I grew up in the suburbs of New York, on Long Island. Long Island is a short distance from Manhattan, so the hustle of the city carries of into life in the suburbs. The place I call home is also home to seven and a half million other people. At home, when considering my sense of place, I think of all of Long Island. What immediately comes to mind is many houses crowded together, and plenty of shopping, with small amounts of nature. Each town has a village, similar to church street, but full of traffic. Burlington is very different from Long Island, but I still feel at home in both places. My sense of place is defined by the people in each place. Having a sense of place is what makes a person comfortable, I feel this in many different places. After having spent three months here in Burlington, I felt strange going home to New York. The familiar sense of crowded spaces and a constant hustle is very different than life in Vermont.
This phenology blog has made me stop to consider nature at home. I was able to visit the beach while I was home. This to me, is the best part about home. Nature in a suburb outside of the largest population dense city in America looks very different than nature in Vermont. The beach is one example of nature at home, it brings me the same peace that the forests of Vermont do, despite the differences.
I believe that a location can hold memories and experiences, but does not define a sense of place. This has been proven to me throughout my experience in college so far. I left everything familiar to me, and created my own life, which has a sense of place to me.
