How has the division between African-American and white community shaped perceptions of Winter Park?

The division between the African-American and Caucasian communities has shaped perceptions of Winter Park, FL. Winter Park, over the years, has had the perception of being a predominantly wealthy town and a popular tourist destination. In many eyes, Winter Park has always (since construction of the town “Winter Park” spanning from 1881-1885) been thought of as only being a community for Northern vacationers. This isn’t completely true because since the town’s creation, other residents have lived here also. African-Americans came down to construct new attractions and accommodations for the vacationers. They also staffed these places. These residents of Winter Park settled mainly in an area called “Hannibal Square.” Hannibal Square does not “blend in” to the Park Avenue landscape and used to seem divided from the, to many people, more attractive east side of Winter Park. Wealth, a prosperous lifestyle, attractive setting, fine restaurants, and exquisite shops are terms often associated with the white “East Side” community. Underprivileged and crime-ridden were terms often associated with the black “West Side” community of Winter Park. This “West Side” used to be thought of by many people as the “bad” side of town because of the aforementioned reasons. On the other hand, today, and over the past decade, many developments have been made. These improvements have often been provided for through tax dollars to improve the look of “Hannibal Square” to make it more appealing. The goal of the developers was to attract more residents to a “beautified” area. This in turn would bring more money into the area and consequently, economic development. I believe that the redevelopment has greatly helped the area as it has brought a positive vitality to the community creating a more constructive and safe environment in which to live. Some may view the external forces that are changing/redeveloping Hannibal Square as only a benefit for the external forces. I do not think this is so because I believe the redevelopment brings jobs to the residents and creates a more appealing setting for the residents. To continue, a very recent improvement to Hannibal Square that has lessened the divide between “white and black” Winter Park is the creation of a beautiful new Winter Park Community Center and Historical Society/Museum. The Historical Society’s aim is to educate others about the history of Hannibal Square and Winter Park. It most certainly enlightens those who visit as they learn about how the town was created and the experiences of residents on “both sides of the tracks.”
In the white “East Side” community of Winter Park, property is generally worth more because it’s in demand and is in a prime and very valuable location. For many years, in the black community: Hannibal Square, property was generally not as valuable as property of much of the white community. In the timeframe of approximately the past decade, the property values in the Hannibal Square area have risen as developers attempt to extend “East Side-looking” buildings and attractions into this area while compensating residents extremely well when purchasing their lots on which to develop. Some may view the redevelopment as negative insofar as it may “displace” the residents from their homes; however, in reality they are greatly compensated so they most likely will be able to afford a much nicer lifestyle upon the selling of their lots.

The Divisions of Winter Park and Their Effects on Perception

New England industrialists founded Winter Park in the 1880s. Industrialization was first triggered in the area when a railroad track was laid down – it connected Orlando and Sanford to each other. When Northerners – who were used to cold climates – noticed the area, they decided they would industrialize it and make it a settlement of sorts, to escape the biting coldness of winter. Winter Park offered a warmer alternative and quickly became a very popular vacation spot among the wealthy Northerners. In the summer, they would usually head back to the North to avoid the heat of the area.

The entire industrialization process of Winter Park required workers, and many of them. White industrialists turned to African-Americans for this: they put them to work in constructing establishments and shops. Some worked as cleaners or the like, as well. During this time, the African-American workers and their families resided on the other side of this railway – the western side – whilst the wealthy whites lived on the eastern side. Laws prohibiting African-Americans entering the eastern side at certain times – such as after sunset or during voting periods -- were implemented and enforced.

Naturally, these historic patterns have affected the perception of Winter Park greatly. Though now laws separating blacks and whites have been abolished, cultural roots are now entrenched in both sides of the city – particularly the western side. I have visited the Hannibal Square Heritage Center, and this visit has shown me the depth of these roots. The bustling community from the late 1800s has kept its historic value – with some buildings being as old as the “older community” itself, such as the ancient house of a woman who is one hundred years old. While properties have been bought and sold to other owners, the fundamental culture of Hannibal Square has remained the same, and to many of the residents there, they treat their heritage with pride.

As an outsider coming into this area, I can see the pride which settlers of “the western side of the tracks” have in their community. Sticking to their predecessors’ beliefs, they seek to stay true to their culture and are even rebuilding and revamping Community centers, churches and schools. As the tour guide took our group around the area, she reflected fondly on the mural which children designed together years before, commenting on racial equality. The spirit of the past lingers on in the western side, and, as a result, people coming in from the outside world can’t help but perceive it as a place rich in cultural history.

Similarly, I can see the effects of industrialization on the eastern side. It’s lined with more expensive shops and bigger named brands, and is of a slightly better condition than the western side (though this, in the future, may be debatable, taking the construction currently going on in the west to account). For example, we noticed that some of the roads on the eastern side were of a better quality than in the west. The East has then given me the impression of taking a more modern approach, whilst the West is more cultural. Both of these perceptions have solid basis in history, and we can see the historical significance of each of the areas impacting on viewers’ perceptions.

