I might be taking a risk in assuming we have all seen The Wizard of Oz, but even if you haven't seen this classic movie, I am sure you share similar sentiments about home--there is just no place like it.
If this is the case, I want you to describe a place/room from your home. It could be your literal home or it could be a favorite spot in your hometown or a place that feels like home. Then, I want you to compare that space to one here in Tallahassee. How are they similar? How are they different?
Yes, this is a journal, but it also a discussion among peers, so you must engage each other in thoughtful ways for full credit.
Lindsey Rice
ReplyDeleteKitchen. Just think about the word... So simple, yet so meaningful to me. For some a kitchen is a place for microwavable things and for others its a room that generates creativity through food. But, for me it defines home. When i think of my home, the best times i've had are in the kitchen and around our kitchen table. My house is open. You can see the entire living room from the kitchen table which i love. Its like no matter where you are, you're all together. My momma's kitchen has pinewood cabinets and countertops that are green with tiled floors. She has chickens that sit atop the counters as decoration. We have green and white checkered curtains that frame the view of our back yard that stretches to our nursery. This room is special to me because the kitchen table was used for so much more than eating. Whenever people come to visit that table is where we sat, where we talked, where we laughed, where we learned to love. There have been many conversations that were full of deep thoughts. This is why it means so much to me. This is why the kitchen is my favorite spot in my hometown.
In tally, I live in a dorm. I have no kitchen table, and definitely not a kitchen. There is a community kitchen down the hall but its not like home. There isn't that warm "homey" feel and most of all there aren't the people i love most from back home here with me. I miss having those conversations. In reality, i don't love the kitchen because of whats in it but because of the quality time i spent in it.
Tess Stohr
ReplyDeleteWhen I lived in Tampa my church, FUMC of Brandon, was my home away from home. I would play bass guitar and sing every Sunday morning for the youth service. We would have breakfast club (Sunday school) upstairs in a room full of couches and it was where I was most comfortable and at peace. I would spend every possible second I could in that room reading, praying, and worshiping God. We had Wednesday night worship there and it was the most amazing feeling to be in a room full of friends with the sound of guitar chords and singing praising the Lord. I had a great group of friends that also attended FUMC of Brandon that were always there for me when I needed a hug or advice. I was known as a student leader and valuable member of our church. I involved myself in the church as much as I could; through VBS, camps outside of our church walls, mission trips, youth retreats, and volunteering to help in any aspect possible.
Here at FSU I've been adopted into a new church family at Wesley Foundation and they are similar but different to my old church. I have to admit the musicians at Wesley are more talented than the few we had in Tampa but the same message is being sent. The music and the passion to be in God's presence is the same but the friendships have yet to bloom. Although over the past few weeks I have made numerous friends and have immersed myself in the different activities it doesn’t feel the same as my home church. The small groups and morning services are held differently but I am slowly getting more and more used to the feel of how things are done. I am going to continue bonding with friends and with God by holding back any bias towards the little differences in my churches.
Daniel Mele
ReplyDeleteFor me my favorite place at home was my front yard. I loved my front yard because it was big and grassy and there was a giant oak tree in the middle of it that provided shade to the whole yard. I would love to play outside with my dog because she was so full of energy, she was a border collie, and needed a way to get rid of all that excess energy or she would be too active. My front yard also has many memories for me because it was where me and a friend of mine, Alex, use to play baseball all the time and have one of our neighbors yell at us a lot of the time because we would hit the tennis ball that we were using onto her roof or in her back yard. I just love my yard because i would cut it and that provided a sense of ownership to me because I now took care of it and made it feel more like my own. It was also a place for me to socialize with my neighbors because I like them all and they were cool people to be around.
Landis Green is the closest place that i have to my front yard back home. It is where i met some of my friends that i have now and hang out with which is a lot like my front yard at home. But it has a completely different feeling because it is so big that I cam never meet and talk to everyone on it so I feel a distance between people even though we all use the field. Also i cannot play with my dog on Landis because she is back home because dogs are not allowed in my dorm and it would be too much for me to handle being a college freshman and having to take care of a pet. Not having a dog to play with makes me feel a little sad because I had so much fun times with my Millie back home. Landis may be bigger with more people on it but over all I still like my little front yard back home because its my place to have fun and be my own person.
Meghan Hemstreet
ReplyDeleteWhen I think of home, the first place that comes to mind is the dining room. As a child, it served as the special place where my family reunited after a long days work. Each night, despite our stresses, all seven members of my family would enjoy a homemade meal together. As we sat around the table, talking and laughing, I grew to appreciate the times we shared together as a family. To an extent, this made me view my family as somewhat old-fashioned—playing a traditional role in a modern world—because most of my friends did not share this time with their families. The memories that I formed in my home’s dining room were close to endless. From birthday celebrations, to the reveal of surprise vacations, the dining room grew to symbolically represent my definition of home. As I picture the round granite tabletop, my mind is flooded with the memories from my youth.
