Sense of place blog

When I first came to Salem I didn't know what to expect. Being in a place this big was new to me, and I had a lot of anxiety for the first few days being on campus. I tried to the basic things when I first came here. I did things like move things around my room so I had more space, unpack everything. I met my roommates for the first time, they were nice. I liked the idea of going to college because it has been a dream of mine for years to be able to go in the hopes of one day getting a degree. My first few nights in college the lounge was full of people  that were in the same position I was in. Everyone was trying to meet new people and branch out of their comfort zone. The first day of classes was finally here, all of my first class were just introductions and going over the syllabus of what is going on in each class. Then the next weekend came around and that was when I first started to feel connected and had a sense of place in Salem because those two days were spent going downtown looking at the different shops for the first time. People even in the early part of September were already setting up for Halloween. That Monday was my first Freshmen Seminar class I remember walking in and finding to my left sandwiches. I don't remember wich sandwich I picked I remember it being very good, and the sandwiches were the first thing I ate all day so it was nice to go to class on a Monday afternoon. We were able to do some really cool stuff in this class. Whether it was learning about the history of the Salem economy and learning about the pioneers giving us the ability to win the revolutionary war. I also liked the group of students that came in from first-year success and they gave us tips on how we can get involved more on campus and told us how we can make the most out of our freshmen experience We also took a trip to the library and were given a tour as well as some tools to help with citations in essays. To go along with that we made an appointment with the writing center to help us with our essays and get an idea of what they are all about. My favorite thing that we did as a class was going to the park and just sit there and take in nature. Nature is so peaceful and can be relaxing in a time where it seems like we are always rushing to get things done.
What sense of place means to me is having the knowledge of knowing where you belong and how you feel comfortable and you have fun. That's what sense of place means to me, college are where bonds are made and you come in as your own person and with something unique to offer. I have had a great first semester because I was able to enjoy where I am and who I am as a person. There are a lot of ways college can be fun and enjoyable with tons of wonderful possibilities for us to take advantage of everything that Salem has to offer.