Drift Assessment

1. Describe two situations that aggravated, bothered, shocked or otherwise stressed you during Drift 1. (Please note that the situation CANNOT be technology-related.)
One thing that caused me some distress over the course of my Drift 1 journey was the inability to escape the sounds of traffic. I came across a courtyard of an apartment complex with vines growing up and down the walls of the building. The vines among the walls were filled with birds whistling and singing to one another. The recording went well, however I could still overhear the traffic in the background. Another situation that caused me some stress was when my cell phone unfortunately went off during a recording. I had remembered to put my phone on vibrate, but I had previously set an alarm to go off to tell me when I should start thinking about walking back in a general homeward bound direction. The alarm went off loud and clear and rendered the recording useless.

2. Describe, with details, two situations during Drift 1 in which you felt unusually peaceful, at ease, or contemplative.
One place that stood out to me was definitely the intersection of Farwell, Brady, and Cambridge where I recorded multiple sounds from the landscape. The intersection was busy and alive with people all around and the trees were just starting to turn colors. It was the late afternoon so it wasn’t very bright, instead quite cloudy. The scene was beautiful yet casual. The temperature was comfortable enough to walk in a sweatshirt and shorts. I had only been to this particular intersection in Milwaukee once before. As I explored various parts of this area Milwaukee seemed to finally connect and I came away with a better understanding of the area around me. Fall has always been my favorite time of year and I just moved to Milwaukee for my freshman year. As I strolled through the busy intersection I began to feel like Milwaukee was feeling a little more like home.
I walked through Newhall St. a little while after I passed through the intersection of Brady, Farwell, and Cambridge. The color of the sky was still the same; gray, cloudy, but not necessarily dark by any means. The neighborhood was extremely nice. The houses weren’t very large but very nice looking and vintage. The houses seemed too expensive to allow the presence of college students. The neighborhood was quiet and full of trees and reminded myself of my neighborhood back in Plymouth, Wisconsin. I saw a father playing catch with his son on the sidewalk and was pleased to see happy families out and about enjoying the beautiful October early evening.

3. Describe three surprises or unexpected situations you encountered on your Drift and in the days that followed. The surprise could stem from your expectations that conflicted with "on the ground" realities, cultural or social issues of which you were previously unaware, feelings and reactions that you did not expect to have, appearances and soundings of things you did not expect, good or bad outcomes of "on the spot" decisions you had to make, or the discovery of "deeper" realities in the materials you brought home. (Again, skip anything technology-related!)
I came away from my first drift feeling completely different than how I expected prior to the drift. My reaction was indeed quote the opposite. I expected I would return from it tired, grumpy, hungry, and in need to lie down after a four-hour walk. Instead I returned at peace with myself. The walk was extremely comfortable, I never had to shed layers of clothing or add any. The environment I walked through was visually invigorating. I walked through both urban and rural areas that offered many beautiful sights and all the while I was able to clear my head and think certain things through. The walk contributed to what could be considered as a rather good day. Listening to the recordings a couple days later I was surprised at how stimulating it was to hear a real life urban habitat playing in my ears. All the other times I simply took it for granted, but as I listened with my headphones I learned to appreciate the sounds around me and gained a deeper sense of understanding to the environment surrounding me.

4. Describe your favorite experience, situation, place, or recollection from your Drift. Be specific about what happened, how you felt, how you reacted, and why you think this particular experience affected you so much.
My favorite experience would have to be the time spent at the crazy busy intersection of North Ave, Farwell, Ivanhoe, and Murray. An intersection much like that of Brady, Farwell and Cambridge, well lit with shops all around with people bustling in between, only by the time I reached this corner of Milwaukee darkness had fallen. On Farwell I came across the Oriental Theatre, place I had visited only a handful of times before moving here but always enjoyed the time spent there. I wandered inside for a while and thought about some of the great movies I had seen there like There Will Be Blood, No Country for Old Men, and Crash. Movies I had seen with my father and my uncle or brother. After my brief peek inside of the Oriental I wandered across the street to Murray and walked past an overcrowded bar with Brewer fans spilling into the street, chanting and cheering about the day’s late-season victory. The sight brought a huge smile to my face, as I am myself a Brewers fan as well. The sight made me feel like Milwaukee had become even more homey than before.