In Tallahassee, I consider my sister’s apartment to be my home away from home. I am very family-oriented, so it is sometimes difficult to be 7 hours away from the rest of my family. When I spend time at my sister’s apartment, it feels as if I am a little bit closer to home. Growing up, my sister Lauren and I were always by each other’s side. Being only 18 months apart, we spent a lot of time together. Now at the same university, we continue to spend time together when given the chance; making dinner and sitting around the table with friends as we laugh and discuss the day’s events. Unlike living back home in West Palm, living in Tallahassee has added another dimension to the meaning of family. As I meet and connect with new people around campus, I continue to form a new family of friendships.
Back in Tampa where I’m from, I would consider my old high school to have been my home away from home. It seemed that I spent most of my time there, from school to practice and all the clubs I was involved with. My old high school wasn’t just a school, it was where I met many of my friends that I’m sure will be life long and had many experiences that have taught me many lessons. My high school encouraged me to grow and helped me to develop.
ReplyDeleteNow, being at Florida State, it is actually my home. This is where I go to school live and have my friends at. I keep myself involved so there is always something to do. I find that being here, away from home, is making me grow up and be more of an adult. I have to keep myself on top of things like school work, grocery shopping and cleaning. Living here and going to school here has made me considerably more independent.
Very interesting blog posts so far...Don't forget to read your classmates' posts and add another post (I believe I said you should do this twice). Think of this as an ongoing conversation...
ReplyDeleteThe first setting I think of when the word ‘Home’ is mentioned is my kitchen. About two years ago my mother remodeled our house and made a strong emphasis on having a big comforting luxurious kitchen. She wanted it to be a spot where the kids could hangout, watch television, mingle, and eat with her. It is a kitchen designed for quality time equipped with an island, three wooden chair stools, and a television, obviously in addition to a refrigerator the size of an elephant stocked with everyone’s favorite foods, two ovens, six stove grills and a barbeque. There are countless nights I recall my friends, dogs, brothers and I cozying up on the stools waiting for a delicious meal to be ready, and after a fattening desert. My favorite meal was pesto cheese pasta and yellow cake with chocolate icing! Something about homemade meals brought everyone together and created countless memories. Coming to college one of my biggest worries was food! Was I going to have to eat in a hall everyday, the same boring unhealthy meals? And in my dorm what would I be able to keep?
ReplyDeleteWhen I came to college I joined Chi Omega sorority and one of the biggest perks I found is homemade meals! Monday thru Friday meals are always prepared in a buffet family setting. For breakfast there are options of fruit, waffles, muffins, bagels, egg sandwiches, or oatmeal. For lunch we have assorted meals everyday and so far it hasn’t been the same meal yet, and for Dinner everyone arrives at 6 o clock to sing a prayer and then line up for a filling meal made by Mama G! It is a guarantee that every night I can eat with my sisters and it feels like a bigger family meal. Most of the time we even get dessert! The best meal of all though is Saturday morning brunch containing eggs, hash browns, grits, fruit, orange juice, pancakes, and waffles. I enjoy finding a home away from home when it comes to eating.
Jessi Gould Responding to Daniel Mele
ReplyDeleteI related to your blog about your front yard and how you play and interact with people and your dog. I didn't have a big front yard but i would always go on hikes in the mountains with my dogs and friends. I have one chocolate labrador retriever named Charli and another Black Labrador Retriever mixed with a German Shepherd named Roxi. I miss having mountains to climb and explore. I don't have my dogs or a car here to go looking for mountains. This past weekend my mom went camping to the beach with our dogs and it sounded like so much fun, I was really jealous and wished that I had the ability to have a dog to play and snuggle with in my tiny dorm room.
I guess that I am going to choose MY room in my house in Pensacola, FL. The walls purple, covered in posters from dogs to Harry Potter to Scooby Doo, it is the place that I go to when I get home. I put my stuff down and jump on my bed to read, stare at the ceiling, and calm down when I get upset. My floor beige like the rest of the house, my dog’s bed next to the bed on floor. The dresser that only holds junk, covered in dust and pictures of family and friends. My desk also covered in dust and papers thrown all over it, the door that doesn’t quite shut all the way. My book shelve spilling books out onto the floor, and books piled next to and under the bed. The fan always on to cool my room. The closet doors always open to make the room seem bigger.
ReplyDeleteMy room here is my room in my apartment. The walls white, with nothing on them, although that will change when I visit home to grab some of the ones there. The carpet beige just like home, the bathroom white as well. A dresser holds a small tv, my desk a lamp, my lap top, and printer, as well as papers and dust. The fan is always going to cool down the room from the heat that comes through the window. The closet doors half way open to open the space but not too much. My books all fit on one shelve and a couple of movies keep them company. Pictures of family and friends scatter all the surfaces of my room. My room here is slowly becoming like the one at home but can never fully be mine. The walls must remain white, the bathroom white as well, but it’s my HOME.
