As a freshman this was a fun project to work on because in a way my three visits marked different experiences of being a first year. The first couple times I went to hopdoddy's, my first blog post included in one of these visits, I was ecstatic to be roaming the streets of SoCo. I had heard so much about this great city of Austin, and really hadn't experienced it until my second semester when this blog started. I hadn't quite seen myself as an Austinite yet, or really anyone but an Oregonian. I was unfamiliar with the area, and initially had trouble finding the place to begin with. By my last visit to Hopdoddy's, I was bringing my father to check out SoCo and have Hopdoddy's for the first time. This trip made me realize I had finally fit in with my surroundings. I suggested what my dad should order, pointed out Homeslice Pizza accross the street, and mentioned which movie stars had stayed in the motel down the street. No more did I stick out among the crowd as a tourist, or fumbling freshman-I blended in with the landscape among college students, "Keep Austin Weird" supporters, and all the other Austinites in the area.  

Zilker Park: Gender Roles.

Growing up I was a firm believer that girls can do anything guys can do. I threw the football and played sandlot baseball with the boys any chance I could. If my brother or my dad were doing something I was doing that too. Daddy's girl was an understatement. I was an avid competitor in everything the boys did but then I loved playing house and pretending to be a momma. The daughter a dad dreams about when hoping originally for a boy. Right now, you're probably thinking "what does this have to do with Zilker park...", I know. But in fact it has everything to do with how I interact and how I view gender roles at Zilker. How I grew up and how I was as a kid has shaped the way I view things and I think it does so for everyone.

 

At Zilker today I arrived with a few of my girl friends. The boys were already playing sand volleyball on the courts, some throwing the football and playing ultimate frisbee off to the left of the courts. So my original instinct was to go run and distort the gender construction that boys, especially the boys in our group of friends, are phenomenal at every sport. They didn't know that my dad taught me to throw a football at the age of 6 and that I could out throw three quarters of the guys in my eighth grade class. I wanted to show them that a girl can hang with the guys, that I could do what they could do.

(taken: me)

 

All of us girls walked over to the boys and inserted ourselves into the plethora of games they were playing. But of course, the boys wanted to start over, reform teams and then go on competing from there. It was through this interaction that I began to see the unconscious effectgender roles have on the way we interact, even just at Zilker park. When picking teams, girls were naturally picked last, and then while playing the game, it became more of a guys dominated event where the girls really got no interaction. So slowly, the girls, including myself, divided off from the boys and either sat and talked on the hill or played a girls game of volleyball. This example may be small, but its evidence that this kind of gender stereotype exists even when we aren't actually cognitively aware that it's happening.   

Last Post about Lady Bird Lake

I recently made my last visit to Lady Bird Lake. Similar to my previous visits, it was not common to see an individual walk along the trail. This could have been due to making visits during the early morning hours when a typical person would be at work or a college student in class. Despite being the only one around most of the time, I found myself connecting to the landscape. Instead of the lake being some random place that I chose to do a blog on, Lady Bird Lake became that place I looked forward to seeing.

There are not many places around the Austin area that are serene, tranquil, and beautiful; the lake became that for me. Visiting the lake allowed me to relieve myself of the day to day worries and just sit back and relax. In some sense, an emotional tie developed. I also became concerned for the landscape. I wondered if the ducks were being fed and how many times a month the lake would be cleaned. The lake was never messy but I remember seeing very little clutter near the edges of the lake on a visit that was not too long ago. I was relieved when the clutter was cleared. Now that I reflect back to the start of the semester, I never understood how people could become drawn or connected unless it was an integral part of their culture. So now, I have a better understanding of how people connect with a certain landscape and how it can influence a person's emotions.

Last Post!

Last Post- Crazy!

Being a female observing at the library definitely affects how the people of the landscape interact with me. As I’ve mentioned before a lot of moms with their young children come by and I’ve found they are very friendly and often talkative if I engage them in any way (open door, help a little one up the stairs, etc). I’m not sure if this is gender specific, but I did find I only helped mothers.This was not intentional at all, however, I do feel as though my gender played a role in observing how people and I interact with one another at the Georgetown library.

