Charlotte Fowler - Environment, Space and Place, Chapter 1

Chapter one of American Camino, specifically the ‘Environment, Space and Place’ section, opened my eyes to how much the environment, place, and space shape not just a pilgrimage, but how we experience life.
 
Chapter One talks about place as something so much more than just a physical location. A place carries layers of meaning: the history of the land, the culture of the people who’ve been there, and even the energy it seems to hold. When you walk through a place, you’re not just passing by—you’re stepping into its story. That idea really stuck with me because it made me think about how often I overlook the places I’m in every day. 

When discussing space, Dr. Redick points out that this word’s meaning is different based on perspective and life experience. Space can be thought of to mean emptiness or can be seen as potential, a canvas for creativity for example. I enjoyed reflecting on these drastically different meaning of the same word and began to wonder in what other ways I can view the world differently by shifting my perspective of one word. 

Lastly, I wanted to note what I took away from the environment conversation in ‘Environment, Space and Place,’ chapter 1. I like how Dr. Redick referred to our senses as languages when we experience things. He writes on how using all of our senses to interpret your environment really enhances your experience because it is as you are processing it through multiple languages. Also, how different meanings of words come about is based on experience. The variables of the environment contribute to the overall experience you are having, which then affects how it is being interpreted, therefore creating a language of association with this thing you have experienced. This is why people have different meanings attached to the same words.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Kip Redick Example of an Outside Reading Post

 Recently I decided to give the renowned masterpiece by Jon Krakauer known as Into the Wild  another read. Needless to say I was just as heartbroken as the first time I read this novel/watched the 2007 film. I felt the need to discuss the work here simply because I feel it relates to a lot of discussions we have been having in class. I mean think about it, a young man sets out across the country to explore creation as it was intended to be experienced. As the story progresses, I remember being left with a sense of wonder, even thinking things along the lines of "I wonder would what happen if I just decided to do this one day?" I feel it's common knowledge how this story ends by now, with the main protagonist passing away alone in the wilderness, no one around for miles due to accidentally ingesting a poisonous plant. Although I have previously discussed how nature is God's most pure creation and should be treated as such, I feel I need to address a differ...
Read more

Audrey Hales - American Camino Chapter 2

  Chapter 2 titled, “Spiritual Journey Versus Aesthetic Tourism” begins by discussing a hiker's experiences with Blood Mountain, many hikers being very thrown off by the intense discomfort. Dr. Redick describes this disillusionment well when he says “Their preconceptions did not prepare them for the journey. An aesthetic amble through the wilderness was never thought to be so uncomfortable, exhausting, emotionally draining, and lacking in visual stimulation”. I found this quote to be very amusing, because unless you have embarked on some version of long distance hiking you would not know the true meaning of it. To everyone that has never hiked on the Appalachian Trail, it is a scenic breath of fresh air on rolling mountains with mist and beautiful sunsets playing on rock outcroppings. The true Appalachian Trail is the dirt three feet in front of you that you’re staring at so you dont trip as you walk in the tunnel of never ending green undergrowth while thinking about how hungry yo...
Read more

Sarah Chapman- The return of the horseshoe crabs of Long Haul Creek

Image
 My grandparents live along the Miles River in Long Haul Creek, part of the Chesapeake Bay. The Chesapeake Bay was fairly polluted for a while, causing the wildlife and plantlife to decrease. There used to be tons and tons of horseshoe crabs along the shores of Long Haul Creek, my grandfather would draw many sketches of them with detailed descriptions. But with the continued degradation of the bay, fewer and fewer horseshoe crabs are living past adulthood, I remember seeing many dead horse crabs floating along the creek. It has been a few years since I have seen a living horseshoe crab and even longer since I have seen a baby horseshoe crab. The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Chesapeake Bay Foundation (CBF) have worked hard to clean up the bay and its tidal rivers, and much of the bay's wildlife has come back including the horseshoe crab. During the summer I was at my grandparent's house in Long Haul Creek, I was standing along the small beach that they built ...
Read more