A Perception of Winter Park & "The Other Side of the Tracks"

The statement “the other side of the tracks” has been one that indicates that the other side is not as good, or even more dangerous than the side one is already on. Saying someone is from the other side of the tracks implies that they are from a certain neighborhood that is not as good as the one you’re from. This is a generally negative way of describing the side of Winter Park that is across the tracks. When Winter Park was first established it was to be a place for the rich to come and relax. People who could afford it would build vacation homes and employ workers for the upkeep and such while they were away. These workers came from the other side of the tracks known as Hannibal Square. Typically, this is where impoverished black Americans resided, and they were the people who went to the “better” side of Winter Park to work.

One side of Winter Park was rich with excitement. Businesses began to flourish as upper class white people began making it their new home. Winter Park was and is still today a very petite town with lots to do. Between the amount of cute shops and restaurants I can’t image this town not being a tourist attraction. Winter Park really is that nice country club your parents were members of or the resort town you went on vacation to as a kid. But there is also another side of Winter Park that does not have quite the same qualities.

In my personal experience, I came to Winter Park as I was considering Rollins. I thought the atmosphere was amazing and the town was beautiful. Everywhere I went it looked like a picture in a magazine, until I walked around the railroad a bit. I had my camera in hand and as I crossed the tracks I began to notice a change. I thought to myself that I probably should not be in this area very late, and so I took a quick look around and scurried back to my hotel. Although this did not change my perception of Winter Park, it definitely opened my eyes to the fact that it’s not so beautiful all the time.

Even more so than this experience, when our class visited Hannibal Square it became more apparent that Winter Park had two sides. Going to Hannibal Square was very interesting and showed a lot of progress. Once upon a time this area was very poor, and maybe even the exact opposite of “the other side.” Now, Hannibal Square is really trying to make a name for itself by rebuilding the area and the relationship with the town as a whole. Since this process has begun, it really has changed my perception of Winter Park in that it is not as divided as it used to be. You can see an effort being made by the town to help Hannibal Square in its visions for the future.

How has the division between African-American and white community shaped perception of Winter Park?

Many things have changed through out the community of Winter Park over the years, much dealing with the population, specifically looking at the African American and white community and the divide between. Back in the 1960s, winter park was very segregated and specifically seen as either the east or west side of the “tracks.” The railroad tracks are a famous dividing line that once separated the black from white community. Despite the segregation, the black community did receive beneficial things from their neighboring white community. For example, there were many jobs either dealing with the railroads or other service positions within the wealthy white community that gave the African American population educational benefits and also prosperity and privilege. As time went by, the west side (Hannibal Square) came to be known as having high levels of education, business and home ownership, and having a professional standing among the black population.

Throughout the history of Winter Park, the perception of the communities and their divide has changed, in my opinion, for the better. After visiting the Hannibal Square community center, it gave me the perception that back in the 1960s people viewed the west side of Winter Park in a very historical sense. That is where everything started. The west side had character and meaning. Looking to the other side of the tracks and the white community, I had the perception that on that side, there were all the jobs and development ideas just waiting to be put into action. My view is that the west side was desperately trying to stick to their roots and preserve the history and all the hard work that the black community put into building there “side” of town.

My perception has obviously changed in some sense after seeing the Winter Park that is present today. After taking the tour around the Hannibal Square community center, it was obvious all the development that took over the streets that were once homes and filled with culture and history of the black community. In my opinion, that could be seen as a positive change for the community in the sense that the white and African American populations and communities have blended to become more of a “one” and therefore the area of Winter Park is no longer divided. An appropriate quote to describe this would be: “The tracks through Winter Park have historically stood as a dividing line between black and white, but this line has recently moved, causing some to wonder “if the rapid transformation of the area is a healthy boost or a destruction of culture.” “

There has been a lot of development, which does change my perception of winter park to one that screams business and thriving economical opportunity; however, through all the development, you can still see the history and culture behind the town, especially if you walk into the Hannibal square community center. When I look at Winter Park today, I do not visibly see a racial divide. I believe that since the development, the two communities have blended more and that shows a union among the people.

Winter Park has changed a lot over the years and I believe that the change has helped the community come together. “Today, the city of Winter Park, know worldwide for its wealth and quality of life, is one of the most desirable addresses in Florida.” (Rollins History Department)

A change of perception for Winter Park

When the city of Winter Park was founded in the 1880’s, it was to be a resort city for rich northerners to come and relax during the harsh winter. With its warm weather and beautiful scenery, Winter Park quickly became the go to place to vacation. To cater to this rich crowd, the city needed workers who would be willing to work at the hotels and take care of the city during the off-season as well. Hannibal square became the community where the predominantly black workers would live, then cross the train tracks into winter park to work. The city was soon divided between the African-American and White communities; laws where even implemented that the black residents could not cross the train tracks after sunset. This division is still seen today and it has defiantly shaped the perception of modern day Winter Park.

