This is my Walkings project, which features many paths that I walk, along with writing about my observations, feelings, and sometimes even trying to reason why some things are the way they are. As you read these entries, you may notice a tonal shift or a thematic shift after each one. This is because in writing these entries, I tried my best to write as soon as possible after taking these shots, as a means to properly capture my feelings in the moment. I included many places on campus, as well as places off-campus. The commonality between most of the places featured here is their accessibility, as they all were within a convenient walking distance from my house or from campus. Since walking is intertwined with thinking, it made sense to me to feature some of my most convenient paths so that I could do the most thinking possible. There will be walks outside of my normal neighborhood or campus, which I included in order to switch things up, and see how my thinking and tone may change along with the new discoveries and things I learn while on these unorthodox walks. In some ways, this project also became a record of how my location and movement shaped my perception. Each walk featured its own observations, feelings, and theories. By paying close attention and scrutinizing the environment around me, as well as my own feelings, I was given the ability to really reflect on my observations. This is something that I thought made for an invaluable experience, because I believe if you don’t put any time and effort into reflecting on your environment, you can miss out on really important things as the memory passes by. In my reflections, I could feel as if I was enhancing my understanding of the world around me. I wish to share my understanding, observations, and feelings through these entries.

C is for Convenience

Prompt – 2.17 Desire Paths, Photo and text: Wednesday, 10/8

I noticed a desire path that leads from inside my neighborhood, right to the bus stop. This path exists from the people’s desire to reach the bus stop in the shortest amount of time and walking possible. The path curves. It is possible that the pioneers of this path had an obstacle in the curved spot which is no longer there, like maybe a fallen branch or another obstacle stemming from nature. This path shows that sometimes the best way to circumvent an obstacle is by going down the middle. (90)

M is for Makeshift

Prompt – 2.17 Desire Paths, Photos and text: Friday 10/24

This is a desire path which takes you in and out of the Alight apartment complexes. This path exists because people want a fast and efficient way to the sidewalk and bus stop. The path starts so late because before it, there is a short wall with a drop on a hill, which can be dangerous if you are wearing a heavy backpack or carrying sensitive items. It is covered by pine needles thanks to the fall season, but the contrast in color indicates the path you should walk down. (90)

I is for Irony

Prompt – 2.24 A Meditation on Garbage, Photos and text: Sunday 10/26

At the bus stop outside of my neighborhood, I noticed some trash from 7-Eleven at my feet. The irony was the 7-Eleven being right across the street. They discarded a cookie wrapper, which I know can be finished quickly, and the person who bought it must have done so. They must have littered out of laziness, but they could have placed the wrapper in their pocket and properly discarded it. If they were catching the bus and going on campus, a trash can would not have been hard to find. (90)

P is for Placement

Prompt – 2.18 A Wish for Something to be Different, Photo and Text: Wednesday, 10/22

Does this violate ADA standards? On the way out of Durham Hall, there is a very badly placed plant right in front of the automatic door opener. I was trying to imagine myself in a wheelchair hitting that button, and I imagined I would find myself very frustrated in trying to circumnavigate this plant. If I could change this, I would not discard the plant, but instead move the button to the door frame at its right side. If malls can do that with their Auto-push buttons, VT can too. (90)

W is for Waste

Prompt – 2.24 A Meditation on Garbage, Photo and text: Tuesday, 10/28

On my walk home, right outside of my neighborhood, I found a full water bottle. This surprised me, because of all of the things you can litter or discard, why a full bottle of water? This bottle is closer to the road than it is the house I found it near. Maybe the bottle was discarded by someone while walking on the sidewalk who lives further away, or elsewhere in the neighborhood. Could it have been the taste or smell of the water inside that made them discard it? I find it ironic. Accessible water is one of the most important things to have, and having it on your person is a great convenience. To waste drinking water like this is to betray yourself of your most basic need for survival. Bottled water, when stored correctly, can last indefinitely. Perhaps the person who tried drinking this let it sit in less-than-ideal conditions. It could have been exposed to heat, or over time has undergone some microorganism growth inside the bottle. Anyhow, it’s confusing and even a bit disheartening to see. (180)

B is for Belonging 

Prompt – 2.18 A Wish for Something to be Different, Photo and text: Sunday, 10/5

As I was taking a walk behind a friend’s apartment complex, I saw a stray piece of paper from McDonald’s. This paper was once holding a burger, but now it has found itself at rest above a sewage system. The person who bought and consumed the former burger decided on a whim how to dispose of that piece of paper. The wind guides it now, and it will likely be somewhere else tomorrow. I believe it belongs in the garbage, like all trash. The person who bought this burger disagrees. (90)

S is for Stillness

Prompt 2.12 – Indoor Walk, Photo and text: Friday, 10/10

I work in Torgerson. It’s always quiet here, but on the Friday that I took this, it was much quieter than usual. I had walked my usual path when I leave work, and noticed it felt like Torgerson Hall had been abandoned. Despite it being a schoolday, you’d at least see students or faculty heading somewhere, but not this time. The silence was quite therapeutic, but simultaneously confusing. I personally do not have Friday classes, but neither do a good number of my friends. Does anybody have Friday classes anymore? (90)

