I love my dorm !

Hey Guys,

     My favorite physical space on campus is my dorm "Drackett Tower". It is located on the northern campus of Ohio State. The dorm is very big and orderly. I like this place not only because it's my home, but because of the diversity of people and personalities. I am not exactly sure as to when the building was built, but it seems to be somewhat old. It's very similar to the other dorms on the street because their structures are the same. On the outside you can't see the uniqueness of the building because it is on the inside. Yes, I am biased because I love my dorm. Inside there are 12 flights of stairs and a lounge area with a piano and ping pong table. Coming to Drackett all the dorms were the same until students moved the furniture and made it accommodate their liking. Drackett is also a freshman only dorm, which means that we are all new to the campus and experiencing our first year. This makes the ice a little easier to break because everyone is similar in status. Now I am not saying that everyone is the exact same because we are very different physically and mentally. The intended function of a dorm is to be our home and security blanket, just like our other home in our hometowns. Although this is true,  it is also a world inside a world because we do more than eat and sleep here. We socialize, network, laugh, cry, and play.  I enjoy being in the comfort of my own space. I am free to do whatever I want to do and not have people judge me. In a way, I feel like my dorm sees me at my worst and at my best because my day is started in my dorm once I wake up. The tone is always different every day because with a new day comes a new attitude. We may not feel the same way we did yesterday because some event in some way, shape, or form changed that. I feel that where you lay your head is an important place and when inviting someone in, they are expected to follow specific guidelines. If I am in someone else's space, I would behave in a manner that I wouldn't normally behave in if I was in my dorm. During the week, I can say that the way my floor mates behave during the week is totally different than how they behave on the weekend. The tone or aura is totally different because of course that is when the parties start and the alcohol gets the best of them. It is actually kind of funny because I see different sides of people that I never knew, but it still does not change my viewing of the person. A lot of the activities I do are through my dorm. For example, I am a Christian and I attend bible study weekly, but I also meet people through events in Drackett. This will benefit me because this allows me to become a well-rounded human being and work with different types of people. I am not very subject to change as far as my location, so I typically stay in my dorm and chill.

-Shaniqua <3

Place and Identity

Hello Everyone,

Growing up, I never realized how the location you were raised in has a big play on who you are as a person. I think people tend to stereotype many things about this. For example, when people say if you're poor you appreciate the dollar more or if you're very wealthy you're spoiled and that you don't know what hard work is. I personally think every situation varies. I grew up with both parents in my life and a decent neighborhood but my parents are not rich. Many other kids on my street had these same circumstances and we all turned out to totally different even though we grew up in the same location. I decided college was for me to better myself because I saw how the struggles of money and other situations came about in my neighborhood. I even have sibilings who grew up in the exact home that I did but we all very different lives and circumstances. Location plays a part in identity but I think it might play a bigger part in someone's life depending on the person. I don't know if my path would have changed if I was rich or I would've still chosen college. The fact that I was always around kids in my neighborhood, gave me the social skills I needed to communicate with people versus someone who was an only child and rarely socialized. I think the place you grew up will attract you to some place different or a different aspect because I think humans long for something that is different than where we are from. It can still be that case where people dream to leave or change but never do it, so I guess it all depends. Everyone wants to go to the other side to see if the grass is really greener on the other side. My home, school, family, friends, yard, etc. all have an effect on how I am as a person. I'm very excited to see how different issues are affected because of their location, instead of people finding their identity through their location. Will the issue be a big uproar because of where it is located ? Will be it not be as big an issue because of where it is located ?

-Shaniqua <3