This division shows a two sided Winter Park: the more developed and business focused side and the underdeveloped, more poverty stricken side. Park Avenue is very quaint, with lots of restaurants and shops that cater to a specific crowd namely old, rich, white people. This brings good business to the community, but it stays on this side of the track. Most of the up keeping stays on this particular side, making the perception that Winter Park only cares about the White community, and that the Black community has to fend for itself. Only in the last couple of years has Hannibal Square been re-developing on their own accord, including the Hannibal Heritage center where residents and tourists alike can now go to learn the Hannibal Square’s full story. Still, there is a lot of run down and under developed parts of the African American community in Winter Park that need to be dealt with. Although segregation is long in the past there is still a feeling of it in Winter Park with these two distinct and completely different communities.

Winter Park has been this way for a very long time, so it’s no surprise that any change is going to be a long and slow process. However, the perception of two communities should change. Both sides of the track need each other: one provides a place to world and the other provides the people to work there. Without each other, Winter Park wouldn’t be the thriving community we have today. The perception of Winter Park is ready to change and that means forgetting about the tracks that dived them and becoming one community to grow together.

My Perception, My World

How does the space I live in effect my perception? My ‘space’ could be anything and everything but I’m going to focus on my home, my neighborhoods and my country.

My home is the farthest thing from a bubble, yet I’m not exposed to everything. The past year, for example, I’ve been learning what new terms such as ’blue waffle’ and ’bobble head’ mean, terms I would NEVER learn in my own home. Things I would learn about are things I would commonly see on the news like child neglection and rape. My home has led me to have a relatively uncensored perception of life and people as a whole. Growing up I was told, as well as witnessed- sometimes even first hand- just how unhappy and not innocent this world can be. Therefore my perception has somewhat been altered to be on the pessimistic side.

From the time I was in First grade to Eleventh grade I’ve moved six times, attended nine different schools and lived in four different neighborhoods. In each grade and each neighborhood I was exposed to different types of people. I’ve learned about different cultures and how unlike each ethnic neighborhood was from each other. I’ve lived in predominantly White, Black, and Spanish neighborhoods. The housing conditions in White neighborhoods (at least the one I lived in) tended to be fairly good to very good. Black neighborhoods were fairly decent to good. And Spanish neighborhoods were poor to fairly decent. As a child I believed that people were nice and everything is good in the world and people were treated the same way. Actually, no thoughts of social injustice ever crossed my mind (Duh, not something a child would or should think about), but now it does. Its clear to see. The Black and Spanish neighborhoods I stayed in were fairly decent, but the White neighborhoods were very good. Sometimes in the ethnic areas, you could see roads that needed fixing, poor housing conditions, et cetera. A clear class and race distinction. Is it all do to racial discrimination? Certainly not, but these kind of sights did cause me to change my oh-so-perfect views of the world.

As for my country as a whole, well you can say in a way we’re sheltered. Most of us don’t have to go through the pains of not having food or at least basic healthcare. Heck, even the homeless could find food- if not a homeless shelter than by pan-handling - and basic healthcare from a free health clinic. Seeing what people in third world countries go through everyday can change anybody’s perception of the world and it certainly did mines. I would see commercial ads on tv pleading with viewers to call and donate to help feed a starving family or surgically repair a child’s cleft lip and it pulled heart strings. It made me appreciate what I have, where I was born and the type of family I have.

Overall I would say the space I live in has affected my perception for the better

Perception is heavily influenced by our living environment because we can become accustomed to our environment and have limited perception due to our limited experience. We only see what is around us in our environment, and are unaware of anything else that may exist outside of that environment. Out perception is limited, for example, in our own cultural environment. The space we live in has an effect on our beliefs and habits. Religion is cultural and limits our perception, because if we are raised with a certain religious belief in our environment, and heavily religious, then our perception becomes altered to look at issues from a spiritual standpoint. In The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks, the environment where Rebecca Skloot and Deborah Lacks were raised had an impact on their perception of Henrietta's cancer. Rebecca's upbringing altered her perception to look at the situation from a scientific standpoint, looking at the literal disease itself, rather than the spiritual implications of it, which is how Deborah and Henrietta were raised. They believed that a spiritual deity would watch over and protect them, and that was the only hope they had. Instead, Skloot's environment had her believe in the power of science and medicine as a source of hope. If either one had an upbringing similar to the other, their perception of the disease would have been radically different.

Even my own personal habits are different, (having grown up in Maryland) than someone who had been raised in Florida their entire life. In Maryland, it is common for people to order a snow cone and get marshmallow topping. This was something I was raised with, and everyone I knew did it as well. When I moved, I learned a couple years later that it was a distinctly "Maryland" trait to get marshmallow topping on a snow cone. This really changed my own perception of my cultural habits, because this was something so simple and yet my entire perception of a delicious frozen treat was very different that those of other people because of the space that I lived in.

