Nature Walk

Last Monday may first year experience class and I decided to take a walk down to the park near by. Sitting inside of the park was extremely calming especially since stress for everyone is high due to

There were a great amount of connections between me and the trees and  other living beings inside of the park. The trees and I are connected because they provide great oxygen and life to me and everyone else in the world. The trees all work together to get rid of bad chemicals in the air. The human beings like bugs each take part in making sure the environment is clean and safe without them survival on earth becomes very hard. 

I value the park greatly because is a great place to go to clear my mind. The park has seating giving me the opportunity to meet new people. The park also helped me to connect to the environment I enjoyed how comfortable it made me feel. 

5) Reflect on how this park plays a role in your own sense of place in Salem.  Explain.

The park plays a role in my sense of place because I was able to analyze the nature the way the wind hit the trees and shook off all the leaves. I was able to use all five senses to be able to get a sense of the park. The park is a place I know that I can go to study or meet new people. This is also a place that I know I relax in and go for a nature walk. 

6) Reflect on the field trip in general and what you liked most about going there.  Reflect on what you did not like.  

I like most when we had the individual time to explore and check out the park. I also like how we had a discussion and shared how each of us were connected to the environment. The thing I did not like was how cold it was. 

I would enjoy to do more excursions like this because many of us do not know the places near by to school we more know places that are not as close. Sometimes it is hard to find transportation to the places that are further away. 

Panel and Advising

On Monday I had the opportunity to talk with a panel of upperclassmen and an Academic Advisor each who shared important information that would benefit me and my classmates to be successful.

The panel was very nice and honest with us I feel like I learned a lot about their sense of place and experience at SSU. I learned that even though my work is important that we cannot forget about ourselves and overwork. Time management is key to being successful and that we must eventually learn what works for us and how to be organized. A lot of people figure out what is the best time management for them by trial and error. The thing that struck me about student life is that there are always events and opportunities to get involve. The panel discussed how everyone is welcoming and they have met some lifelong friends. I have personally not have the same experiences but do have the hope that throughout my years in college I hope to make strong connections and meet new people. The events on campus is a great way of meeting new people and finding yourself an what you like.

Second, Justin Snow came from advising to talk to you about advising. He reviewed degree tracker with you. Sense of place is also all the people who are around who can help you, support you, make college a place of success. 

2.  Please post about advising, Justin, your adviser and getting in touch, and your perspective of support at SSU during advising and thinking about your spring semester at SSU.
Well I was already very prepared and up to date on the degree tracker and how to use resources on navigator. Justin was able to answer my question about how to send my grades to other colleges and he informed me that I send it straight through navigator. Justin is responsible for deciding if the seniors have all 120 credits to graduate if they do not he helps to figure out why not. He informs us about how sometimes courses do not transfer over properly and make a senior have less than 120 credits.  My advisor was very impressed with how informed and how I already had classes in my cart. She did not really have to help me with but help me to decide on some  classes that maybe I need to take. She told me that I need to take some more psych courses because I have taken a good amount of this semester. 

3.Please post a picture along with the post. Some ideas are: IN this case, you can take a picture of the advising schedules, or the course catalog, or a fall day, or a spring day...trying to imagine beginning spring semester already.  

http://catalog.salemstate.edu/preview_program.php?catoid=33&poid=3825&returnto=6120 

My Views On Sense Of Place

The article focuses on getting out there in this new place. So far I have been able to "listening to water" I have done this when I went to the NPS basically admiring the nature and environment so far. I have been able to do the telling stories because I have met a man that has lived in Salem for a really long time and he has been able share his experiences with me and I learn a lot about Salem and myself through his experiences.  I have been abled to understand myself when we went to the NPS because we sat and draw a picture of our surroundings and then we came together and shared what we saw. I have used all of my five senses to figure out what my ears enjoy also my mouth and my eyes and what my eyes like to touch. Since my first two days in Salem I have been able to give back to the community through the day of service which I enjoyed so much

I have not done feeling and being felt I have not touched any trees to see how it makes me feel. I have not walked bare foot on the earth because I honestly would never be comfortable doing something like that. I have not looked around and observed the patterns in the nature because I have nor observed the nature so much. I have not picked any plants or fruits and vegetables I have not have much time to do it.

