where to register for classes and also reviewing what you must do to graduate. While knowing what classes I need to fulfill my first 30 credits I started shopping for course for spring semester. After I was done choosing classes I decided to make an appointment with my adviser and he helped me by checking if I had good classes and gave me more information about majors and minors. I think the amount of support SSU gives is very great I feel like getting helped made my first year in college better because I came here knowing not so much about college and credits but now my knowledge is growing.   

Developing a sense of place

     Referring to the article ways that I reflect for developing a sense of palace is by interacting with others, going to activities and learning more about the place and its history. What I have done already as part of developing a sense of place in Salem is exploring around, listening to speakers talking about them living in Salem and also talking to groups of people about Salem by doing this it helped me learn more about Salem.      In the article it listed some ways to foster a sense of place by western science which is giving back to others, telling stories, naming nature etc. it is more about the nature of a place and how you can connect with it. While reading the article what I have done similar to develop a sense of place in Salem is by looking, using and communicating when I explore Salem I talk to my friends and we talk about Salem and where they have been and by doing this we learn new things from each other about Salem. But while reading the article there are a couple of things I have not done and will like to do which is naming places and listening to water. I chose those because I think that naming place will be entertaining and will help me memorize the places in Salem. I also chose listening to water because I think it sounds interesting and I would like to know if it is actually possible to hear words that I recognize in English. Also in the article there was nothing that I will be afraid to try because sometimes I am open to do anything. But something I am not interesting of doing is touching the earth I do not mind touching the grass with my hands but I will not take of my shoes I just do not like walking barefooted around.

Farmers Market

    On Thursday I went to Salem's popular farmers market and it was a new experience for me since it was my first time ever to go to a farmers market. I enjoyed it very much there was so many people interacting with each other and having fun. Also there were kids playing around and watching a group of dancers dancing to Michael Jackson thriller song. It was actually not something I expected, I thought it was just people walking around buying food but there was many fun things for the people and kids to enjoy and the whole vibe was very good.

   The reason me and my group went to the farmers market was actually to talk to one of the vendors. His name is Chris Grant and we asked him a lot of questions about his farm, the farmers market and about himself. Some questions we asked him were:
 1.When was the farm built or bought?
 2. Have you been a farmer your whole life?
 3. How long have you been in the farmers market?
 4. How did this dry summer affect your farm?
 5. Which is the most popular food people buy from your farm?
 6. Is your whole farm organic?
   His response was:
1. The farm was bought in the 70s by his grandfather.
2. He actually was a social media analyst for three months but did not liked it. He said that since he grew up around the farm it was just something he knows and likes to do and never get bored of it.
3. This year in the farmers market in Salem is his sixth time.
4. The dry summer actually effected more his vegetable.
5. Eggs is popular everyone buys them and they always run out of eggs at the farmers market.
6. Yes his farm is organic is just that it is not certified by the government yet.
   Overall It was amazing going to the farmers market. It was very fun to see everyone having such a good time. This contributed to a sense of place for me because having the town make this event for people to go and buy things and also interact with others and enjoy their time shows that Salem is very welcoming and caring to people.

   
   

Library reflection

  On Mondays trip we went to The Frederick E. Berry Library and Learning Commons at Salem State University and I learned from Jason that the library was built in 2013. The library is always getting full that they extend the closing hour and are planning to extend the closing hour again because when it closes at two in the morning they are always kicking out about sixty students. The library is a great resource to help you with anything. They have an academic advising center, a writing center, center of academic excellence etc. I also learned that in the library there are rooms called study rooms where students can go if they have a group project they can meet up there and be able to communicate and do their work without disturbing the other students who are doing their work in the library. The study rooms are so popular that Jason said "we are thinking about adding more study rooms".

The library definitely felt very comfortable having the light wood and carpet is very good. Also I personally like the view because it makes me feel relax and calm. I like what they called the floating stairs as well I think that they are very cute and it is a great spot were people can take group pictures. The location of the library contributes to a sense of place at Salem State University campus by offering the students a very welcomed, safe and comfortable place to study.

  One main thing I learned from Jason about research in the library is that they are collaborated with other libraries and if you can not find a book in the Salem State library it will show up in other libraries. Also everything is free which is very good to hear especially if you are a college student.
We also had some speakers who are in the map works organization and they talked about how map works is about taking a survey and the result will show you your strength and weakness on academic or financial aid and your rate on how you manage time etc. After taking the survey you are automatically put into a raffle and you can win prizes like $100 on clipper card cash, coupon for textbooks, a Salem State quilt etc.

The link I chose is http://greenmanual.rutgers.edu/newcommercial/strategies/senseofplace.pdf which talks about the definition of sense of place. This relates to the library and the role that it plays for the community.