The difference is most notable in different financial upbringings, because many of us Americans lack the perspective of a life of true poverty. We have become accustomed to tap water, plumbing, supermarket, and always having enough money to keep food on the table. If a child raised in America were asked what life was like in a third world country, they would have no idea because their perception is limited to their life experiences, to a life of luxury and not knowing poverty. Of course, this can be done on a much smaller scale; towns such as Winter Park, which were segregated into areas of rich whites and poor blacks, grew accustomed to segregation and were limited to that way of thinking, making changes even harder to accomplish. Similary, in heavily urbanized areas of the north US, which were anti-slavery since the Civil War, people have eagerly grasped the idea of equal rights and have been raised generally without a strong feeling of racism and supremacy. The area they live in is very different than areas of the south that have been raised in racial hatred and white supremacy, and so the people in these two very different areas have a very different perspective on the issue of race and racial segregation due to the space that they live in.

All in all, your environment that you grow up in has a significant impact on your belief system and your perception on many issues becausse your environment provides the model for your own method of thinking about issues. One thing may be commonplace, and so would not be a big deal, whereas somewhere else it may be seen as a serious offense and provide a lot of thought and problems for a community.

My Space My New Perspective

My space in the world in which I’ve grown up around and in is a world much different then much of our worlds population. For one I was fortunate enough to attend the best schools the area I lived in had to offer and as I became older I was lucky enough to drive nice cars and vacation in far off places. Though I’ve come to realize that much of my perception was flawed by these material possessions. In addition to my hazy outlook I never really understood the blood, sweat, and tears that went into acquiring those objects. Consequently my attitude and perception followed that line of thinking.

My thinking began to change though as I became older and understood more of my surroundings and saw some of the blood, sweat, and tears in first person. So instead of looking at the world as my universe, I began to realize that I was just one small player in an ever-bigger world and that my problems weren’t the leading issue on everyone’s plate. Particularly the many people in other parts of the world where they’re not looking for that next great grade in a class their looking for that next bowl of food.

In short I’ve come to appreciate my space more than ever before, as I was a product of my space. Simultaneously though I found entering those new spaces and reaching out to those people is the best way to make your space their space and vis versa.

Space Effecting Perception

As a newcomer to the south, I actually find a lot of things similar to my life back home. Really the only significant differences are weather, architecture of buildings, and retail stores. In the north, we are fortunate to experience seasons. It’s nearly guaranteed to see color on the leaves in the fall, snow on the ground and freezing temperatures in the winter, and sunny days and tourists as spring rolls into summer. From what I can tell in my little time down here, it’s fairly warm and sunny year round, accompanied by much more drastic rainstorms at random points in the day. Additionally, tourism is highlighted in the winter days, where northerners such as myself vacation down south to escape the cold. As for architecture, where I’m staying I witness a lot of Spanish-Mediterranean style buildings and houses. The look is from the 16th century, where in the north it’s more colonial and late victorian style seen in the late 18th and 19th centuries. Even the new, more luxurious homes down south reflect this Spanish-Mediterranean design. As a person interested in architecture, I appreciate both eras/designs. The retail and economic aspect in common to different places anywhere. There’s obviously many hometown restaurants and historic places popular to individual locations worldwide. What’s really interesting is to see store chains that exist back north. It makes me feel back home when I see a “Walgreens” or “Subway.” So essentially, the human interest and needs are the same down here, just accommodated somewhat differently by various companies/businesses.

Despite these differences, I find the people for the most part the same. Accents are a little different, but if theirs is unique to me, then mine is unique to them. That “southern hospitality” isn’t as strongly present as I expected. In fact, I found it more apparent in states such as Virginia and the Carolinas, where I have traveled before. Maybe it just hasn’t made its way down to Florida? People’s personalities are similar to those back north as well. I am surrounded by determined people with common educational and life goals. We come from various backgrounds but have similar values and experiences. It’s pretty cool to talk to northerners in my situation as well to hear their opinions on the difference in lifestyle. The common opinion? The weather is so much warmer.

From my many observations I’ve made over the past week or so I have drawn some interesting conclusions. For one, people in the U.S. are the same in many places. Only in isolated places do people exhibit very different lifestyles. Other than them, we are quite similar. In one way, that can be attributed to the educational system us Americans have in common. You could also say the media and pop culture has affected us in a certain way too. We watch the same TV shows and movies, buy the same cars and food, belong to the same social networks, and have similar social problems. One other conclusion is that I don’t expect to miss the things from back home (other than my family and friends) quite as much as I thought I would when I was on my way down here. A lot is truly the same. What I make of my surroundings and how I adapt to the southern environment will determine how easy I find life here, ultimately shaping my successes and failures. From now until I move somewhere else, the rest is just an experience to come.

