Post #8

     Baltimore is a very influential place. The same can be said for Loyola. Both have ways of changing people in such a way that we would never expect. I came to Baltimore as an inflexible kid from New Jersey. I hadn't decided on a major, I was simply in school because that's just what people do after they graduate high school. I really didn't have anything to aspire to. That would all change when I really got into my first college class.

    The first class I took was an intro English class. I had never expressed an interest in English before, but I was taking it to fulfill the core requirement. It wasn't until we started reading Breakfast at Tiffany's that I discovered that not only did I love to read, I wasn't awful at writing essays either. From my freshman year on, I was an English major. And I've absolutely loved every second of it. 

    The city of Baltimore has also influenced my love of literature. One of the greatest authors of all time was known for living here. Edgar Allan Poe wrote some of the best short stories while he resided in Baltimore. Though he is originally from Boston, people heavily associate him with Baltimore sine he lived and died here. 

    The emotions that Baltimore evokes for me heavily depends on where I am in this great city. Especially while I'm on Loyola's campus. If I'm out on the quad on a warm spring day, I feel a sense of calmness wash over me. If I'm in class, I feel no emotion whatsoever. While in class, I am strictly focused on taking notes and trying to decipher the most important parts of the lesson. 

Before I had spent much time at Loyola, I pretty much tried to get away with doing no work. As I've mentioned in previous posts, I attended an all boys Catholic high school in Jersey City, NJ. The high school culture is incredibly different from college culture. Everyone was trying to get away with doing no work. Loyola has changed the way I think about work. I now longer try to get away with slacking off. I embrace work and spend as much time as I can tolerate doing it. 

    Baltimore has influenced the way I think as well.  I was raised in a naturally conservative town where it's rare to see someone who doesn't come from an Irish or Italian family. Being Jewish, I was in the minority. In Baltimore, there are so many people that come from different families and different religions. Not that I would have considered myself closed-minded before, but being here has given me many different perspectives. Because of this, I consider myself a much more open-minded person. 

  Many places in Baltimore evoke many different emotions from me. I've already mentioned how being on campus makes me feel, so I'll steer clear of that. Being in the actual city of Baltimore does not bring on calm emotions. With the constant hustle and bustle of the city, there really isn't much time to feel anything. 

 Being in a Baltimore suburban neighborhood can be a mix of emotions too.  If you go for a walk in a nicer neighborhood, it almost feels like it could be home. It reminds me so much of the place where I grew up. There are also some neighborhoods that aren't the nicest. There's nothin wrong with these neighborhoods, it's just that it feels like a very desolate place. 

Going to Fell's Point and the Inner Harbor brings on feelings of familiarity. I grew up coming to Baltimore because my grandparents lived here. They moved out of Baltimore when I was about eleven or twelve, so there was a long stretch of time where I didn't see these places for a long time. 

    At the end of the day, I'm just happy to be here. No matter what emotions this place stirs up in me it's always going to feel a little bit like home because of all time time I've spent here. The memories I've made are unforgettable, and I know I'll have good thoughts about Baltimore long after I move away.