During this last observation I came up with a few reasons how my gender affects specific things in my landscape and the people in it.These reasons would probably differ for each person and their landscape. For me, I feel as though I can relate to a women with children more so than how I relate with a man for a few reasons. Obviously because I am a female myself, then because I came from a larger family, and lastly because I nanny small children. Therefore, since the majority of people I saw at the library every time were females with children it was easy for me to interact with them.

Specifically, the landscape is fairly gender neutral since most people come to the library for similar reasons. I would be interested to see if there is a general pattern of what males check out versus what books females check out. It's been great looking at the Library of Georgetown a tad differently than I normally would and taking to time to reflect on the landscape.

Last Post State Capitol

Earlier today I did my last visit to State Capitol, I enjoyed more than visiting there 1st time because now I knew where everything was and did not have to look around. It was busy as usual, found difficulty finding a parking spot.
I found a lot of old people walking around the State Capitol and found rear people of my age. All three times I visited the same thing happened.

The first time I visited I liked this statue and thought it is because it is first time I seen something like this, but even second and third time I liked this statue more than anything else. I am pretty sure even in my next visit I would love to see it first because it feels good to just keep looking at it.
Since it was hot today, I found people were in casual dresses, majority men were wearing shorts.
I enjoyed spending time in State Capitol and will visit there again whenever I get a chance.

Final Post: 4th and Congress

 Final Trip: 4th and Congress

For my last visit to downtown I decided to spend a little bit more time than usual. This gave me some time to ponder how my gender identity affects how I interact with my surrounding landscape and how it affects my interactions with other people. After a few moments of thought it occurred to me that during my three trips to this particular intersection I had never really interacted with anything or anyone. I mean of course there was the occasional "Excuse me" and I obviously had to get to my location somehow (Walking mostly), but I wouldn't count those as real interactions. The landscape was there but I never really did anything with it other than sit down and observe. This is partially because the particular spot I chose to do my observations was an intersection. As most of you may know, there is not really much to do at an intersection other than crossing the street. So, without any interaction going on it was hard to say how my gender identity would affect anything. For a moment my lack of interaction really deterred me from completing the assignment. Instead of letting my lack on interaction hinder me, I began to think about how my gender identity would affect my interaction with the landscape and the people of downtown as a whole.The things that I typically do to interact with the downtown landscape are running, casually strolling the streets, driving, visiting bars, visiting the occasional store and various shows. My interactions with the landscape are not really confined to one gender identity. In fact, it is very likely that both sexes and people of different gender identities do the things I like to do. So it is really safe to say that my interaction with the landscape doesn't really affect my gender identity. The things I like to do in and with the landscape are gender neutral so there is really no net affect or change on what I think. However, on the other hand, the people that I interact with in this landscape do affect my gender identity. Most of my time spent downtown is either spent going to bars or going to shows. In most cases when I do these things I go with my guy friends. Don't get me wrong, I bring my girlfriend on occasion, but its just not the same. When you are hanging out with your guy friends it is "man time". You go to the bar and have a few beers and talk about sports or politics or whatever. Going downtown with my guy friends strengthens and cements my gender identity as a male. On occasion I will meet someone I don't know (usually a friend of a friend). Normally it is another guy because we are having "man time". So it is safe to say that most of my interactions with people downtown are usually with people I know, primarily my close friends. These interactions, in my opinion, strengthen my gender identity and make me more of a man.

Final Post! 5th and Congress

As an Asian- American female, I've always felt pretty drawn to things that resemble my cultural background. That is what caught my eye about the Geisha Room. It wasn't a typical quiet, small, Asian restaurant. Instead, it was this lively and fun area that people of all races went to.

My gender identity is a traditional Asian reserved female. However, I did not let that stop be from asserting myself when necessary. This encouraged me to be polite, within reason. However, when the need arose, I could assert myself aggressively. This was especially important when downtown at night.

When I was downtown, I was alone and trying to write down my notes for the site. But then, interestingly enough, an older man approached me, trying to pick me up. This was an unwelcome, but interesting development that I think shows how my gender identity affected the way I was interacting with the landscape.

The man came up to be trying to be friendly and asking me about myself. Knowing this man was a stranger, I  answered his questions cautiously and made sure he knew I could take care of myself.

