My room has the bones of a typical college dorm room (beige walls, short, grey carpet that doesn't stain, and various smoke detectors, heat detectors, fire alarms, motion sensors, vents, and the lighting that you see in the ceilings of high school buildings). I have one window that faces east, which I don't open very often because there is a very busy road and a train that goes under it. On my door I have a poster that says "Each place is lucky to have you visit it." I have ten posters and a string of twinkle lights hung up on the walls in an attempt to splatter myself all over the space, but there are still plenty of empty stretches of wall. One corner of my room is dysfunctional because of the way I have my bed positioned. I use it for storing things, but I wish there was a way to make the space more active.
I share my living room with three other people, and I see this space as an extension of my bedroom without the mess. I spend most of my non-sleeping time here. I also have a bathroom that I share with just one person, my direct roommate Itzel. This space is very important to me because I do most of my serious thinking in the shower. I even went so far as to modify my shower to make it more comfortable by adjusting the water pressure. I also feel a certain space ownership in the living room of the apartment across the hall from mine, since my front door is propped open so often. Last year my apartment also had an "open door policy" with the apartment across from us, and this really expanded my comfort level for getting to know people and being social. When I have more ownership of a space, I tend to hang out there more; it just feels more like home.
I also feel at home on the U of U campus to a certain extent, because I know I'm always 20 minutes away max. from a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. But the true feeling of home comes when I round the corner of the soccer field and I can see the front of the MHC. Living in an apartment means I don't have a front yard per se, but I do have a fire pit and some weird landscaped sections of ground covered in wood-chips. I also feel ownership of this space, but I am uncomfortable hanging out there because it feels like the environment is built to discourage people from spending time there. There are not many places to sit comfortably with a large group of people.
When I do venture out to the rest of campus, my first impression is of construction, because both of the buildings immediately next to mine are being built. I hate this part of my commute; sometimes I try not to breathe, because the construction smells so terrible. The rest of campus is alternatively beautiful and frustrating (like the Hyper buildings). The other places I regularly venture to are Smith's for groceries, and my parent's house every Sunday night for dinner. I don't feel very welcome at my parent's house, but Smith's is just a weekly part of my life.
So I'm not really sure what I've taken away from this reiteration of my daily goings, but I do try to spend my time in many places where I feel welcome.
I share my living room with three other people, and I see this space as an extension of my bedroom without the mess. I spend most of my non-sleeping time here. I also have a bathroom that I share with just one person, my direct roommate Itzel. This space is very important to me because I do most of my serious thinking in the shower. I even went so far as to modify my shower to make it more comfortable by adjusting the water pressure. I also feel a certain space ownership in the living room of the apartment across the hall from mine, since my front door is propped open so often. Last year my apartment also had an "open door policy" with the apartment across from us, and this really expanded my comfort level for getting to know people and being social. When I have more ownership of a space, I tend to hang out there more; it just feels more like home.
I also feel at home on the U of U campus to a certain extent, because I know I'm always 20 minutes away max. from a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. But the true feeling of home comes when I round the corner of the soccer field and I can see the front of the MHC. Living in an apartment means I don't have a front yard per se, but I do have a fire pit and some weird landscaped sections of ground covered in wood-chips. I also feel ownership of this space, but I am uncomfortable hanging out there because it feels like the environment is built to discourage people from spending time there. There are not many places to sit comfortably with a large group of people.
When I do venture out to the rest of campus, my first impression is of construction, because both of the buildings immediately next to mine are being built. I hate this part of my commute; sometimes I try not to breathe, because the construction smells so terrible. The rest of campus is alternatively beautiful and frustrating (like the Hyper buildings). The other places I regularly venture to are Smith's for groceries, and my parent's house every Sunday night for dinner. I don't feel very welcome at my parent's house, but Smith's is just a weekly part of my life.
So I'm not really sure what I've taken away from this reiteration of my daily goings, but I do try to spend my time in many places where I feel welcome.
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