Favorite Place On Campus

My favorite place on campus is the lake at the end of the board walk coming from parking garage 2. I like this spot because I often get to see turtles sunbathing on the wooden board that is in the center. Also I have seen alligators and fish in this spot. The other day I was walking to class and was dreading the long day ahead of me and when I came to the end where the lake is I saw a turtle sunbathing with its head and all of its limbs hanging out of its shell. It made me smile not only because the turtle looked funny but because I could tell that the turtle was having an awesome day just hanging out in the sunshine and I realized that my day wasn't going to be as bad as I had anticipated. The sun was out, the day had just begun, I was in perfect health and I was on top of all my school work. I realized the positives out weighed the negatives and I was in a great mood the rest of the day. This spot is also attractive to me because it is so quiet. I feel that when people are walking across the board walk they don't talk as much as they do in the halls so its just a nice quiet place.

Current Sense of Place

Currently I feel that I am fairly aware of my sense of place. I know a lot about the native plants and species around my area thanks to biology of southwest Florida. I feel that classes such as Colloquium and Environmental Humanities are important for students to take because it opens their eyes to their own sense of place and surroundings. I feel that my current sense of place is not as out-doorsy as I would like because I am taking other classes that require me to be inside a lot and also my neighborhood has cleared away most of the natural vegetation unlike my neighborhood in Sarasota where I live on acres with trees surrounding me. I feel that it is important for not only myself but for others to become more aware of their sense of place so they can fully enjoy and preserve it.

Expectations

The start of a new semester means you will have new classes with new learning expectations. For this Colloquium class I expect to leave the class knowing more about the environment that we are in daily. I plan on knowing more about the native plants and species around this area and the important role they play. Overall I feel that this class will open my eyes to how much I impact the planet and what I can do to have less of an effect on it.