For me, a sense of
place is about belonging, and I identify that feeling of
belonging through my senses. The smell of my mom’s house, feeling warm salty air
on my face, the taste of the foods that I only eat at home in Hawaii. But for
others a sense of place is more fluid and is about connection. Connecting
to wherever you are in that exact moment of time. Maryville, Tennessee at the
foot of the Smoky Mountains, on college hill.
Regardless of how you
define or identify place, here you are...in a place that is unlike the one you
came from. You have taken the impressive step to deepen your global
understanding by going abroad. What now? How do you create a sense of place for
yourself? How do you hold on to the familiar in the unfamiliar? How do you
create a sense of place?
One of the best ways
to do this is to create a cultural blueprint.* If I was travelling to your hometown
or city what are the top 5 things you would tell me to do? Make a list. Now look at that list and think about why you
chose those 5 things. Those ‘whys’ show what you value in a place. Now,
take those same ‘whys’ and make a similar list of things you can do here - a bucket-list of typical experiences that you value and then seek those experiences out. Observing,
experiencing, and learning about the new place have found yourself in will be
your cultural blueprint.
(*credit: Rich Kurtzman's book, Like a Fish In Water, for the ideas and action steps around cultural blueprints. For more, see Rich's book: https://www.amazon.com/Like-Fish-Water-Grow-Abroad/dp/1544531109)
💪ACTION
STEP: Do 1 thing that you do regularly at home and
do 1 new thing that you don’t do at home.
For example: If you are a runner at home, go for a run. If you’ve never
had a root beer float, have one and be sure to write notes in your journal
about it. Refer to your bucket list for ideas!
🤔DIVE DEEPER: Watch this 2-minute video with some great advice about what you are experiencing right now. Reflect and think about what additional advice you would give to the pencil. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HisYsqqszq0
👌WORD OF THE WEEK: “Y’all”
By now you’ve heard
people say this word and you might even be saying it yourself! Y’all is the
quintessential southern phrase that has several meanings. The word typically
refers to a group of people, but it can also be directed towards an individual. We refer to it as a catch all word meaning it
catches everyone. For example:
What are y’all doing
tonight?
Do y’all want to get
coffee at Vienna?
👍PHRASE OF THE WEEK: I don’t care to.
This is a confusing
phrase that I had never heard before I moved to the South. It means that
someone is willing and able to do something for you, even though it sounds like
they don’t want to. For example:
Sara: We are out of
milk.
Kirsten: I don’t care
to get milk for you. I’m going to the store tonight.
🍲RECIPE OF
THE WEEK: Hummingbird Cake https://www.southernliving.com/recipes/hummingbird-cake-recipe
💃SOCIAL
EVENTS OF THE WEEK:
Go hear some live music at Peaceful Side Brewery. (you
don’t need to be 21 to go to the music events)
Check
out their schedule here!
Here are 3 great resources for things to do in the
area:
https://insideofknoxville.com/category/events/
https://www.instagram.com/new2knox/?hl=en
https://www.thedailytimes.com/local-events/