D is for Delusion

Unprompted, Photo and text: Friday, 10/10

This walk took place at 3:00 PM, Friday the 10th. It was my first time this semester being on campus during a Friday, due to my classes taking place on only Tuesdays and Thursdays. The reason I arrived was to complete a test for work. I was walking around campus, and as I was approaching Owens Food Court, there was a strong smell of butter chicken. I had no idea why, as Owens wasn’t having any special events around Indian food today. Additionally, how could the scent have lingered this far? The most likely explanation is that the scent came from a room in Eggleston Hall, but they must have made enough to feed a group of people, given the smell made its way far outside. The most uncanny thing of this entire moment was that the scent was identical to the butter chicken they sold at Trader Joe’s in North Virginia. As I write this, I wish I asked somebody else if they were able to smell that, just so I know that I was not going crazy. (180)

O is for Oddity

Prompt 2.17 – Desire Paths, Photo and text, Sunday, 10/5

This stair is the odd one out, the only one damaged. It has partly cracked, likely due to foot traffic. I noticed the brick underneath the staircase first, then saw the point of damage on the structure. Perhaps the tenant has lots of friends, friends who are so eager to see them that they hurriedly stomp their way up the stairs so aggressively that they have chipped under the weight. If this were the case, it would arguably be pretty symbolic. Maybe standing out is not always a bad thing. (90)

L is for Lights

Prompt – 2.03 Overhead at Time of Day, Photo and Text: Sunday, 10/12

I was walking to the bus stop at 10:20 PM. In between McBryde and Lavery Hall, there is the construction site to the East. When I looked up, I saw the operator’s cab lighting up red, green, and blue for the first time. If a single story is somewhere around 10 feet high, this crane must have been just over 50 feet in the air. I tried to search online if there was a meaning or reason behind the flashing colors, but I could not find any good information. (90)

R is for Reprieve

This bench is not like many that I am used to. It’s a singular bench, not located near a sidewalk, but instead a grassy hill. It’s curved, suggesting I should sit on the side that slants inwards. Sitting on this bench, it’s hard like many and lacks back support. I believe for a bench to be good, it should be long enough to share with one or two people, as well as with a part to support your back. It also needs to be in a convenient location. This bench’s location is quite inconvenient since there are no paths that lead to it. That, in addition to it being on a hill only serves to lower its points on the “benchability” scale.

Despite this bench not necessarily being up to par, it can provide its own contribution to the walk. I found it as I was walking my dog, so I suppose if I were really exhausted, I could sit here to catch my breath. Generally speaking, sitting on a bench contributes to your walk by giving you a moment of reprieve. This reprieve and stillness allows you to reflect on where you were, and it serves as a place to take a short break. If you wish to enhance your pre-existing train of thought, you can take a seat to spend more focus on your inner thoughts, rather than your surroundings. Awareness is required for a safe walk, but I’d argue the stillness that comes with sitting on a bench can enhance your awareness of your surroundings. If you’re feeling the fatigue creep in, benches will serve you. (270)

T is for Tracking

Prompt 2.13 – Step counting metrics ; Photo and text ; Saturday, Nov 1

On October 31, around 9 to 10 PM, I was with my friends in downtown Blacksburg, celebrating Halloween with them. In dividing the total steps by 4, I likely walked just under 530 steps every 15 minutes. I enjoy how the process of step-tracking is a passive one. Thanks to the way the app works, it is constantly running without me needing to activate it before every walk. It is incredibly convenient, which makes tracking your progress very easy. Luckily, I ran into no issues or complications when it came to getting this app to track my steps. 

I don’t personally know anyone who is devoted to fitness metrics like these, but it’s understandable how people may become invested. Seeing numbers increase thanks to your contributions and hard work can trigger the reward system in your head, making you want to strive for an even higher number as time goes on. I don’t worry about getting addicted to fitness, but I’m sure there are people out there who are, with apps like these being a big contributor to their obsession. (180)

A is for Abode

This is a drawn map of the first floor of my townhouse, as well as the path I take as soon as I enter. I visit the rug first, in order to avoid getting any dirt or anything from outside onto the carpet we set up in the living room. On some days, I do not have any energy to put my shoes in the rack, and opt to just slide them off and leave them on the rug instead. Once my shoes are off, I move to the hanger, where I’ll either put my backpack, jacket, or both, depending on if it was a school or work day. The hanger is more than likely always a destination for me, unless it’s a hot day off. Once everything is hung up, I can head straight to the couch to enjoy my meal while watching a show. Thankfully, I live next to a 7-Eleven, meaning I can skip visiting the kitchen, take less steps, and eat as soon as I get home. On average, this walk is about 15 steps long. (180)

H is for Heaviness

Prompt 2.23 – The Things You Carry ; Photo and Text ; Tuesday, Oct 21

Inside my backpack is a work computer to the right, my personal computer in front of my backpack, earbuds to go with either, a pen, and a mechanical pencil. I brought both laptops today because I had both work and a Cyber-law midterm to take right after. Days like these, where I have both work and an exam, make it so that my bag’s load is more than doubled in its normal weight. The weight is over double its usual because I bring the work laptop to school on most days, thanks to it being the lighter device. When I need to bring my personal laptop, which can also be used for gaming, its weight due to the high-performance hardware inside only serves to hurt my back. 

On exam days, I need to bring my personal laptop because most of my exams require Lockdown Browser, which can not be downloaded onto my work laptop without administrator priveleges. Despite that, I am happy to have both, but I am even happier to be able to take off my heavy backpack once it is all over. I used to bring notebooks, pens, and pencils to class, but it’s like ever since sophomore year, we have lost the need for them. Even though notebooks alone are lighter, and handwriting notes can offer better memory of the subject being learned, it seems like the times have called for computers, laptops, and proficiency in their use when working and learning. Despite that, I have a pen and pencil just in case. You never know when you might need to write something down or sign something. (270)