First, he tried to establish my age, to see how much more dominant he was in age than me. Then, when he learned I was a university student and not a confused tourist, he was disappointed and became defensive. He then tried to see if I knew my way around the city, which I did. Rebuffed, he then realized I was only friendly, not interested. Annoyed he he wasn't more dominant, he made a last-ditch effort to brag about his job.When I did not show admiration for his job at METRO, he became frustrated and left.

This encounter says many things about my gender identity, the man's gender identity, and the surroundings.

Because I am reserved and traditional in some aspects of my gender identity, I did not directly say to the man that I was uninterested and relied on implied meanings and body language to convey my message. But at the same time, I was independent enough to not give into his obvious attempts to peacock himself.

The encounter was extremely revealing for him as well. He first approached me because I was alone and am young and Asian (stereotypes, which are not always true do still color people's interactions). Because of this, he probably thought I would be more receptive to his advances. However, when he tried and failed, he became annoyed. This shows that he  believed women who he deemed docile enough to approach were expected to be receptive. This shows a rather archaic and sexist view on his part. Most humorously, his attempt to reestablish him masculinity by stating his job was a classic way men asserted their power in the 1950s. However, these days, that practice is simply an indicator of ignorance.

The area, between commercial, entertainment, and business buildings, made for an all-encompassing group of people who were around. As a business- student, I was intrigued by the corporate banks that were stationed on the corner. This was one of the least intimidating areas of the finance district because it was by retail and entertainment areas. In other financial areas, the urban landscape is less welcoming to females in terms of social context. Although business does have many successful businesswomen, banks are still heavily male-dominated.

Final Post: Self-Observance in Central Park

A Last Look at the Park        

Interacting with the Landscape...

           This trip took place on a rather hot day, in the middle of the afternoon. The park looked the same as always, filled with trees, grass, birds, and squirrels. As I took my usual seat on the bench by the bridge, I relaxed and just let myself observe my surroundings. I jotted my observances down, and analyzed them with respect to my gender identity as a woman later on. I realized that I paid the most attention to the aesthetic value of the park, focusing on the colors and shapes of the flora, creek, and bridge. I focused on the colors of the plants around the edge of the water, and the fact that the bench I was sitting on should be cleaned and repainted. I also took notice of the small animals in my vicinity, thinking that the birds were singing quite a bit and watching the ducks as they cooled off in the water. I found myself wishing that I had brought some bread to feed them. Overall, as a woman, I feel that I interacted with the landscape with more of a maternal point of view, focusing on what could be done to clean up the area and provide for the animals there.

Interacting with the People...

           In general, I don't interact with the visitors in the park very much. This time was no different, but I made an effort to make note of any interaction that did occur. This usually entailed making eye contact and a quick nod of the head or a quiet, "Hello." I walked around the park running trail to increase the chances for interaction, after which I returned to my bench and took notes. I found that I was much more likely to make eye contact with another woman, and rarely did so with an older man, although both parties seemed generally friendly and open to interaction. I'd never noticed this about myself before, but I think it can be easily explained with society's general trust of female strangers over male strangers. From a young age, I was taught not to talk to any stranger. However, it seemed that the rules could be bent a little if I were in trouble (i.e. lost), and, generally, I would seek out a woman to help me. I even remember reading in a childhood book that a young girl's mother had instructed her to seek out a woman with children if she ever needed help. Although I obviously now converse freely with male and female strangers, it seems that I still hold some reservations about who I feel comfortable interacting with. Although this feels like an internal safeguard, I feel like it could also limit the people that I meet.

Final Thoughts...

           I chose this spot out of convenience--it was within walking distance, it seemed safe and open, and there were several places to just sit and observe. As I've come throughout the semester, though, I have really grown to enjoy the park. It's become a place where I can go to relax with friends or myself, and has definitely proven to be a little oasis in the middle of a college city.

My Interaction with Central Park

My Interaction with Central Park

         It was a beautiful day on my last visit, to Central Park! I returned to my usual spot in front of the turtle rock and relaxed. I noticed my attention was drawn to the dirt track. I guess I was looking for joggers and walkers. When I go to parks, I like to jog. I didn't see many joggers but I did see a couple walking and was able to capture them after they passed me.

I felt really weird taking this picture...

          There is a cool path in the park that crosses a rock-like bridge over the pond. There was a family playing on the rocks so no joggers or walkers used that route. 