My Space, My Perspective

My “space” is my “perspective”. The bubble in which I live, walk around, and explore the world represents my space. My perspective– or how I interpret the world around me– links directly to my space because it is the tool-belt with which I experience the world. We are not blank slates walking around, we are not all amnesiacs. I have a past and character encoded onto me by everything and everyone that has “invaded,” walked into, or stumbled into my space. My environment nourishes my perspective by giving me multiple lens’ to see the world through.

One of the first and most important forces to have penetrated my space of mind was my French culture, my other half. Every year of my life has been briefly interrupted, during the summer, to take a trip into another dimension of my soul. France. For every year of my life, I have been sent to the capable hands of my 100 percent pure French grandparents. This capable couple made great strides to have me come not only to love my French-side but also embrace the fact that it takes precedence over half and exactly half of who I am today. Wherever I go, my space carries that half French image, tinting the world that I experience, causing me to perceive the world with both halves.

The other 10-11 months, my space finds itself in Orlando, FL USA. My space–constantly invaded by both my French, scatter-brained, radical mother and my American, stubborn, and conservative father– experienced an almost violent backlash into “modern times.” In my “home,” the crazy clash of cultures and ideologies feels comforting, the modern technology and humidity normal standards I love. France seems to have experienced an experimentation with time freeze. The buildings near where my grandparents live are all medieval. Hundreds of years old and still inhabited. the switch from a bustling, never sleeping, huge modern day city to the silent miles of fields interrupted only by the occasional cluster of 20 houses or the small spit of forest brings about a rude awakening to the other worlds and spaces out there– but also brings about peace and serenity. my previous “space” – home in FL– allowed me to fully appreciate France and perceive it in a way that without something to compare it to would not be nearly as momentous.

How I interpret the world needs a basis, it needs foundation from my prior experiences. Even if I were to start from the beginning, every experience I would have from then on would form the new “space” or foundation for my approach to the world. An example would be when I go into someone else’s house my mind automatically starts comparing it to mine. When I need to find something in someone’s kitchen, I look to where all the things correspond with my kitchen. My space can sometimes blind me because the world is not identical to my space and I have to move past that in order to see the world.

How do the space you live in effect your perception?

The location of where you live can easily change your perception on life in many different ways. It can change from a social standpoint, a resource standpoint and educational standpoint. My life has changed drastically many different times over the past couple years. I have gone from a small town in Western Massachusetts with a population of 2,000 people, to a boarding school that limited things you could do, to college in Florida where it is always warm and always has things to do.

I come from a little town in Massachusetts where people have to drive at least fifteen minutes just to go to the grocery store. In order to get anywhere a car is needed because my town is in the middle of nowhere. I was used to driving and having the freedom to go as far as I needed whenever I wanted. Then my life changed when I would go back to boarding school for the school year.

At boarding school I felt like a robot. You did the same thing everyday at the same time. Go to school from eight thirty to two o’clock, then go to sports practice till four thirty, then dinner started at five and closed at seven, then we had study hall from eight to ten every night, and finally you would have to be in your room at eleven for lights out. The next morning I would wake up and do it all over again. It was very hard to do the same things everyday because it got repetitive and boring. I also was not used to not having the freedom of having my car to go anywhere I wanted like I did at home. That was very hard to adjust to because you feel trapped and can only go so far.

My point of view on my family and friendships changed when I went to boarding school too. I could never see my friends from home or family because I was always at school. I lost touch with my friends and tried to talk to my family as much as possible but had limited time because I was always busy. It was very difficult at first, but I adapted to it and learned that relationships with family and friends mean a lot more than you originally think before you can’t see them as much.

From a small town to boarding school, I have finally arrived here at Rollins College, which is a completely different experience than both home and boarding school. I am now living in a warm climate, which I have always wanted. I think the heat and constant sunshine makes people be in a better mood unlike the depressing, cold, dark winters where I live. The campus is close to everything, Disney, Universal, grocery stores, Orlando, the beach, everything imaginable. This has changed my perception on life, and how accessible things can be depending on where you live. Before I always thought it was normal to have to drive fifteen minutes just to go to the grocery store, never mind Disney World. Here I have more freedom of what I want to do, unlike boarding school. I don’t feel trapped and I finally feel free and independent.

My perception on life has changes drastically throughout a past few years, however I think my perception changed for the better. I feel more exposed to the world now and more independent. I’m now more open to do anything now that I am in college because I don’t feel trapped and robotic as I did for the past four years of my life.

Self Perception

Our self perception is skewed by our awareness, or lack thereof, of the condition of others. We may believe we are more fortunate than others in a lesser state, a third-world country for example, or on the flip side believe we are less fortunate than those in a better economic or social situation. While the perception is often accurate, it is nonetheless a predisposition caused by our education, which is a consequence of the “space” in which we live.

