I initially thought this would be an easy task and I would just walk around following the directions and take notes of where I was at. This actually proved to be a much more difficult task than I originally thought. For one, I live in a small gated community so there aren’t very many places to turn to. In my small gated community, the houses all look the same, and the environment has the same look and feel regardless of where I turn. So I decided to take longer turns and go outside the community.
As I walked outside the gated the community, I realized there is much I don’t really know of the immediate surroundings. For instance, there were 2 paw prints painted on the sidewalk and as you walked there would be two more, then two more, all in the same direction. I have no idea why they are there. Did the city put these here or was it some random person? As I continued my walk I started really looking at the houses and how they are decorated, some had a few festive Fall decorations. I really appreciated the houses that were different in style and had a very welcoming feel to them. There was one that was really decorated for Halloween which I appreciated since it seems that holiday is really not celebrated as much these days.
I noticed my feelings changed in that when I was in the gated community I felt calm and relaxed. I felt safe. However, outside the gated community, I felt a bit more vulnerable. It isn’t a bad neighborhood, it’s just the unfamiliarity I think. As I continued my walk, I noticed I forgot to charge my cell phone and this made me feel very uneasy since I was walking further away from the house. I had walked about 3 blocks away from my house when I decided to turn back and come back later. The idea of my phone dying and my daughter not being able to get a hold of me in case of an emergency made me feel really scared.
I decided to finish my geographic observation using my car since I would cover more ground. I had charged my phone and I was ready to go. I’m glad I decided to go by car since I was able to go to the Newport Back Bay which I love. More interestingly, the final directions took me down a street I really had never been through before. There were 3 girls walking horses on the street which is something I’ve never seen. Also there was a fire station down the last street that I never knew existed there. The fire station looked like a big fancy red barn or red ranch-style house.
I noticed I felt much safer and calmer as I was observing from my car. I don’t understand quite why. I love the outdoors, but something about being outdoors by people’s homes, and bike riders, and other drivers makes me feel uneasy, insecure, and vulnerable.
Geographies: Veronica Hernandez