I stood outside my first college class more nervous than ever. My hand shook violently as I reached for the door handle. It only took three seconds to reach the doorknob, but in my mind, it took an eternity. I could feel the sweat run down my forehead as I ready myself for a classroom filled with hundreds of students. My high school teacher alway told me, “ My class had about three hundred students…” and I always replied “WOW”. I opened the door and it was like a flash blinding me. The blurry image began to clear, and what looked like a huge class turned into a normal classroom. The sweat drop on my forehead was quickly wiped and I hurried to my seat. When I sat down I looked around analyzing everything I saw. The other student faces were blurry because I didn’t have my glasses. From what I could make, the look on their face said the same thing about mines. As I looked around my eyes made contact with another student. The awkwardness filled my head as I quickly moved my eyes to the farthest corner. There I saw the plain white wall that slapped me in the face when I stared at it.  The plainness of the wall gave off a feeling of emptiness that gave me goosebumps. I rubbed my dotted textured arm as the emptiness grew as I kept staring at it. It looked like it was staring into my soul; It was painting a picture of how I was going to fail this class.  I realize that I blanked out and refocused my attention back to the class. My eyes made their way to the teacher of the class. I imagined my professor to be serious and dressed up. To my surprise, she was dressed normally like any other teacher at my high school. My initial thought of this scary big college class with the most intimidating teacher slowly disappeared.  I thought to myself, “College might not be so different after all’.

I sit in the gathering area almost everyday this is my go to place. The Gathering Area is a nice sized space in the middle of the fourth floor. This area provides you with a place to study, chat, wash clothes, and watch tv. Basically one big bonding area. I’m shy, but this is where I went to make friends.Hanging in the gathering area has allowed me to meet so many different people. It has big wide windows that let in rays of sunlight, at night the artificial lights dazzle and dance from one side of the room to the other, it’s equip with two high tables, several chairs to go along with that, microwaves, a sink, and three love seats; it ultimately has a sleek modern design. The gathering area is not too far from my room. My peers may see it as a place to relax, meet & greet with each other, get work done and hang out. I see this as a place to interact with my friends get feedback or help on my work, and just talk. It can sometimes be noisy like the dining hall or quite like the highest floor in the library. But that doesn’t phase me because I love this area of the dorm. Why I like the Gathering Area most?, I think is because it reminds me off being at home and hanging with family in the living room. It comforts me knowing when I go out there it gives me a semi permanent feeling of home.

Grey and white walls, white furniture to match, my bed with a banner of my name hanging over it is positioned in the middle of the room as the focus point.   My desk is sitting to my right, adorned with an oversized vanity mirror and fluorescent lights. Hope and Love are the two words that stand out when you look at my desk/vanity. A bamboo rose and a remembrance flower is placed in a sparkly silver mason jar, pencils and pens also live in there. My favorite fragrances sit right on the edge waiting to be picked up in the morning as I walk out the door. A plane figure with four straight sides and four right angles, matte black, and 22 in, faces me. My dresser resting beneath it filled with my necessities. Let’s not forget about my closet, which is right next to my bed. Seeming big and spacious, my clothes seems to think otherwise. as my shoes are lined up and down the bottom half, the top is color coordinated from left to right and the top shelves are stuffed with mountains of extra apparel. Sitting 6 feet high, my other dresser sits to my left. Containing winter clothes and pajamas, it is also used as a remembrance wall. Here I placed an obituary of my grandfather and one of my grandmother. My grandmothers smelling like fresh printed paper it is the one I look at the most. Spots are left empty for pictures of her and I waiting to be placed. Straight ahead lies my bathroom, all white walls with two grey stripes, I can say this is where the magic happens. Towels hanging from the rack, clothes hung on the doorknob, and hairpins scattered across the counter top. My room, the place where I dwell day in and day out is my serene place. Its where I can come and cry, laugh, write, read and be at peace. It also my remembrance place. My Grandmother and I shared my room, so this place is filled with memories of us, It’s also the place where she passed. So not only do I come her to remember her but to feel closer to her. White meaning new beginning and grey meaning calm. This place is a place of serenity. Soaking all negative energy from you and purifying you with positive energy it’s the place of starting over. I love my room, it gives me a space where I can let go and be me.