In my personal experience, living in Orlando (an already economically and socially divided city) has made me view my personal situation as better than a good percentage of people; even here in the United States. There are a good deal of poor neighborhoods and unkempt parts of town short distances from ritzy neighborhoods and expensive stores and schools. For example, I live in Baldwin Park, which is generally considered a more upscale neighborhood; Yet nearby there are disheveled, sometimes industrial buildings, lower class nightclubs, and shops that are falling apart or out of business. While I am in my Baldwin Park bubble, I have everything at my convenience, I have options when it comes to shopping and paths for biking among other things I take for granted. However, when I step out of the neighborhood and enter worse parts of town, that’s when I realize I took it all for granted. Where there is little, I think I have much. Where there is much, I think I have little. Thus the situation of others directly impacts where I see myself on a socioeconomic scale.

Recently, I took a trip to Spain and visited Colio while there. Many of you may have never even heard of Colio. That’s because it is a very small hick town (for lack of a better word) atop a mountain situated near Potes, Spain. The houses are made of very raw materials such as stones and weathered wood and in many places are collapsing. The air smells of horses and cobblestone lines the uneven, mountainous roads at the top, making it quite a task in and of itself to travel the village. The village has remained untouched in the last decade as told to me by my parents who had been there years before as well. The lack of progress in the village was astounding, yet there were still residents living blissfully atop their mountain with no attention to the progress made just down the mountain.

If anything, it wasn’t simply that I truly realized the extent of my fortune after my visit to Colio, it was the realization that many of the people in less fortunate “spaces” such as the residents of Colio don’t seem to be bothered by having less than much of the world unless it is brought to their attention. Spaces, especially those that are isolated like Colio, clearly then have a large impact on the perception of those that live within it. Those that don’t know won’t feel like they’ve lost out on anything while those that do know, such as myself, develop some sort of sense of pity. It’s easy to feel bad for those with less, even if those with less don’t realize the extent of what they don’t have.

New Location, New Life

The location of where one lives changes ones perception of both one’s life and the world in multiple ways. The location of where I live has changed drastically in the past few days. I am now living in a new region, new state and new community. I have gone from living in the Midwest, in Illinois in a suburb of Chicago, Oak Park. When I lived in Oak Park I had many friends and family surrounding me, I had my own room and a car at my disposal. I was able to go anywhere, without even a thought. I also could eat whenever I wanted and could basically eat anything that my heart desired, without having much difficulty getting it.

Now that I am a member of the Winter Park and Rollins College community my way of life has completely changed. I am now no longer surrounded by friends and family. My perception of the amount of difficulty it takes to make friends has changed drastically. I went from thinking it was easy to make friends to thinking it is actually quite challenging. In Oak Park I have had the same friends since first grade. I took for granted how hard it is to make friends. I have not had to make friends for over ten years now. When I joined the Rollins community though, I realized how difficult it is to make friends and that it takes a lot of effort to get to know people. My point of view on making friends has changed radically since I got to Rollins.

Not only has my relationship with friends changed, but my relationship has changed with my family too. My point of view of how close I am with my family has also changed. I always believed I was close with my family and I always cared about them deeply, but I never realized how much I would miss them. In Oak Park I would see my family everyday and did not think twice about talking to them. However, now that I am at Rollins I value the time I spend talking with my family so much more. I now realize that family is way more important to me than I ever thought it was because of how much I miss them since I have arrived at Rollins.

One of the smaller, but still important things that have changed since I got to Rollins is my perception of how much I took it for granted being able to go anywhere whenever I wanted. In Oak Park I was able to take my car to go to a friends house, go out to eat or go to the mall. My situation at Rollins is not the same, I cannot just get up and leave Rollins. Some days when I wake up I would just like to get up and go out breakfast in Orlando or just leave Rollins in general. I think I never understood what it was like to be stuck in one place. My point of view of the value in having an easy means of transportation has changed greatly. I never realized how much I value being able to just get up and leave.

Multiple things have changed in my life since I have gotten to Rollins, but they are good changes. My perception of my life has changed greatly since I have moved. My perception has made me value many things in my life that I had in Oak Park, which I now have realized I had taken for granted before starting school at Rollins. Although my location has changed drastically, the climate, the region and much more is all new, but it is not just the new location that has affected me, but my way of life has had to change, due to the fact that I am in college.

Space and Perception

Space is a factor of a person's environment while perception is a person understanding their environment. These two can be connected on many levels as well as they impact each other. Everywhere a person goes, they are making sense of the places, people and objects around them. When there is an environmental change, perception changes. On a personal level, I've experienced multiple spacial changes which have effected my perception of my world and ultimately helped shape the person I am.

One example of a space where I lived and it's effect on my perception was my trip to France through an exchange program. I stayed with a Native French family as we traveled to Bretagne, France right on the coast in the family's beautiful water front house. I also took a mini trip where my 17 year old counter part and I stayed in an apartment in the middle of Paris by ourselves. While in Bretagne, I stayed with the immediate family as well as multiple cousins and such who all live next to each other. Every day we cooked and biked to town to shop or went sailing and had picnics. While in Paris of course I saw the major sites like the Arc de Triomphe, The Louvre, the Eiffel Tower as well as lots of shopping and dining along the Champs-Elysées.

