Houseless and Homeless in Reno

Until I heard about the idea of houselessness, I always thought that every 'bum' was homeless. These people who seem to dwell in the streets and wander the city with their shopping carts. I decided to traverse the city alone for I would be more aware of my surroundings. I noticed that there was not a complete absence of these homeless/houseless people, but they did seem rather sparse compared to the previous walks that I took through Reno. I think that the lower number of homeless people was due to the fact that my previous walks were on weekdays and this adventure was on a weekend. Although there were lots more people who were in the riverwalk to hang out and enjoy the scenery, there were still homeless people sitting on the sidewalks.
I looked around at the homeless street life and realized that these people did indeed have a home. They didn't need money to show that they owned some home of great value. They live out of their shopping cart with the few belongings that they own. These people live in Reno, and they consider it their home. I was alone so I avoided conversing with these rather shady figures that society has marked as outcasts. The hobos that reside here in Reno are not homeless, rather they are houseless. All of these people who live in the streets might have some sense of environmental conscience. They live off of the few belongings they have, and they don't burn the fossil fuels that we waste on a daily basis. Either way the houseless people seem like a rather dangerous crowd to hang around. This was definitely not an enjoyable walk and I don't want to do it again anytime soon.

Reno's Casinos

I realize that I bash on Reno and other forms of civilization in my blogs, and I plan on doing it again right now. I will admit that I have grown a sort of animosity towards cities and urban life, but I haven't ever really liked placed with buildings that are taller than five stories. I would much rather go out and wander in the woods than wander in the urban nightmare of Reno. My walk through the casino district of Reno was anything but enjoyable. Everywhere I looked, I saw people with disappointment in their eyes. These people are not the normal crowd compared to where I used to live. Yeah, they were almost all white, but they just looked dirty and sad. The life in Reno seems to have been sucked out by the casinos and their games.

The buildings and streets of the district were not pleasant or attractive. The streets had a very gross smell, much like the smell that comes out between Argenta and Nye Hall. This smell was right next to one of the casinos and many blocks surrounding. The smell made the already unattractive buildings even less attractive. The signs for casinos were displayed everywhere in the street, and they just looked old and rundown. Buildings covered with large murals and rock-climbing walls were spread around the streets. Every casino had big red signs that were out to attract attention. The casinos has many promises of big winners that were made to make you think that you could be the next winner.
I am not surprised that the University students were not able to venture in to the casino district. The area is unsafe, dirty, and unattractive. I would be surprised if any students wanted to go into the district if they were under the age of 21. I enjoy the campus because it is nice, and it does not resemble a city. Reno is a big gross ominous figure that seems to swallow all forms of life that enter.

Reno Riverwalk

The riverwalk was a very interesting journey. We were not only able to see what the actual path along the river was like but also what the city of Reno was like downtown. I did not find much of the area around my normal 'neighborhood' to be pleasant at all. In fact, the walk was filled with disappointment and what looked like a homeless bathing area. This walking path that cost millions of dollars is now just a fancy walkway filled with shady characters. Although the people and and smells were a major downside to the walk, the actual scenery was quite fantastic.

The city of Reno, initially installed the path as a scenic route for people to wander and forget their worries, but at some point the barrier between Reno and the scenic escape was demolished. The walkway is now home for many less fortunate homeless people. As we walked down the steps to the water we were eyed by the others who were seated along the bank.

Once we reached the bottom of the steps, one of us slipped into the water. I have both pictures up to show the actual flaw in the design of the walkway and its limbs that extend to the edge of the water. This sign on the left that has been painted and scratched by the people who traverse the walkway was not an adequate warning for the slippery surfaces. The sign was mounted in such a fashion that the only way people could read it was if they were walking back to the path, away from the surfaces. The sign was not visible as we approached the water, and it did not warn us whatsoever. This walkway may be nice, but it is not something that should be in Reno. Reno has its claws in the walkway, and it leaves a sign for anyone who might think about taking the riverwalk.

Nature Talks

For my nature walk, I decided that I could go examine the different plants that grew on campus. I find it amusing that the 'nature' I went to look at was not actually natural at all. The plants that I looked at as I explored campus were all planted at some time. When I go on my walks, I enjoy the absence of human interactions. I decided to go for my walk on Saturday morning at about 2 a.m.

I wandered around the campus as I searched for symbols of nature. I chose to walk at night because I love going out into darkness and examining what the world looks like in low levels of lighting. Nature, no longer expressed by the colors we see in light, is constrained to a spectrum of black and white. These photos I took of trees near the quad show color because I would not have been able to take a picture of the nature I viewed in black and white because the camera cannot detect images in that low of a level of lighting. I enjoy viewing the world in a colorless fashion because it forces one to use shadows and shapes to analyze what is being viewed. In the daytime, the trees and other plants just blend in with the scenery.

