Where I Belong
I live in my tiny, kitchen-less room. I live in Middlebrook Hall. I live at the University of Minnesota. I live in Minneapolis. I live in Minnesota. I live in the United States. I live in North America. I live in this world. I live in this universe. I exist in my build environment that has made me who I am today.
It is strange to me that when I think of my built environment I no longer think of the home I moved out of only six months ago. My middle-class home in the suburbs no longer holds much meaning to me. I don’t want to sound like I grew up with a lot of angst or hated where I lived so much, but it really was not right for me. The suburbs are not where I am meant to be.
Growing up in this middle class, suburban environment of structure, focus on education, and preparation for the future has shaped who I am. This is not a bad thing. I like structure. I do well in structure. It’s not where I am happiest, but I do well with structure. My education as a high school student was intense; I was an IB (International Baccalaureate) student. It has prepared me for my future.
This has carried to my new home. My kitchen-less room on the 8th floor of this strange place known as a dorm. But what has affected me most is what I left behind in the suburbs. I came to a new environment of city living. I ride the bus. I look out my window at the skyline of Minneapolis. I have forgotten how to drive. I have concert venues in walking distance (HUZZAH!). My new life in this room is where I am meant to be (Is it weird to prefer a box with absolutely NO privacy to a spacious 6 bedroom home?). The community I have built here and frameworks that surround me have built who I am today.
[I should mention that any photos in this blog I have not cited are my own.]