          Next to the park at Central Market, a live band was covering classic rock songs. Most of the people in the park were families just enjoying the music and watching their kids play on the rocks. If I was not observing the landscape, I'm sure I would have been jogging around the park. I think I focused heavily on the jogging paths because I knew that's where I would be if someone else was observing the park.  I don't think gender played a huge role in my experience. Before, on my other visits, I mostly remember women (more than men) jogging the trails. I know both genders see this park as a place for fitness, just like I do.

          It's been wonderful spending time here at the park, this semester! This may be my last blog about it, but definitely not my last visit!

3rd Post: San Marvelous River

I went to the San Marcos River this past Saturday. The weather was really nice so I wore what anyone would wear to the river, a swimsuit. I noticed that a lot of girls wore a similar outfit. The men at the river would wear shorts, sunglasses and a hat. During my previous visits to the River I wore shorts or sweatpants (Texas weather has a tendency to be a tad bipolar). 

I noticed that at my previous visits to the river people didn't pay much attention to me. It was like I was there, but I wasn't really there. On this particular day however I noticed that certain people would look at me a little more than normal. I figured it was because of my attire. You had the usual thirsty (extremely single, ready to bone anything with a pulse) guys that would look and basically devour you, the guys who would simple take a quick look and then look at your friend and analyze type of guys, the ladies who just wanted to see how you coordinated your outfit, and finally the ladies who stared at you deeply up and down while holding on to their boyfriend.

If the weather had been a little cooler then things might've turned out a little differently. I would have been just another person there. Being a lady at a river wearing a swimsuit makes you a target of undesired attention. This undesired attention is not there for long though; it only occurs when you are walking down the slope and making your way down to the river. Those 15 yards are the longest walk ever, but it's worth it to get to the river.

Gender Identity interaction at the All Saints' Episcopal Church yard.

All Saints' Episcopal Church Yard

This is a picture of the inside of the All Saints' Episcopal Church. I wanted to start off with this because I wanted to show what kind of atmosphere people are going into and leaving out of when they cross the church yard.

There is this beautiful, serene setting where people are expected to be on their best behavior. It's just how you feel when you step into or out of the church. You feel like you have to be respectful and kind, either because you feel like you are in the presence of God, or you simply just don't want to be a horrible person in the eyes of the other people at the church.

This kind of atmosphere is somewhat reflected in the church yard and how people interact. There are similarities and between how males and females interact with the landscape the landscape affects gender identities.

When people cross the yard to get into the church, most people, male and female, are well-dressed. They start mentally preparing themselves to step into a church, which means most people aren't doing or saying anything vulgar or picking fights right before church, especially because most people are in families. Kids would get reprimanded by their parents and parents don't want to get sneered at by other adults. Most men and women have the same mindset when they walk out of the church.

In my previous blog entry, I explained how each person played a different role (ex: Father, Mother, son, daughter, student, etc.). This plays a contributing factor when observing how gender identity affects how people and I interact with the landscape and the people in it. I went to observe in jeans and a t-shirt, so I already felt undressed. I talked to another female student who had just come from talking to a few other people. She, like everyone else, was well-dressed. She was extremely polite when she talked to me, a complete stranger. It may be that she is just a very nice person, so I talked to each type of gender role I could spot and they were all extremely polite. I'm thinking the church atmosphere definitely has an influence on the people who cross the church yard.

I could be wrong about the atmosphere, but when I walk out of a church, I definitely feel obligated to be polite and nice to everyone who talks to me.In this way, I think the landscape affects my gender identity and how it makes me act and feel in the Church yard. I wasn't about to go up to someone that came out of church and start yelling at them. I think the church yard is a landscape that has the power to shape these gender identities and make them more similar. Everyone wants to act the same because everyone is exiting or entering into a holy place.

3rd Visit: Stark House Museum

The Stark House Museum

(Panoramic views)

(Front View)



The Stark House Museum is a unique landscape. As I have stated before, this is a landscape I have passed my for many years but have never taken the opportunity to appreciate the many different aspects of its design. I think this landscape is more than a museum or a former family home, but truly a piece of art work.

