Community Meeting

     This week we will be presenting our project ideas to member's of the community for feedback. Even though it seems like this meeting will be fairly informal. I'm feeling a little nervous about the presentation, but I think that has more to do with my own social anxiety rather than the ideas we will be presenting. I feel some relief knowing that Dr. King has already established trust between the community and UMBC. I would feel much more stressed if we were coming into this project with the added layer of building that relationship. In that scenario I can imagine we would have to work much harder at this stage to ensure that they sign off on the project. 

    So far I'm happy with the way that the project is shaping up and think that we will be able to meet our goals. I think that the interviews will give us some great stories about Poppleton for the written portion of our project. I am curious to hear the different answers we get to the the questions "what is a neighbor?" and "what is a neighborhood?" I'm sure that everyone will have a unique opinion on this since they are both very loosely defined terms. If we can pull it off, I think that the digital map idea could be a really interesting feature of our project. Being able to visualize how the neighborhood has grown and shrunk over the years will make it easier for people to understand how a neighborhood is constantly changing. I'm a little concerned about the logistical and technical requirements, but I'm confident that our class can handle the challenge. 

    I'm thrilled that I will be able to assist with the historical research for the 1100 block Saratoga St houses. It really adds another meaningful layer to the project for me. It feels like I have been given the opportunity to not only gain some practical experience, but to also contribute to the preservation of Baltimore's history. I was surprised to learn that I already have some of the skills that Dean Krimmell will be showing us later this month. Before I enrolled in graduate school I worked for a law firm that handled personal injury cases. Most of the information I learned there has not been useful to my studies, like if a driver is at fault for an accident with a bus. But, I did learn how to locate deeds and examine property records for some of the cases I worked on. I'm excited to see where the project will lead me and how I feel about this kind of work when it is done. 

    I really enjoyed the 'Watch Me Work' video about barbershops and salons on West Baltimore Street. I had never thought about the connection between hairstyling and mental health. I think its great that people like Donna understand the importance of the connections they can form with their clients. In addition to the fact that a good haircut can really boost their confidence. I also thought it was interesting to hear Troy talk about barbers being able to travel across the city into areas others cannot. These artificial barriers that separate the city add a unique layer to our questions about neighbors and and neighborhoods.