They go to the lake…
East Lake in Airdrie, Alberta.
Background:
First of all, I
need to say why I am choosing this place…
So here it goes: as
Ellis (2010) argues, "A place is above all a
territory of meanings. These meanings are created both by what one receives
from and by what one gives to a particular environmental context” (p. 394).
This lake has a great importance to me; as I walk
around the lake almost every day, I have developed a huge appreciation for this
place for its environmental aspects and for some other personal aspects that I
will reveal in the next segments of my analyses.
Real Picture of the lake: (From my personal archive)
Real Picture of the lake: (From my personal archive)
Why
this place is important to me:
This place is important to me because this lake has
been part of my life since I moved to Airdrie, in 2009, and I have been visiting it since then.
I first found this lake by accident, of course, the
city of Airdrie had advertised its parks all the time on its website and on the
local newspaper. But, I never took the time to go and visit the parks.
One day, as I was doing my daily walk after work, I
took a different path and that path took me to this lake! The lake was just 30
minutes from my house, but because I was always followed the same trails I
never been to the lake before.
I was amazed! It is such a beautiful and peaceful
place.
That was early in November 2009, since then I try to
walk around the East Lake every day. Sometimes I take my dog with me; sometimes
my daughter comes along; other times my husband comes with me.
I have already built such great memories about this
lake! I remember walking around the lake very excited with the possibility of a
new teaching job coming up. Other times I was sad, walking around the lake,
thinking about the things that had happened during my day that were not so
good.
Aerial View of the Lake:
Extracted from:
Teachers need a place for relaxation... I found mine, a place where I go after school to re-energize for the next day :)
I love to walk around that lake just to get some fresh
air and to organize my mind and thoughts.
I love to walk there and look at people strolling by
the lake in different directions; some of them alone, others with one or two
dogs, some with their children; a few of them even texting and walking. A few
people like to bike around the lake instead, while others prefer to skate or
just do a quick jog.
They all seem to be part of a dance-ballet,
suggested by Seamon (1979), "the groundstone of place ballet
is the coming together of peoples' time-space routines and body ballets in
terms of space.” (p.144).
I feel part of the dance too…sometimes I feel like I
am dancing a salsa, as walk happily around the lake. Other days it feels like I
am dancing an endless tango as I pace around the lake thinking about some of
the problems that I need to solve…
I have developed a sense of attachment and dependence
for this lake, so much so that when I cannot go there for my habitual walk, I
feel that there is something missing in my day... And there is something
missing… my connection with that place, my time alone, and my break from the
pressures of my workday is being neglected.
I can get quite moody if I don’t get to walk around
the lake for too many days in a row. I can totally see how places can add value
to our perspectives and be so intrinsically part of our daily lives. As Ellis
(2011) has argued, "our experiences are circumscribed by our
places and our personalities and perspectives are developed from the
experiences we have in the places available to us.” (p. 355).
I go to so many places during the day… I go to my
school then back home, to the grocery store, to my friends’ houses, to the
local fast food restaurants, etc.
But, that lake is where I feel rested, I feel
re-energized, and this place is so close to home that sometimes I feel like it
is part of my home!
I really like Relph’s (1976) quote: “but one thing
at least is clear – weather the world we live in has a placeless geography or a
geography of significant places, the responsibility for it is ours alone.” (p.
147). This idea resonates so much with me… This lake is
available to me everyday, at any time of the day, and I take advantage of its
proximity and peacefulness.
As John Muir’s famous quote says: “The mountains are
calling and I must go.”
I paraphrase him and say: “The lake is calling
and I must go.”
My
personal view of the lake: (My own
drawing, it was not done by a kindergarten student!!! LOL)
References:
Ellis,
J. (2004). Researching Children's Place and Space. JCT: Journal Of
Curriculum Theorizing (1057896X), 20(1), 83-100.
Ellis,
J. (2010). The importance of attending to children and place. In G.S. Goodman (Ed.), Educational psychology
reader: The art and science of how people learn (p. 386 - 402). New York:
Peter Lang.
Muir,
J. (n.d.). BrainyQuote.com. Retrieved August 4, 2016, from
BrainyQuote.com Web site: http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/j/johnmuir380220.html
Relph, E. (1976). Place and Placeness. In Research in Planning and Design. (141-147). London: Pion Limited.
Retrieved from: https://eclass.srv.ualberta.ca/pluginfile.php/2870157/mod_resource/content/1/B%20-%20Relph%20-%20Prospects%20for%20Places.pdf
Seamon,
D. (1979). Place Ballet as a Whole. In A Geography of the LifeWorld.
(142-153). London: Croom Helm. Retrieved from: https://eclass.srv.ualberta.ca/pluginfile.php/2870263/mod_resource/content/1/C%20-%20Seamon%20-%20Place%20Ballet%20as%20a%20Whole.pdf
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