I agree with you Tess. I always felt at home in the youth building at my church. We had many rooms just full of kids on Sundays. We would get together and talk, play games, and eat in the café. It was another home. The rooms full of chairs and couches and beanbags. The walls with handprints all over them and different bible verses. It was awesome and still is. I visited it just this last week and then was kicked out for being too old to be in the youth building. Instead of wed. night things we did it on Sunday nights. We had youth choir practice, dinner, and then got together as a big group to sing and play a game, then broke up into smaller groups to reflect and talk about God what his plan was for us and our friends. I miss it a lot and it was great to see it again.
ReplyDeleteI also agree with you cheer4colz. I felt like my high school was another place I lived when I was in high school. I was there early for meetings almost every day and late because of meetings as well. I had friends that I only talked to in class, never really saw them outside of school. Here at Florida State, I have new friends that I see only at class or at Starbucks and I feel that I have grown a lot too. It has been hard doing things on my own but I am glad to be independent.
ReplyDeleteHome for me is as simple as just being around the people that care about me the most, in a place where I feel secure. Back in Weston, for me that was around my family, and my closest friends. I knew my surroundings, where everything was and I had everything under control. Being in an atmosphere that I knew and I trusted. I had spent 7 years in that place, and as much as I was excited to see something new I knew I would still miss it.
ReplyDeleteHere in Tallahassee things are a lot different and was definitely hard for me to feel at "home." I was home sick for the first few days because I had never been good with dealing with change. It took some time for me to adjust and develop that comfort in this new community I was in. But with the help of my kind roommate, and the friends that I slowly let in things began to seem a lot more positive for me. At first I had to force myself to go and make friends and join organizations because I knew that keeping myself shut out from the world in my dorm would not make anything easier. I found a church home, and a good group of friends that shared the same ideas, beliefs, and that I knew I could count on. Now I feel at home here, I have my friends, my schedule, and I finally know my way around the campus.
My favorite room in my house located in Satellite Beach has always been the kitchen. Best spot of my home was on the built-in the wall seats surrounding the dining room table, right next to the fridge. I would spend most of my days either getting unhealthy snacks out of my fridge or having my mother cook me my favorite meals at the stove. I always knew my night would be great, when I could smell a mouth-watering aroma leaving the kitchen, as my mom works over her hot stove. My mom’s favorite hobby has always been to cook stuff, doesn’t matter what she cooks, cupcakes, cakes, steaks, even pies. Her hobby has been quite a convenience since my favorite hobby is eating home cooked food. Since moving to Tallahassee, I have been missing my mom’s cooking and kitchen a lot.
ReplyDeleteWhen I came to Tallahassee, I found my second favorite place in my home away from home, the Oglesby Union. Whenever I walk through the union, all I can smell is the scent of delicious fajitas and hamburgers from Chili’s. Although I miss my mom’s cooking a lot, I still love the stir-fry at Miso’s. My favorite time of the day is eating lunch with all my friends in the courtyard, after an hour-long class. It’s nice to just relax and chat with all my friends, while eating delectable sub sandwiches or even sweet sasami chicken stir-fry. Both of my favorite places in my home and home away from home involve food, because my favorite thing in the entire world is most type of food. Although there’s not much of a difference between my two favorite places, I would have to choose my kitchen over the Oglesby Union because my family is almost always in the kitchen with me, and I love the company.
Comments on peer's writings:
Jessi I love the way you describe each item in your kitchen such as the giant refrigerator, and numerous grills in your newly remodeled kitchen. Maybe try and compare and contrast your kitchen and the kitchen in your sorority house.
It was very interesting reading about the different events going on in your church and how your friends also in the church were always there for you when you needed them. Also I loved how you compared and contrasted the church at home to Wesley.
Priscilla Ivasco Home for me is as simple as just being around the people that care about me the most, in a place where I feel secure. Back in Weston, for me that was around my family, and my closest friends. I knew my surroundings, where everything was and I had everything under control. Being in an atmosphere that I knew and I trusted. I had spent 7 years in that place, and as much as I was excited to see something new I also knew I would still miss it.
ReplyDeleteHere in Tallahassee things are a lot different the location and the view isn’t the same as back home. The town is different and I felt completely out of my element the first few days it was definitely hard for me to feel at "home." I was home sick for the first few days because I had never been good with dealing with change. When I looked around me I didn’t feel safe, I felt vulnerable, it took some time for me to adjust and develop that comfort in this new community I was in. But with the help of my kind roommate, and the friends that I slowly let in to my personal bubble, things began to seem a lot more positive for me. At first I had to force myself to go out, participate, make friends and join organizations because I knew that keeping myself shut out from the world in my dorm room would not make anything easier. I found a church home that felt like the church I attended in South Florida, and a good group of friends that shared the same ideas, beliefs, and that I knew I could count on. Now I feel at home here, I have my friends, my schedule, and I finally know my way around the campus.
