My initial thoughts about place and identity are that where you are and where you are from help define who you are. Growing up, I lived in a little neighborhood of town houses. The neighborhood was shaped into a square, it was small so that meant I knew where I was, and was never too far away from home. It also meant that I knew all the kids that lived there. We were all different. Different races and different interests, but we all still hung out. Even to this day, I’m still friends with the same people. We grew up and still like different things, I'm into hip-hop/rap, and my best friend likes alternative rock, but where we lived and who we became friends with helped us learn to not judge others because of their differences. I've grown up and made so many new friends, high school really put a toll on all those relationships. I never had problems with anyone, but since I was friends with so many people, there was bound to be drama between my friends. High school is where you start to see people break off into little "cliques". I was always the one to jump around and meet new people. But having so many friends like that just made me the kind of person that doesn't get into anyone else's business, or spread rumors. Say if two groups of my friends weren't getting along, I'm not the one to take sides. Growing up in that small neighborhood with those different kinds of people, made me into the kind of person I am today.
Like you, I also grew up from a small neighborhood. This small surrounding helped me to get along with all the people easily. I made friendship with one of my girl friend since we were 6 years old. After growing up, we seldom contact each other but each time I get a chance to go back to my hometown we are still meeting up with each other. I think relationship that is made within a small community will last longer than in large community as we can get to know each other well.
ReplyDeleteExcellent connection, Briana, between the place you grew up and your current identity. Thanks for your post, Jenny
ReplyDeleteUnlike most people I grew up in a very large city. There were 3000 students at my high school my senior year. At graduation I heard 800 names called and I probably only recognized half of them. That is why I tried to be very involved in multiple school activities. The more activities I was a member of, the more people I got to know. Luckily I made some really close friends, but it is unfortunate that there was so many people I never got the chance to know.
ReplyDeleteBreelam,
ReplyDeleteI can agree that a small neighborhood does allows you to get close and develop friendships. I myself lived in a smaller city but not too small. Even though I did, I never felt limited to who I could meet so I became known and as you stated before, the more friends you have some drama is bound to happen. Through it all I think that the drama helped me mature as a person and learn what to tolerate and what not to tolerate.I think it strengthened my identity.
-Shaniqua <3
I agree that living in a small environment is much easier for us to make close friends and build up friendships. There are only 300 hundred students in my high school. The classes are also small. Therefore, it’s easy for us to have connections with each other during class. I can almost recognize all students’ faces after four- years high school life. However, a lot of lectures contain hundreds of students in Ohio State. I usually know few people when the quarter ends.
ReplyDeleteBriana, I think it's really cool that you grew up somewhere you were able to mix in with different kinds of people and have everyone be okay with it. I know that most of the places I lived, everyone was the same and that's why they were all friends.
ReplyDeleteAnd Colleen, 3000 kids at a school sounds crazy to me. I always at least knew everyone's face when ! was in school. But at least being at such a big school prepared you for OSU!
Like Colleen I went to high school with around 3000 students, and 800 in my graduating class, in a suburb of cincinnati. I didn't know half of the students at my school and the best way to find freinds was to get involved. I myself made friends through sports playing boy's volleyball. My high school situation was much like what it is here at Ohio State, I know a very small fraction of people here and the easiest way to meet new people is through getting involved.
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