For this exercise, we were asked to leave the room and go outside to draw our own map. I chose to go across the street to a church near my dorm. I’ve lived in this dorm since last year and this church is like a kind of homecoming landmark for me. Although the dorm is not my real home, when one is far away from home and has a place to make oneself comfortable, I defined it as home. Therefore, whenever I pass by or see this church, I feel a sense of relaxation and I love having it near where I live, it’s special and different from when I was in Asia. I also put the street view in my picture because I like this street; it has a small-town-like feeling and makes me feel new.

Through this exercise, I have learned more about my surroundings and can really see what attracts my attention. By standing in one place and drawing, I discovered details that I had never noticed before, noticing the interactions of passersby or the movements of small animals beside the road. It was all interesting to me, and I learned the importance of observational drawing.