Week 4 - Sense of Place

In week 4, we had our first class in the actual classroom (not including the first day of class). In this class session we discussed the meaning of the term "sense of place". Sense of place is defined by different ecologists in different ways. The way I see it is that it is a love or a reverence for a particular aspect of nature. This aspect of nature can exist in everything from swamplands of the Everglades, to a particular tree in your backyard, to even a place within an urban setting (such as listening to an mp3 player or using a computer, surprisingly enough). I did much thinking and I came to the conclusion that I have a sense of place in both rural and urban settings.

My first is the environment of the northwestern states (such as Illinois). I am originally from Chicago, Illinois , now presently living in Florida. Although people may not find the experiencing the change of seasons that remarkable, it is not present in Florida. Seeing the leaves fall off of the trees in autumn and snow fall in winter is a feat that one can only see with their own eyes. However, I am not particularly fond of the winters up north. My optimal times of the year for this climate are late spring through early autumn. I had fond memories of this growing up in the suburbs of Chicago and I go back every summer.