Back home, I live in a small, humdrum town of Palm Coast, Florida in a fairly large house right on the beach with my parents. I know mostly all the people in my town as well as every part of it like the back of my hand. The space in which I live in Palm Coast is routine and boring. I'm comfortable with my school and friends and my house. However while in France, I was a little taken out of my comfort zone considering everyone there spoke French and I'm not close to being fluent. Also I was around people I was meeting for the first time and living with them. Staying in Paris was a lot more fun than I thought. In the beginning I couldn't believe I was going to be staying in an apartment with only one other 17 year old, it seemed like a set up for the movie “Taken”. My time in Paris ended up being an amazing experience and I really learned a lot about France and it's people, places and culture.

My life in Palm Coast differs greatly with the time I spent in another country. The new space in France was a lot different than than my home where I know where everything is. At home I'm about an hour from a city that I don't visit often unlike in Paris where I was up close with city life and people. This experience gave me a better understanding of life in a different country and I was pushed out of my comfort zone, but it made me more knowledgeable person so if I were to go on another similar trip, I'd be ready to explore and take in whatever culture is around me.

Having the chance to visit another country has opened me up to wanting to travel and see the world and not be afraid of what's out there. Because I was placed in an unfamiliar space I was able to gain a perception of more than what I knew in Palm Coast and it has been a benefit towards development.

Meredith L.'s Blog Post Week One: Decade of Decision, the 1890s

The space that you live in affects your perception of the world because you may only observe ways of life in your local community if you stay “confined” in your space. You may not directly observe ways of life in other spaces of the world; therefore, your perceptions of the world around you will not be substantial. One may become accustom to his space and choose to live within his own “little world” rather than examine the “big picture.” One’s perception of various cultures may be skewed when he does not come directly into contact with his surrounding communities. He may only have an awareness of the cultures in his space; therefore, he may be ignorant of cultures elsewhere. For example, someone who spends his life in a small, rural town and never chooses to leave or is not able to venture out will be exceedingly familiar with his personal community. If he never learns of what occurs in other “spaces,” he most likely will believe that what he knows and has experienced exemplifies all that’s “out there.” Worldly people may view this person as ignorant, uneducated, and unaware. In truth, his perception of spaces other than his own is unfulfilled and may be incorrect. A child growing up in a poverty-stricken region such as a city slum in India or Mexico serves as an example of someone whose perceptions of spaces other than his own may be detrimental to his ambitions or lack thereof. He encounters unsanitary conditions, disease, nutrition deficiencies, and other unfortunate problems in his daily life and may think that this lifestyle will be the only one he will ever know. If he looks around his immediate space and sees wealthier areas in the Central Business District and nicer residential areas of the city, he may think that these spaces play a part in a lifestyle that he will never have the opportunity to attain. On the other hand, when one lives in an affluent area, one isn’t exposed to poverty as much as someone growing up in a poor inner city. “Out of sight, out of mind” most certainly fits the wealthier person’s lack of exposure to something out of his space. Growing up with a stable, loving, caring family, modern conveniences, and education readily available, one most likely will become absorbed into his life, his space. This causes difficulty insofar as grasping what life is like in other places; he will have non-factual perceptions. Living in a space such as New York City does provide numerous opportunities for one to be exposed to various cultures. Many opportunities for diversity exist so one most likely will have the opportunity to gain a more factual view of the spaces around him rather than use assumptions when evaluating his perception. Traveling typifies a “cultural lesson” that could be quite useful for someone who is unfamiliar with the spaces that reside out of his reach. One could correct his perceived notions of these spaces with fact. Reading books, watching television, and following the “media,” demonstrate ways one can learn of other spaces; however, one can truly gain a substantial connection to a certain space and enlighten his perception of this place by spending a significant amount of time there.

Space and perception

The space in which one lives, has much effect on one's perception. People are effected by the places in which they live, the people they interact with, and the institutions they are enrolled in. These criterions help shape and change a person into a specific figure that exemplifies his/her surrounding at that moment in their lives.

I was born in Orlando Florida. My parents, born and raised in Israel, came to the United States because of my Father's career. Living in the U.S and soaking in the culture, has been very beneficial, and provided me with many tools to later on evolve in to the person I am today.

When I turned five years old, I moved to Israel- A cultural shock. Growing up in Israel, you find yourself forced to "grow up" faster than you would hope to. Facing political conflicts on a day to day basis, engaging in political and social activities as mandatory events, and finally reaching the point in which you must step up to your responsibility to defend the country (the army)- all create a harsh and difficult, yet interesting, reality. Coming back to the United States for college, I have begun to greatly appreciate my life. The fact that I have the ability to acquire high education in a respectable institution and to live a full, carefree and thriving life- to be able to do all of the things that may seem conventional and daily to us, but are very uncommon and rare to many others.