Lindsey Rice in response to Daniel Mele
ReplyDeleteI really like your post because it reminds me of my home. I didn't live in a neighborhood, we had 20 acres where my Dad has his nursery. Although 20 acres is more that a front yard, to me it was my yard. We built forts, had bon fires and built strong friendships there. It was like our outside home. It was where we were comfortable.
I feel like here in Tally nothing could ever compare to this because our property had varied settings. For example, we had three acres of just straight woods, then the fenced in acre my house in on, the rest is pastures and nurseries. In Tally its buildings and pastures. There of coarse are some MASSIVE oaks, but there are no fully wooded lots on campus.
Nothing will ever replace my childhood home!
Alexis Turgeon in response to Lindsey Rice
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed reading your post a lot because the kitchen is my favorite part of my house as well. It's where I bonded with my family and grew up sharing a lot of the same traditions as you. I think family is very important and that having a place where family can get together is even more important.
I feel bad that you don't have the same kind of place to go to in Tally. For me at least, I live in an apartment and have a kitchen that is somewhat "homey". I know nothing can ever compare to the way your kitchen back home feels. Tallahassee has become our "second home" in a way. It's not a replacement but an additional memory and a place we will learn to love just the same.
Meghan Hemstreet Responing to Lindsey Rice
ReplyDeleteAt home, I also spent a lot of time in the kitchen area. Just like you, I formed a lot of my memories while being there. My favorite view from my kitchen back home would definitely have to be my backyard. As I stood and baked a batch of chocolate chip cookies, or mixed the batter for a neon tie-dye cake, I couldn’t help but admire the landscape behind my house. Whenever I would look through the sliding glass doors, the lake would glisten in the sunlight. The pool, aqua blue in color, provided me with hours upon hours of endless entertainment during barbeques and down time. My green, tropical-esque kitchen definitely contributes to my visualization of home.
Alexis Turgeon in response to Daniel Mele
ReplyDeleteI really liked your blog post. I thought it was interesting that instead of picking a room inside your house, you picked the front yard. It was interesting to read about the memories you have from back home. Our childhood memories will always be the best memories of our lives.
I like how you compared Landis Green to your front yard. I never realized, until you mentioned it, that it is a place where a lot of people play sports, meet friends, as well as other things. I can relate to how you feel about missing your dog. Growing up, we got a dog when I was four years old. I've never been away from her for so long and its sad not to have my dog around. The good part about missing things is that we'll appreciate it ten times more when we see it again.
Alexis Turgeon
ReplyDeleteWhen I think of home, the first thing I think of is the beach. I come from a town called Jensen Beach. The name literally speaks it. The beach was a place for all my friends and I to get together and "get our tan on". I've lived in Jensen for all of my life, so I have memories there from when I was a little kid with little rubber floaters on my arms to my first time "surfing". I've been through it all; sunburn, jellyfish stings, sea lice, you name it. The beach was always the place to be. When my family came to town, the beach was a place they looked forward to. It was a destination they had to visit before they could leave. My friends and I would spend all summer hanging out there day and night. Honestly, the best time to go to the beach is at night. It’s so peaceful watching the moonlight glisten off the water and hearing the waves crash onto the shore; the sand feels so good between your toes because it’s not too hot or too cold, but the perfect temperature. The beach is a place I go to be calm and relax.
In Tallahassee, the nearest beach is about two hours away. Back home, the beach was fifteen minutes from my house, so this seems insane! On campus though, there are fountains where people like to hang out and layout in the sun. It is somewhat like the beach at home, a place where my friends and I can meet up and hang out in the sunshine. The fountains in Tallahassee are nice, but they cannot compare to the beach back home. The people are different, the location is different, the memories are different, but both will become my home.
Meghan Hemstreet Responding to Daniel Mele
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed reading your blog post because I also spent most of my time in the front yard growing up. After school, as soon as I finished my homework and grabbed a bite to eat, I would always go directly outside. One of my best friends, Casey, would always come over because her grandmother lived right next door to my family. Enjoying the fresh air of the outdoors, my sister, Casey, and I enjoyed playing games of four square, competing in matches of tennis, jumping rope, and riding around on our green Macro scooters until the sun began to set and I was called inside for dinner.
Tess Stohr responding to Kelly, Jessi Meghan and Linsey.
ReplyDeleteI am a food fanatic so I absolutely loved your posts because I immediately thought of all of my mom’s home cooked meals and all the family dinners around the table. I think the kitchen is such a huge part of someone’s home. It is usually the center of the house and most events and gathering are held there due to the attraction of food to people. My kitchen was the meeting point for my family. Breakfast and dinner were two meals you could not miss out on, it became a family tradition. Now that I live at FSU, the comfort of that community setting with family isn’t there even though I have lunch with my brother once a week it isn’t the same. The act of being forced outside of my comfort zone is a learning experience that I am planning on using throughout the rest of my life.
