All places posses both literal meanings and unseen subjective meanings. A person might see a bus and think that is what children take to school, where as another person might think of their childhood and perhaps a bad memory on a school bus. I have visited three different places within the last week, all of which have different obvious details accompanied by subjective feelings.
There is viewpoint of the Tanana Valley that our class visited on the UAF campus. It was a fairly nice viewpoint, especially since we were there during the sunrise. The place gave me a view of the city of Fairbanks and the mountain in the back round, followed by colors cast into the sky by the rising sun. Those were the obvious things. Then there was a feeling of insignificance because of the vastness of merely my hometown. A person does not realize how small he really is until he takes time to stand back from his own life and look at the world around him.
Compared to the Wood Center, theses two places have little in common besides that fact that they are both located on UAF’s campus. However, they do have a few things in common. Some are the fact that both spots have been visited by generations of college students over the decades that UAF has been in use. Also, both spots are somewhat artistic. The Wood Center was designed in a odd shape for somewhat of an artistic feel, where as the look out point had the artistic view of the mountains and sunrise. Wood center offers a very different obvious view though. The Wood Center is warm for one and it is a place to meet in the winter for students, unlike the colder look out point. There is also a social atmosphere at the Wood Center, unlike the look out point where it is more of a lonesome, or small gathering area.
The place I choose to visit separate from the class is also completely separate from these other two places. I choose to visit under water. While this may seem ununique or bland, it is a place of reflection and quietness. Ever since I was a baby I loved swimming or at least being in water. To be under water is refreshing and quite and depending on the water body, it can be calm. While the look out point may be calm as well, and the Wood Center can be too, under water is a more personal and introverted space. There is no noise plus if you close your eyes it is a place of uncertainty. The water may offer a warm feeling, such as the Wood Center, but water is different for everyone. Some hate it and others yet love it. The same could be said for the other two places, too.
Places all have different meanings to individuals. Many people wont even choose to see the obvious sights, but only to see their subjective feelings on the place. And others may not choose to feel anything, but only to see the facts of that place. Each of these places offers unique sights and feelings.
Not to sound corny, but “home” for me is where the heart is and at the moment Fairbanks is not home.
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