The Stark House Museum has been famously notated because of the Stark family heritage, the unique design for it's time and the highly manicured landscape. One particular aspect that has caught my eye are the many porches on all sides. Throughout the years, I have always notated the porch railings, bur more specifically, the many supportive spokes within the railings. What is the total number of supportive spokes? Due to the era of this house, where these supportive spokes man carved? If so, how long did it take to make them? If a machine created these spokes, was it a primitive machine and how many could it produce? All casual thoughts I wonder if there are answer to.

In regards to gender identities within this landscape, one may think I have a male perspective because of my focus on the intricate work behind the porch railing support spokes. However, I wonder if Mrs. Stark wanted this many supportive spokes to keep young children's heads from being caught in the porch railings.

(Slightly right of entry, driveway view)

As I engage with visitors about this landscape, I notice women tend to not only embrace the beauty of the unique design, but also envision on what it would have been like to have a worker bring the prepared coach under the awning for your outing into the town. Also, we spoke of clothing of the era and what it would have been like to walk along the many porches in the spring weather while enjoying iced, sweet tea.

I noticed my conversations with men tended to consist more of the grounds. Most men stated they would prefer to have gardened themselves versus having a worker updating the manicured landscape. Most specifically, the large tree to the far left is a common conversational piece. Some men stated they would have trimmed it up to match the rest of the organized, beautiful grounds. While other men stated the tree is representing the southeast Texas area of marsh, swamp land and would not change it at all.

(Side yard)

Most homes have a front yard and a back yard. This landscape is unique not only by the home's design, but also the layout. All of the Stark House Museum grounds are manicured, but it has a small front yard, left-side yard, and back yard. The majority of the grounds is located to the right of the house. This seems strange in this day because the main road is located to the left of the house. However, in the era of this home, the house once faced the major intersection of a once booming town. In the far right distance, you can see the servant quarters and not pictured even further to the right is the coach house, which patrons can visit.

Personally, I find this assignment interesting, fun and unique. I left my home town, as most of us have to attend The University of Texas at Austin. I am honored and excited to share with you a small portion of this small town that I also did not know much about, The Stark House Museum. I find it interesting that I had to leave this landscape to discover it more in great detail but I had a lot of fun sharing this experience with you all. Thank you!

3rd Post- Woman Shaping Texas!

Overall Personal Experience at The Texas History Museum
!

After visiting the museum for several times one of the great things I found interesting were the artifacts that were presented throughout the whole museum.  I also loved learning not only only from women in the past however from women who were more modern such as those who made a difference by playing sports. I was able to captivate the difference between gender identities and the way they reacted to certain images in the museum. 

What impact did the Texas Woman Museum section have on vistors? is a question I would ask  because everyone has different reasons for visiting whether it be to learn more about Texas history or to just visit and have a better idea of what the museum is all about.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/chuckm4614/5874837157/

Therefore I definitely felt that visting the museum was a wonderful experience and learned more every time I went back. However the last time I went I was with a friend and the feeling was different from previous times I had gone to vist the museum by myself. I was able to discuss with her some of the favorite things I enjoyed the most  and was able to show her around. I had a better idea of the landscape and had an idea of what were some of the areas my friend would find interesting since she was a nursing major.

So overall I would definitely recommend friends and family members to vist te museum so that they can see for themselves all the great information one can learn form just visiting one time.

Final Reflections: Mt. Bonnell

I found myself at a loss for words for quite some time. Observing others is easy, but the task of looking deep within myself proves more troublesome. I sat on top of a table near the highest point of Mt. Bonnell for easily 20 minutes, waiting patiently for some substantial thought to come darting into my head. Yet, nothing appeared. 

Finally, I made a bit of progress. However, I arrived not at a conclusion, but a question: Exactly what separates "gender identity" from "personal identity?" Are the two not mixed together, unable to be separate and distinct? I came across this train of thought as I contemplated what I would rather be doing than sitting on a table trying in vain to come across decent writing material. I saw Lake Austin far below and wished I could be swimming or socializing on the water with friends. I saw downtown Austin and wished I could be exploring new places there instead of working on school. I just wanted to be active. But, was this because of my gender or personal inclinations? Are they similar? Are they one and the same? 

In summation, I'm not exactly sure how my gender identity affects my interaction with the environment. I suspect it causes me to strive to be active and explore the area, but perhaps that's just an individual inclination. Either way, thinking about the issue was a healthy exploration of my personal thoughts.