Recollections

When I first went out my drift, I was a little upset because the residential environment we were in was seemingly sparse and generic in its sounds. However, I was pleasantly surprised at not only what I found in this area, but also the subsequent areas it led into. For example, after leaving the residential neighborhood I found the perfect mix of peacefulness and commotion at a sidewalk café. Another bothersome aspect of the drift occurred when I was stuck on Lincoln Memorial drive with no roads to turn off on. This walk was extremely tedious and filled with bland traffic noises. However, it eventually led to the amazingly rich downtown, where I captured one of my favorite sounds. Another unexpected surprise came in the lab. After recording sounds at a rich playground location and later reviewing those sounds, I came upon the realization of the cultural and societal importance of the playground. In particular, an interaction I captured between a mother and her son as she pushed him on a swing shed light on the unintentional roles a playground fulfills.

One of the most peaceful instances on my Drift was when I ended up on the rocky shore of Lake Michigan. It was incredibly serene sitting out on the rocks with only the sounds of the waves echoing in my headphones. Another instance was sitting on the playground and watching the children running around laughing and carefree; it brought me back to those happy times. As the preceding text may have shown, the playground was in fact my favorite experience. Sitting on the playground and looking at the children and their parents running about the grounds I was able to not only appreciate the family function of the grounds, but also reminisce on my own experiences with family and playgrounds.