Many people fear the night and the shadows the small amount of lighting does create. My favorite game growing up was hide and seek. It was near impossible to play a good game of hide and seek without it being dark. I looked on nature with appreciation because it gave me a place to blend in when there were no colors visible. As I grew older, the game evolved, but it was always outdoors in an area with abundant nature. When most people walk around at night and they see a shadow created by a bush, they fear what may be hiding within the nature. On the other hand, I seek to explore the nature and find what remains to be seen within the darkness.

One final thing that I love about nature at night is not the absence of sounds, but the abundance of the sounds that most people pay little attention to. As I walked, I listened to everything I heard. I noticed the leaves rustling in the wind as well as the skateboarders practicing off in the distance. The noise of a man searching a dumpster for cans was an unusual noise that caught my attention and ripped me away from the gently buzzing of the lights around campus. If given silence, nature does not hesitate to speak.

     This walk I followed again was one that I typically make in the morning, but this time I made the Journey in the afternoon.  The route starts and ends at the LLC.  I began by walking to the final bus stop when the bus is travelling south.  When I got on the bus, I realized that it was very overcrowded, which is something that I never saw before.  As I traveled to the north end of campus, I noticed that over half of the bus cleared out at the School of Medicine.  Before when I took the bus in the morning, the bus was nearly empty, and nobody got off at the north end.  When I got off at the furthest north point, I went to the post office and grabbed the mail out of my P.O. Box.  As I was walking out, I noticed that there was a new edition of the Reno News and Review.  I also noticed that the post office was extremely busy compared to other times of day.

     I walked back to the bus stop and waited for the bus in the hot sun.  The ride to the Joe was quiet and fast.  I exited the bus and walked towards Panda Express.  I ordered my regular order of fried rice and double orange chicken and walked back to the crowded buss stop with my food.  I took the bus to the final stop and walked back to my dorm.  I learned that walks in the afternoon are very busy and really hot compared to the morning trips.

Advertising

     Advertisements are everywhere around here.  I went on a field trip today with some of my classmates from GE 106, and I was able to see quite a few on my way to our destination.  I am unable to remember all the details of the signs, but many of them were very similar because it is an election year, and many local positions are opening up.  I did see a sign for a McDonald's, which was trying to convince me to go buy from the nearest McDonald's. These companies and campaigning officials all pay lots of money to rent billboards and big signs along the road.
     The political advertisements had very little effect on me.  I would not have noticed them had they not been on gigantic signs pushed right up against a main road.  I saw many different people that wanted me to vote for them, but I am new to this area so I don't know anything about the local government.  My government class taught me all about the California government system, so I don't know anything about the candidates here in Reno and Nevada.  These adds, trying to gain my vote, do not mean anything to me yet.  I might as well have not seen them because I have no idea what each one has done or who would be the best choice.  I believe that I should learn more considering that I will be living here and voting this November.
     The many food adds I saw, like McDonald's were trying to obtain my business.  The fast food adds are of little matter to me.  I don't pay attention to the food advertisements because I am not usually hungry when I see them.  When I am hungry I know where I am going to eat.  The advertisements are there to entice hunger for those who are walking by the sign.  The signs help people see what there is to eat locally, but the companies with more money can afford to purchase more.  I don't care for public advertisements, and I pay very little attention to them for they have no value for me.

Local Transportation

     There are many forms of transportation that people use to travel around campus, Reno, and the country.  I personally use 4 different types of transportation to move not only on campus and through Reno but also across state lines.  My main form of transportation here at the University of Nevada is by bicycle.  When I am not riding up to the post office or going to class on my bike, I am walking.  I walk to dinner and class some days throughout the week.  One other way that I move around that goes along with the walking is taking the bus.  Today I walked to the student union from the LLC in order to buy some supplies for my geology class.  On my way back, I saw the free campus bus and decided to jump on and save myself some walking.  The bus and bike makes it much easier for me to avoid walking.  I also paid four hundred dollars in order to park my car near my dorm in the parking garage, which is my fourth mode of transportation.  I use my car to get to places that aren't in the general area of the campus, like Walmart and the Apple Store.  My car allows for me to travel just about anywhere with a much faster time than any other means of transportation would. Tomorrow afternoon, I will be taking the two hour drive back to my house in California. I am using many different means of transportation to move me to my various destinations.
     When I am using different forms of transportation, I face an obstacle in each. When I am walking, I am much slower than other transportation, so sometimes I have to rush to class. My bike is a much faster mode of transportation, but it takes time to find an open rack and lock my bike to it.  When on my bicycle, I cannot easily or safely deal with stairs, so I don't have the ease of walking shortcuts.  The bus may be fast, but it lacks stops in many locations, making me walk backwards to my destinations. My car is a great for of transportation if I wish to travel around Reno and Sparks or further, but it is a terrible choice if I am trying to go somewhere on campus.
     I have experienced many forms of public transportation, and it's not something that I particularly enjoy.  I think that the public transportation is a great service, and it works well.  I do not believe any attempt to fix the public transportation would be impossible. From what I have seen, It is not the system that makes public transportation unpopular.  It's the people using the system that do that, especially after dark.  I believe that public transportation is a way to study some interesting people, which some people may call undesirables.  I would not say that it is best to avoid public transportation, just some of  the people who use it.