Cody Cox
ReplyDeleteWhen talking about "home" the first thing that pops into my mind my old house in up state New York. My parents worked for my great Aunt Di and uncle Major in this little resort called Cove Wood. People from around the world would rent cabins to stay in for a week or two to get away from all the commotion and hustle of life. This place was completely isolated from everything (it took 45 minuets to the nearest stop sign and two hours to get to the nearest stop light). This place was the most peaceful and relaxing place you would ever go to. Cove Wood was surround by a huge forest and had many hiking trails and a huge lake called BIg Moose Lake. I lived there from the ages of eight to ten but I knew where everything was and soon took people and guided trips through the hiking trails. You could become one with nature with this place with all its beauty and its stunning landscape. It was the most amazing place that I have been to and still to this day call that Home. Now compare this to Tallahassee you really can't there is nothing that these two places have in common that I can related to. People in Cove Wood were the nicest people you would ever meet the only person that I know that is nicer is the lady that works in Suwannee Room that says "hello darlin how are you today" to everyone she sees. Cove Wood had a relaxing and tranquil vibe to it that would calm a person that has "roid rage". You know everyone in a smaller community witch leads to a more laid back and a more friendly attitude. The seasons are amazing you get to play in snow and have fun all season long. In Tallahassee there is hustle and bustle of a city, people passing you by with little on there minds but what they have to do next. You don't most of the people that pass you by so most people ignore you even if you need help. There is no homely feeling here or at least not yet its to urbanized for me. Tally is great and all but it doesn't fit my style and how I dream of living my life. Tally is my home now but it will never compare to what my home in New York and once I get things settled here and i'm done with college and have a job I will have a buy a house just like the one that i lived in before.
Tess responding to Melanie responding to me?
ReplyDeleteI’m glad my post reminded you of your youth group. I miss my church so much but it’s mostly about missing the connections I had with the people there. I’m sorry that you were kicked out!! I know it’s hard having to grow up and being pushed into the “adult” world. I felt as though I grew up too fast and didn’t really have time to be a kid but I’m doing that now with my dinosaur coloring books and my Crayola crayons. Your church sounds super awesome like mine, I was wondering if you had found one up here to go to.
Cody Cox responding to Alexis Turgeon
ReplyDeleteI haven't been to the beach in forever but I still love to go there and have an awesome time. My fondest memories are on Cocoa, and Daytona beach hanging out with friends and enjoying life. I totally agree that the withdraw of not having a beach nearby is terrible and I didn't go to the beach as often as you did. Even though my beach was a least an hour away I would go when ever my friends and I scrapped up enough money to go and stay for the day. Our family reunion is always on the beach in Naples even though we haven't had one in ages but it was fun. I don't know what it is but you can't have a bad time at the beach (even though jellyfish stings may come close to ruining a beach day) I have never had a bad day at the beach.
The family room is my favorite place in my house. It's a big, wide open room with the most comfortable couch ever and on the opposite side of the room is our tv. Our family room was a place where I could sit down, relax in the recliner, watch some tv or play on the computer, and just have some down time. I would come home from a long hard day at school or just finish my homework and it was the perfect spot to just unwind. It was the place where I could have friends come over to relax and trade stories or watch tv with. It was the place where I could watch my favorite tv shows with my family. It was the place that brought my family together, our gathering area. It was a place that brought people together where we could all relax and just have fun and be ourselves. Having a central place like that has always been important to me because it was always a social place that brought people together.
ReplyDeleteNow, here at college, I have a similar, or at least a substitute place. Living in Salley Hall, I share a common area with three other people. I was scared at first that I wouldn't get along with one or all of them, but they all made me feel at home when I got here. Soon, we were all acting like we had been friends years. Part of the reason is because of our shared common area. We all do our homework out there, listen to music, and talk with each other out there. Sharing the space has brought all of us closer together. Although it is a great common area, its not the same as home. There is no big comfortable couch or tv, just four simple desks with computers. But by looking deeper, it's easy to see that it's a place where bonds and friendships are formed.
Cody Cox responding to Kelly
ReplyDeleteI totally agree with you at home cooking cannot be beat or replaced even though the food here is good. At my house the kitchen was the busiest of all rooms in the entire house. We would always run into each other as my family (which includes my mom,dad,and brother) tried to grab some delicious food out of the kitchen and the cabinets. My mom makes amazing food and I usually enjoy having leftovers because she was that good of a cook. If you ever came to my house my mom can make the best key lime pie I have ever tasted and if you tried my dad's venison you would know how awesome my parents cooking is.
Chris Davis responding to Cody Cox
ReplyDeleteI can relate to whart you are saying. FSU is a huge school, and it's not even that big compared to some other schools, but you are right, its not easy to find a sense of community and where most things seem very impersonal. Coming from a religious high school where all 150 us seniors knew each other and everyone is friends, this is a huge change for me too. It really is all about finding your own spot in Tally and where you fit in. The people here, at least so far, have all been friendly and its been easy to find a sense of belonging and community. For me, it was finding an awesome group of friends, some high school friends and some new ones that I met here, that made me feel like I was home. Tally is now my home too.
