2. Field Trip- Urban Fort Myers

When I first found out that we were taking a trip to Downtown Fort Myers I was excited because I've never been there before. While taking the bus to the destination I was surprised that Downtown was surrounded by such a struggling neighborhood. But downtown its self was actually really nice and adorable. There were multiple restaurants and little shops that surrounded 1st Street, which seemed to be the main street, there were also many sculptures and accessible side walks so you felt comfortable walking around. I thought that the new library was a beautiful addition to Downtown and brought a Floridian architect to the area because the brick in the streets and on the buildings gave it a Northern feel. The area seemed to be pedestrian friendly because of the sidewalks and also the low speed limits and decreased volume of cars. Once you venture off of 1st street Downtown has multiple green spaces, some are parks and others are just areas with statues and fountains. The basin was one of the more important green features because it purified the rain run off from the city, which is a major key in an urban area. Here at FGCU it's clear to see that there is a multitude of green space and green features, there are open fields as well as dense forest with small nature trails for students to explore. But Downtown it was a more urban environment that you would never find wildlife in or see a dense forest with a nature trail or energy efficient certified buildings. But it is clear that both areas care about the environment and want to set an example for the generations to come that the environment is important and we should take a step above the average to save it. 

1. Sense of Place--- "You can't know who you are until you know where you are." - Wendell Berry.

My neighborhood consists of both natural and unnatural elements. There is the beach in the distance which can been seen from my door. There is also a sand volleyball court and a large parking lot that is in between the sand volleyball court and my building. There are about 5 buildings in my area and surrounding all of them are parking lots. Even though there is a lot of development there is still a lot of wildlife because of how many patches of forest we have from the nature trails. Some days you can see little raccoon's, bunnies, snake, geckos, and lizards. It's especially unique because usually those animals wouldn't be found around a beach. But since this is a combined area these animals are found around the beach. I feel most at home when I'm at the beach on campus because of the waves, it calms me down when I'm stressed and when I feel adventurous I can always take a walk on the beach. I don't know if I would say where I live now is my sense of place because I'm from New York and I grew up on a mountain with tons of fields where my house was. I'd say that my childhood home is my sense of place because that environment is where I became who I am as a person. At my house in New York there is a winding black driveway that cuts through stone walls and it all uphill. Then I had my house and every direction surrounding it was green and that was the best feeling while growing up because I could really take a deep breath of fresh air. This isn't a picture of my childhood home but a place me and my friends would escape to just to take a nature walk and explore. This is where I find my sense of place.