- Using all of your senses, what words describe what you observe in the park? With all of my senses I would describe Union Square as a place where people go to relax, hang with their friends and embrace the day. It was very free, people do as they please.
- How do you privilege different senses in the New York Park(s) in comparison to your hometown or a place in your hometown? Where I am from, it is not as loud so my ears are more open and I am able to hear lots more. Smells here are much more powerful here than home and my nose is always scrunching or disliking at one point of the day or another. Touch is much different. I am always getting pushed and and shoved and I just never experience this anywhere else. For sight, I only see nature and beaches at home, it’s so different and I love it here because I love watching people and how they live and this is the place. I have seen so more interesting and beautiful things in my week here than I would have in several months at home. The buildings and the history and all of the art is something that makes my eyes very happy here, whereas in my hometown everything for the most part is practically new and lacks the history and the beauty of aging.
- How do you trigger the sense of wonder that Hiss describes as essential to ‘deep travel’? Did this happen during this activity? If so, describe. For me to trigger ‘deep travel’ I have to be relaxed and concentrated, and in a meditative state. That is definitely not how I feel at Union Square. I would need to be laying in grass or looking at the sky or something that brings me somewhere. I was unable to as I was staring off at people chatting or yelling or dogs barking. I need peace to be able to deep travel, or at least inner peace. Just didn’t have that while I was there. 4. What did you notice first about your surroundings? What sense dominated? The first thing I noticed was the feeling of heat, the sun beaming so powerful on us. My shoulders over heated and my eyes were squinting. Though my ears dominate, I hear so much. Dogs barking loudly, men catcalling, and a guy next to me yelling a thousand times that teachers are fat pigs, and people just chattering in their own conversations. When you hear so much you never know what or whom you should be listening to. 5. What would be the same in a different part of the world in terms of senses? What is the same all over the world is that our senses will always be activated in some way or another. But there will always be people having conversations , the sun is shining, relaxing, and farmers markets. People playing on their phones and a couple of them reading books. All over the world, people will be doing their own thing and focusing on themselves and their surroundings. 6. What do you notice the most because of who you are suggestively because of who you are? How does it relate to your identity and experience? I notice that only a small groups of people are focused on their surroundings and the experience around them. Many people are just doing their own thing and playing on their cellphones. I can relate back to this because I think as a society we are so tied to all of our technology (myself totally included) and the last place we should be attached to an electronic device is a park. It saddens me because I love parks. I could lay and “Travel” and experience the things around me, that’s why I love parks. It is a place to see lots and collect the world around you and being on your phone isn’t a way to do that.