Aaron Murphy
ReplyDeleteMy current home is nearly three hundred miles away from my previous one, yet it is feeling more like my old home with every passing day.
My bedroom in my old home provided me with a place to sleep, study, relax, and escape from any troubles I may have been faced with. My high school was where I interacted most with society and where I worked diligently for four years. There were places nearby I enjoyed going to alone or with friends and family-restaurants, libraries, amusement parks, museums, record stores, malls, parks, etc. I would borrow one of my parent's cars if I needed or wanted to go somewhere. The nearly year-round heat and humidity was dreadful and made the mild winters seem magnitudes worse than they really were, but I didn't complain much.
My new home is very much like my old one. I live alone, so my dorm room still provides the privacy I enjoyed of my room in my old home. My new school also functions as a place of interaction and activity. I still haven't quite established many favorite places to go around town, but the list is slowly growing. Of all the things I could do at my old home that I can't do here, I miss driving the most. Transportation is sort of an issue. So far, public buses and taxis have been useful, but my dependence on those is inconvenient. Buses only travel within certain geographical limits, and taxis are quite expensive if used for more than a few miles. I feel like a burden by having family or friends drive me to my old home and back. The weather here is mostly the same, but I notice it more because I'm outside more often. Even a quick trip to the dining hall can leave me feeling exhausted and dehydrated under the relentless sun. As I join more clubs and meet more people, I'm slowly gaining new connections. It was sort of a shock having to “reboot” friends-wise after being settled for so many years. Even though there are several differences, I expect my new home to eventually replace or at least overshadow what I used to call “home”.
Aaron Murphy's response to Lindsey Rice
ReplyDeleteYou did a great job at describing the physical aspects of the kitchen in your home. Even though you focused on your memories and experiences in your comparison, the physical description made it sound like a place I could see at any given neighbor's house in my old, non-Tallahassee neighborhood. Your post also made me realize that I too have many memories originating from my kitchen. I remember feeding my two-year-old brother, being watched by my dog during every meal, talking to visiting relatives, and just the general “togetherness” that I didn't realize until I moved away. It's certainly something that I also miss now that it's gone.
Aaron Murphy's response to Cody Cox
ReplyDeleteIt's interesting how you find Tallahassee so busy and bustling, while I'm more inclined to think the opposite. I'm originally from Chicago, and moved from Tampa to Tallahassee. While Tallahassee is certainly big, it almost feels rural to me. Sure, there are large buildings and tons of people, but the way of life and the customs seem slower. For example, I got my hair cut the other day and wasn't told until after the cut that the place only accepted cash. I had to leave my driver's license as collateral and then seek out an ATM to bring cash back to the place. This is something I've never encountered. I assumed that all stores accepted more modern forms of payment, but apparently not. My living in more urban areas obviously desensitized my view of several things. It's interesting how one space (Tallahassee) can seem so drastically different to two parties.
Daniel Mele Responses
ReplyDeleteTo everyone that commented about my post, Thanks for the input. I couldn't really decided on a place in my house that I like a lot because I don't associate places like my bedroom with "Home" too much because my room was more like a game room. my room had a tv, a coumputer, and all the game systems you would ever need in there so it didn't feel like a home all the time. but then i remembered my Front yard and that struck home with me because it brought back a ton of memories.
Response to Lindsey Rice
You said how the kitchen you had back home had a different feeling because it was yours and you are use to it so much more than the public one in your dorm. but my question is that if you move into an apartment or get your own house while still in college like many students do will the kitchen in there feel more like your one from home or will it be completely different?
Response to Priscilla Ivasco
I feel almost the exact same way as you do on the family. A favortie place to me is a place that involves my family, I have a fairly large family, because they are loving, funny, and great people to be around. Also my family feels protective of everyone and we always get along with each other. Being so attached to family settings has been hard in Tally because they are new people. And i know what you mean by being out of your element because you now have a chance to meet many new people but that can be hard.
Marcee' Mitchell
ReplyDeleteQueen-sized bed, posters of my favorite cartoon characters, beach themed, and filled with bright colors. My awards and achievements are either hung up on my wall or set up neatly and in an orderly fashion on my dresser. My teddy bears and stuffed animals are spread out across the room in different corners. If you haven’t noticed by now, I am describing my bedroom back at my house in Tampa. My bedroom is a place that will always be close to my heart. It has been my sanctuary for eighteen years. I have cried, laughed, played, and even pretended to give my parents the “what-for” in this little room, surrounded by all my belongings. This is my favorite place to be because I can be all alone, or I can invite people in and be surrounded by the people I love. I didn’t have to share that room with anyone, it was just me, myself, and I.