Finally, any experience you choose or may not choose to undertake will in fact effect your life. It is obvious that those experiences will occur at a specific setting with specific people, and so those specific settings and people will be a great reason of why and how, you act and behave towards others. My perception has changed a lot through my life. it will definitely keep on shaping and changing. the space in which I live provided me a way to express myself in a specific format that relates to the space in which I lives. These current and prospect changes have and will force me to change my perception accordingly.

Space & Perception

The space in which I live says a lot about me as a person. Interactions with my environment have helped to shape both my self-perception and my perception of the world around me. From politics to the importance of social status, I believe living in such a close proximity to Washington, D.C. has given me a healthy perception of the world.

I have lived nearly 15 minutes from Washington, D.C. for my entire life. My father has had a job on Capitol Hill since I was very young, and family trips into the city have always been frequent. Living in close proximity to the city allowed me to grasp my position in the community from an early age. Like any city, D.C. has its fair share of very wealthy people and very poor people. As a child, the city’s homeless people frightened me. I could not comprehend how a person could approach someone for money before returning to his or her “home” on the street. The more I frequented the city, though, the more I realized there was nothing to be afraid of. I began to recognize that I should help those less fortunate than myself, be conscious of my place in the community, and understand that I would appreciate the same courtesy, were I in their position. My perception of the homeless was altered, as was the perception I had of myself.

Just as my perception of the poor was altered by trips to the city, attending an all-girls boarding school altered my perception of the wealthy. Prior to 9^th grade, I lacked any perception of the importance of financial status. I was oblivious to the fact that money could play such a substantial role in a person’s self-perception. My childhood was very moderate, never spoiled but never struggling. I had no perception of my family financially. After moving to boarding school, though, my perception was greatly changed. Money became something competitive and defining. Who could buy a certain item first was a game constantly played. Having never faced exclusion based on financial status, I found it interesting when others voiced concerns about their financial standing in the school community. My experience at boarding school allowed me to see how others may impact an individual’s self-perception.

My exposure to poverty and wealth has taught me that the majority of people exist somewhere between the two extremes. Furthermore, I have learned that first impressions are deceiving, and my own self-perception has the greatest impact on other’s perception of me. For example, there is a great deal of baggage that comes with the phrase “I attended an all-girls boarding school”. Images of over-privileged, air-headed girls are often conjured up immediately. I know, however, that this stereotype is not entirely true. While few girls do fulfill this stereotype, I have always tried to change people’s perceptions. By existing within the middle ground between poverty and wealth, and emulating a normal, healthy self-perception, I have been able to alter other’s perceptions of what a prep school student looks and acts like.

Growing up in D.C. and attending boarding school has only positively affected my perceptions. I have been fortunate to see and meet people of all walks of life. The space I live in has allowed me to develop a realistic and affirmative self-perception and perception of the world, which I hope will benefit the perceptions of those around me.

Space & Perceptions

Growing up I lived a very separate life from my family. We had a four-story house in the city of Chicago and each one of us had our own space. I lived on the fourth floor and had the entire area to myself. My parents were on the 3rd, and our dogs roamed around anywhere they pleased. I learned at an early age that I had to be independent to survive in my family. We all had separate agendas and I usually did things on my own.

One thing that I was criticized for when I got to high school was the fact that we did not have family dinners. According to Stouffers commercials, having family dinners gets kids A’s. I got A’s and did not have family dinners, so Stouffers obviously didn’t get around to me for their “facts.” Even though my family did not eat together, it didn’t make us not a family and this gave me a good perception on the rest of the kids around me. I was independent at a young age, they were still holding mom’s hand.

Outside of this house was a very tight knit community of private school kids and parents. We all lived in about an 8 block radius, all around my high school Francis Parker. The area surrounding the school was called the “bubble” and it truly was as such. My living space affected my perception in many different ways. I only really knew the people from my school and in our neighborhood. I hardly ventured outside of Lincoln Park or downtown and rarely got to experience the rest of Chicago. This gave me a very close-minded atmosphere to live in. Everyone I knew was either middle or upper class, and so I never really got learn about the less fortunate side of the city of Chicago other then the homeless people in my neighborhood. This shows that the space you live in can really affect your perception of the rest of the world. All I saw growing up was privileged people with great lives, and people who were less seemed to just be an issue on the news. Although I knew this to be untrue, you are where you live. The people that surround you are the ones you will look up to and eventually even become, unless you get out early, and I learned this leaving for college.

Going out on my own was not very difficult. I am very close with my parents but events over the summer have made me separate myself more from them and their issues therefore making me even more independent than I was before. I still see those same private school kids I grew up with but it is refreshing to see the rest of the world displayed here as well. I truly believe college is the way to open up people's eyes to new perceptions, considering you meet people from all across the globe.

The space you create around yourself can have different outcomes depending on the situation. For me, pretty much being by myself with no siblings gave me a chance to see the world as my playground. For someone who lives with siblings, aunts, uncles & grandmothers, they could see the world as a much more crowded place. It all depends on what you know and how you came to learn about it.