One of my favorite places to go is Eclipse di Luna. There are two branches of this restaurant: one right next to Perimeter mall and another near Lenox mall. I love the fact that they are so close to the mall because then i can just go eat there after roaming around in the mall for hours. They carry delicious Spanish tapas which are to die for. The restaurant offers live Latin music for customers’ entertainment to which people can dance to. I mostly go to the one near Lenox mall, the restaurant is filled with red, orange and yellowish toned color, matching the flag of Spain.  With dimmed lights and ancient Spanish architecture along with excellent music, the place offers a soothing environment which takes me to a faraway place. As soon as one enters the restaurant, there is a bar covering the whole wall to their right, carrying varieties of drinks to meet as many customers’ preferences as they can. One side of the ceiling has pattern design with red, black, and yellow blocks and the rest has a zig zag texture and the material seems like metal. All the furniture are made out of wood. There are sculptures, paintings throughout the place, reflecting the Spanish culture. There is a Spanish flag hanging on the ceiling in the center of the restaurant; right in front of the bar and another covering  the wall next to the table at the very back. The restaurant takes care of all their customer’s needs and allows them to choose if they want to sit inside and outside. For example, some people prefer a more quiet place without the music so they are given the opportunity to sit outside comfortably with the same dimmed lights creating a peaceful environment. . Many customers prefer to sit in the bar having drinks while they enjoy the live music, Others prefer to get up and join the crowd of dancers. All in all, it is a perfect place to eat and it guarantees a good time.

When filling up an empty stomach the Piedmont North dining hall is the place to be. You walk up to the door and immediately your nose is appeased by the aroma of the food. You walk into the front door and are greeted with a big smile from the lady sitting in the front desk. I love this dining hall there is always someone cleaning and restocking because cleanliness where you eat is very important. North is is a place I would recommend to anyone if hungry.

This dining hall is connected to my building which is why I chose this one  because of the convenience. The outside is  blue with large open windows with bar tops on the inside surrounding the windows. The inside is filled with different stations containing a variety of different foods from Chinese to American their will be something for you. The staff always has a smile on there face and a friendly how is your day going from behind the counter.Hands down this is the best place to eat you have better food options,quality and service.

Rhodes Jordan Park is like a small town, and its soccer complex is like a home. Everything such as school, work, or just life is left behind you walk thru the door and enter heaven. The field has a beautiful shade of green and smell of the fresh air calms all the nerves. When the lights are on there will be someone there; you may see someone you never met, but you speak the same language, soccer. The environment is great, you never feel alone and can easily start a friendship because you already have something in common. It is a diverse place; you don’t hear one language or see one race, with a limitless age gap, to a young child to a senior. It could be pouring hard, have breezy winds, intense heat, or loud thunder no matter the situation the game takes everything away all the focus is towards the ball and the aim is the game. The moment you step on that field you smile in the fact that you there and when its time to leave you to hope to come back for more, it is not just a game its life.

A space that I find my self often is the common area on the floor I live on, in my dorm. There are these huge windows that show downtown Atlanta. Seeing downtown Atlanta reminds me of NY. Its a very calm place to spend time and do homework. The lights aren’t too bright, which gives off a very relaxing vibe. Many people that live on the same floor come by and watch tv, hang out or do homework. Its a great place to meet new people.There are these huge blue chair that are so comfy, which is usually where I complete my work.

My house is the most welcoming space for me. My mother being so creative, she designed our whole house. The walls are painted in dark gray and light gray. There are plenty of colorful paintings and pictures that are hung up all over the walls. And my favorite part are all the gold decals and extra decorations. I love being greeted by my mother’s warm smile. She cooks delicious meals almost every night. Me, my mother, sister, brother, and step father all sit at the dinner table when it’s time to eat and have silly conversations. My little brother is four years old and super silly. He loves to talk and  play games and asks a bunch of questions. Seeing his little face lights up my day. One of my favorite parts of being at home is being able to go to my quiet place, which is my room. The walls are painted swimming pool blue which describes my personality, bright and friendly. My queen sized bed is so comfortable and my favorite place to take after school naps. My home is my favorite place to be in.

There is nowhere like it. The newly placed green with small hints of black. The sun beading down and warming the surface to thirty degrees hotter than the air. They called it artificial but there was nothing fake about this field. The energy I put into it, the literal blood, sweat, and tears that I, so many of my peers, and even more before me left on it. Everyone who steps on this field immediately sports a game face. Everything about the game or performance is 100% serious. For as long as they are on the field they are no one’s friends. They are competitors. This field is all inclusive, whether your job is to hit, run, jump, throw, march, or even flip, this field will invite you. I love this place. I love the history and the friends I’ve made just by marching here. Of course, it wasn’t always comfortable. Those black pellets in your shoes would simulate walking on coals and good luck getting them out. Even after 5 years there are still pellets in my shoes from my freshman year. This is my favorite place. And even though I am no longer marching, I can still bestow what knowledge I have on younger marchers. This space will never change but it can easily change anyone who comes in contact with it.