Here in Tallahassee, I have a dorm room. There are no stuffed animals except one lonely teddy-bear, bought for me by a friend. There are not any posters, or any cartoon characters. Instead, I have “Hello-Kitty” sheets and There is no queen-sized bed, it has been replaced by a downsized twin mattress. I did not bring any of my awards, not even one. Although there are many differences between my temporary dorm room and my permanent bedroom, sometimes I find my dorm also being a sanctuary. A place where I can rest, study, read, or whatever. Sometimes I even invite friends over and we all laugh, tell stories, and share jokes. Even though I am more than three hundred miles away from home, my dorm room has become a temporary replacement for my room at home, and although I did not like it at first and it took some time getting used to, I now embrace it, and appreciate it just as much as my room back at home.
Chris Davis responding to Aaron Murphy
ReplyDeleteI understand what you are going through. It can he hard to adjust to a new life away from home, family, and friends. But as you are realizing, Tally is now becoming your new home. Its cool that you have your own room in te dorm because it does provide some of the comfort of home, like privacy, but at the same time, it also takes away part of the social aspect. By sharing a room it creates a bond and opens up a new social aspect. I agree, the weather sucks cause it is always the same here and ten out of twelve months it is always miserably hot and humid, but for me, it makes me love the two months of cold that we get even more.
There’s no place like home.
ReplyDeleteEvery Sunday my family went to the New Smyrna Beach about an hour away from our house. It’s a small beach town known for its personal feel and beautiful beaches. Unlike a lot of beaches surrounding central Florida, New Smyrna wasn’t over run with tourist. Ever since I was born my family had come to the beach every year. Naturally I felt strong ties to this place, and after we moved to Florida my ties became even stronger because it was more accessible. This place was somewhat apart of me. I knew all the streets like the back of my hand, and everywhere I went there was a memory ranging from my childhood till now. In addition I have a lot of family that live there which made it more like a home. Many times during the summer I would spend the weekend or week with a family member and wake up early grab my board and go surf the glassy waves uninterrupted by the sleeping public. This was peace. Just me and the rising sun and the salty water.
It’s a little different in Tallahassee there is no family, or ocean, or familiarity. However, slowly I am making it my own there are regular places I go to like the hookah café behind Landis. I know the staff there and they know my friends and me. Like New Smyrna this place feels small. This is because mainly I have no car and have to walk everywhere so I am restricted as to where I can go. Sometimes I feel suffocated by the campus, but other times I feel comfortable and snug within the walls of this place. This is because I can make it what I want. There are no preconceived notions about Tallahassee, just whatever I make it to be. Which is nice to start with a clean slate, but I know that there is no place like home.
Priscilla Ivasco responding to Tess
ReplyDeleteI completely understand where you are coming from. My church and youth group back in South Florida was very important to me, and where I felt most connected. I knew when moving here that it would be something that I needed to find again and grow in. It is great that you were able to find some where here that you could form that connection with and I’m sure that as time goes by that bond will grow stronger. I’m sure that you can bring all of that love and passion that you had back home and bring it here to Tallahassee.
Priscilla Ivasco response to Aaron
ReplyDeleteI’m so glad I ran into your blog. Wow, it really is awesome at how positive you are with the change, and how easily adjusted you became with the move even with the distance. The optimism in your writing definitely sheds a light. While I only seemed to complain about my new “home” you found a way to relate it to your old one, and make the best out of the situation. That is truly remarkable. I am sure that soon enough your new home will take its place, especially with the attitude you have come into it with. Keep up the positive spirit!
Take Me Home, Country Roads
ReplyDeleteGrowing up, I spent every summer in Beckley, West Virginia-where my grandparents, older siblings, and aunts, uncles and cousins all lived. As me and my parents drove up there from our house in Florida, I could hardly contain my excitement. In order to cross the state line from Virginia to West Virginia, we had to pass through a tunnel built into the mountain, passing through the tunnel; I would always feel the butterflies starting. It always seemed as though those 44 miles to our exit lasted the longest of the entire trip. Once we got off the interstate, I thought I was just going to explode. My dad would always turn on the song Country Roads by John Denver as we drove down the winding road and him, my mom, and I would always sing alone. “Almost Heaven, West Virginia….country roads, take me home, to the place I belong -West Virginia, mountain momma, take me home country roads…” We would always visit my Granny and Paw Paw’s house first, the place my Daddy grew up, a place that I could always count on to look the exact same as last time, I could always count on that hug from my Paw Paw- the one where I barely felt like I could breathe he would hug so hard, and my Granny would always make me the best fried bologna sandwich in the whole world. I knew I could take off my shoes and run in the soft grass, I could go play on the hitching post or go throw rocks in the creek. As word got around that we were back in town, the whole family would show up. Before I knew it there would be a croquet match on the side of the house, and a football game in the front yard. Inside I could hear my Paw Paw strumming on his banjo, or guitar and I would run straight for him hoping I could convince him to play my favorite bluegrass and gospel songs, he always would, but only if all of us kids would sing along. Once the sun went down, I would run outside to catch lightning bugs.