I am afraid to try anything that involves nature because I do not like bugs at all because they scare me so anything that involves me connecting with the nature I will not do it. The other thing I probably am afraid to do is walking up to people I do know because that is not a part of my character I am very shy so this will be hard for me.

I have no interest in trying the nature list but I would definitely want to continue to get involve in the community because I enjoy giving back. I have no interest in communicating with the nature because I do not like that but I would love to check out the landscape and see what is around to do for fun. 

Farmer's Market Fun

Please blog about your farmer's market trip as soon as possible after your trip. You want to reflect on as much as you can remember. 

Did you meet with the person you signed up to talk with?  Did you meet with anyone else?

On Thursday October 13th I went to the Farmer's Market for the first time ever in my life and i have to say it was really cool to see how so many people from different towns just came to Farmer's Market. I learned a lot about speaking to the Grant Family Farm. He told us a lot about how farming has been in his family for a very long time and that he does not just do it for the money but because he enjoys it. His grandfather started it and it makes his family proud he is continuing it. 

What struck you about the farmer's market day you went?  Did it compare to your expectations?  Explain

What surprised me the most to see a lot of students from school because there friends were performing the song thriller so they came out to support them. And how welcoming and nice people were also how beautifully decorated everything was. It did not compare to my expectations i thought there would be a lot of older people but their were people of all ages there. 

What were the questions you developed prior to the farmer's market.

How affordable are their produce?

He said that the produce is very affordable but that the fruits and vegetables cost a little more then they would in a grocery store. He also spoke about the eggs and how they are the same price as the ones in the grocery store.

Who works on the farm with them?

He said that his family is the only ones that work on the farm and he is the only full time person.

How has being apart of Farmer's Market helped them to meet new people and create connections?

He said that it has helped a lot but he is not really a talkative person but that it pushes him to meet new people and to learn more public speaking skills.

How has their farm evolved over time?

He says it has evolved a lot and that when it first started it was not as close as it is now to being organic but that they do not have the official certification yet.

How did they develop their farm in Massachusetts?

They developed their farm by going to the Farmer's Market.

Where is his family originally from?

His family is originally from Salem but he is from ESSEX where his family moved to start up the farm.

Post everything you learned.

I learned a lot about how everyone has a calling and this decides what they will do. He said that he tried working in a office before and he did not enjoy it. He felt like it was not the best fit for him and was not making him happy. 

Post your thoughts and reflections on the experience

The experience was good overall besides having to walk to the Farmer's Market it felt like a really long walk. He was really welcoming and nice I enjoyed talking to him and learning about his own experiences in college and work field.

This contributed to my sense of place because my group and I got a chance afterwards to get to know each other and we also met someone new. i was able to realize that downtown is a great place to go to meet new people.

Adventure At The Library

When thinking about having a sense of place in a building, like the library, where could you see yourself feeling comfortable?  

I could feel myself feeling comfortable on the second floor in the secluded corner. I feel like this could be a place where I can discover my learning skills and what works for me and what does not work. I can also meet new people who are studying and doing homework.

Think about the campus, and the location of the library.  How does the location of the library contribute to the sense of place of SSU campus?

The location contributes a lot because it is in the middle of Meier Hall, Sullivan building, dining hall and dorms. These buildings bring people together because the library is right in the middle of it. The landscape of the outside how it has all the benches and grass. This help students to meet people by sitting outside and meeting new people and find new places to hang out at. 

What did you learn from Jason about the library itself, and its places?

I learned a lot about the unlimited amount of access and resources that is available to us in the library. There is the writing center and then there is also the online access to articles and journals.

What did you learn from Jason about researching?

I learn that the most important thing about research is to check for CRRAP which basically means like to make sure the source is reliable, current, has author, relevant and when it was published. These are important to remember when doing research.

What did you learn about Mapworks?

I learned that mapworks helps the school to figure the best way they work to make sure students are being successful and get the best out of their experience at Salem State.

Post a picture of the library, preferably one or a few you took.

I did not take a picture because I did not want to be rude and look like I  was not paying attention.

Post a link that relates to your trip to the library.  Critically think about this, and go beyond the library link, but rather something related to what you learned about, or places like buildings, etc. Explain the link you shared.

http://evergreen.noblenet.org/eg/opac/home?locg=1

The link represents the resources of being able to check online before going to the library to see if the library has a book you want and if checked out to be able to put on hold. This link also helps with being able to look for online books and then request for it to be printed out.