Over the past two years, as I’ve grown older, the feeling of home has sort of changed. My home here in Hosford, FL (about 45 minutes from Tallahassee) brings me joy everyday when I come home to my fiancé and two puppies. I have pictures of my family everywhere; we have a huge yard and a creek just up the road. I love my home here that my fiancé and I have made for us, and at the end of the day there is nothing more I want than to come home to him here. However, my parents now live there in West Virginia too, along with my little brother and sister and the rest of my family, so when I go back to visit that excitement and those butterflies are only intensified knowing that I’ll be seeing them shortly after passing though that tunnel. Driving down that winding, beautiful country road, I still get that feeling as though I’m home again. And one of my biggest desires is that someday it is truly home for both me and my fiancé.
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ReplyDeleteSamantha Lynch, responding to Cody Cox
ReplyDeleteI totally relate to what feels like home for you. I love everything about a small town, I live in Hosford now (which is about 45 minutes from Tallahassee) and I love it. We have one caution light and if you blink you’ve driven right through it. When I walk into the gas station we have here in town, I pretty well know almost anyone, and the people really are sooo nice. The house we live in is right outside the Apalachicola National Forest, so it’s basically in the middle of nowhere but it is so peaceful. When I walk outside onto the porch the only thing I hear is crickets, and bullfrogs. It’s so nice after a long day in Tallahassee with so many people around to come home to somewhere where there is way more wildlife than there are people.
Morgan comments on Cody's post
ReplyDeleteI really like what Cody has to say in his response. He talks about this little resort in upstate New York. He makes it sound so nice and peaceful. I would love to go to a place like that and he grew up in a place like that, which just amazes me. Even though this place seems like the farthest thing away from Tallahassee he still finds some way to connect the two places. This is very impressive and I really liked the imagery that was used to describe both places. It really painted a good picture and allowed me to look into a window into his childhood and life now.
morgan's comments on Alexis' post
ReplyDeleteI can relate a lot to Alexis’ post about the beach being her home. I like how in her post she talks about the ups and downs of the beach like getting sunburned or stung by jellyfish. I think this is more realistic because there are ups and downs about home. You can’t always be happy at home. Aside from that I agree about the fountains not comparing to the beach what so ever. I am so frustrated about there not even being an outdoor pool or anything here to allow us to lie out in the sun next to the water. It’s just not right for a large establishment in Florida to be deprived of a sun worshiper’s sanctuary.
The best room in the house has to be the kitchen. It is arguably the most important room too, you have to eat. My kitchen has the standard, a fridge, a dishwasher, a sink, a microwave, an oven, a stove, and lots of cabinets! There is something wonderful about opening the fridge or the pantry and instantly seeing food. Being able to throw previously frozen, tasteless food, in an oven and having wonderful, delicious food in no time flat. The kitchen is a place of family and connection, anyone loves to sit down over food, no matter how different. A little music, slightly dimmed lights, and smells that make taste buds water is one of the most desirable settings I can imagine.
ReplyDeleteI thoroughly enjoy what Cody has to say in his response.The resort in upstate New York sounds like a pretty awesome place. He makes it sound tranquil, just the place to be if you're stressed . this place sounds like a place that i could use right now, take a load off and just relax. When the pledge semester becomes too much to bear, a weekend escape to upstate new york sounds ideal. A very good blog. Now when the sun come up i'll be there to say what up in the morning brush my teeth find that clip I've been looking for since last night i feel so caught up in the bud i float somehow in my bedroom turn around see myself in the mirror I guess I'm cool and those happy thoughts, in my head, I'm feeling like I'm peter pan minus the tights and the fairies happy to see how far I've come to the same place it began my dreams and imagination perfectly at peace so I move along a bit higher
ReplyDeleteMarcee’ Mitchell responding to Tess Stohr
ReplyDeleteI love the fact that you love God and enjoy going to church to fellowship with other Christians to praise and worship. I also understand what you mean when you say that although you are content with your new church, it is just not the same. Sometimes it is the little things that you miss the most when it comes to home. I hope you continue to feel welcome in that church to the point that they become almost like another family to you. I believe that eventually, as you continue to stay involved, more and more people will begin to open up to you and you will be make lots of friends.
Jackie Randolph responding to Alexis Turgeon
ReplyDeleteI know exactly how you feel, living in Tampa I'm not quite as close to the beach as you are, but I'm approximately 30 minutes away from about 3 or 4 beaches. many of my memories too come from trips to the beach with my friends or vacations with my family for the weekends. The drive to the beaches around here are crazy long, but if you go them you would realize it was well worth the drive because it is like home. I think that the fountains and Landis Green have no comparison to the ocean and sand.
Lindsey RIce responding to Meghan Hemstreet
ReplyDeleteYou talked about the dining room, which sometimes is similar to a kitchen table. For me everything was about the kitchen and the kitchen table. I like that your family actually used your dining room! My dad had surprised my Mom for their anniversary with a really nice dining room set. My mother absolutely loved it. Problem: We never use it. Its been 5 years since this happened and we have used it maybe three times. I can relate to the warmth you from remember the table where you spent time with your family, but i can't say that about my dining room table!