Racial Representation

     The idea of racial representation is not something that I really pay attention to.  I don't look for the differences of race and ethnicity.  I did however notice some major differences when I moved here from my hometown Orangevale, CA.  When I walk around campus and look around my classrooms, I notice many things that are different from my hometown and high school.  From what I have heard, Reno has a very high white percentage of the population.  When I came here, I didn't really know what to expect, but I was shocked at the diversity here compared to my high school.  My high school was over 95% white, and there were only a few African Americans.  The rest were Hispanic and Asian, which was my second shock when i came here to Reno.  My high school may have had little Hispanic representation, but about 15% of Orangevale is Hispanic.  I now understand that I was raised in a town with very little diversity.  The University has a much higher ratio of minorities, except for Hispanics.  I have seen quite a few African Americans and many Asians here on campus.  So far I have seen only a few Hispanic people around the college.  Diversity has taken a very different meaning in my eyes since I moved here.
     I may have grown up in a very segregated community, but I had many friends from different races.  I don't think people should group up by ethnicity.  I think that they should get to know people from all over so they may get the chance to make new friends.  My high school may have had a very small non-white population, but they didn't only hang out with each other.  They spread out across my school and found their group of friends.  I don't really see segregation here on campus either.  People are not afraid to cross racial 'boundaries' and find a place they fit in.  I noticed the difference in racial representation, but I don't see anyone out of place.  I believe that there are no 'barriers' that I can see splitting up the population here at the University.

Personal Involvement

     My involvement in my community is very little as of right now, but that is partially because I just moved here a few weeks ago.  In some ways my involvement will increase for I will be able to volunteer and help once i get settled in.  I am not involved in the local foodshed movement, although I feel like i should.  As much as I would like to buy locally grown food to support the idea of a localized foodshed, it is much easier to jog down to the Downunder Cafe and the DC Store to buy myself a meal.  The school is entwined in the international foodshed, and the meal plans just increase how much one contributes to it.  I am also a college student, so I do not have the money that I would require to purchase food from the local farmer's market.  The international foodshed makes it easier to buy food from across the world because it is cheaper and mass produced.
     I try to find time for those who surround me.  I seem to be putting homework first so far, but as i settle in i will more likely to find time for friends.  I will be going home this weekend to visit my high school friends, for I have found time in my schedule to make the two hour drive back to California.  I am finding more and more time to hang out with my new friends here in Reno.  Today I ventured down to the DC Store and got food with Austin, a new friend I met only a little while ago.
     I go to the student union every week and get Panda Express with my food bucks.  I am just contributing to the idea of an international foodshed, which makes me just like every other person who constantly goes to buy the easy food.  Whenever I stock my room with food, I go to Walmart, voting with every purchase I make.  Everything we buy represents us voting for big business or local companies.  I understand that I am not doing what I should, but I cannot afford to do better.

Walking Through a New Neighborhood

     I don't believe neighborhood is a term that can be easily be defined.  It is a word that can mean different things to different people.  Back in Orangevale, I lived on a somewhat large street, so I defined my neighborhood as the houses that bordered mine. I would consider a gated community to be a neighborhood, because it is a secluded group of people living together within a city.                                              Here in the Living Learning Community, I would define my neighborhood as the  entire east wing of the Honors LLC.  Here in the east wing, most of the suites are left open, allowing people to enter and get to know each other.  My door is always open, and I get visits from different people from many of the suites in the wing.  The neighborhood is different here because it isn't defined by streets.  Here everyone gets a chance to get to know one another, making a much stronger community.  Our section is all Honors, and many of us have the same classes, so we are able to help each other.

     I feel safe within the community of Honors students.  I base my routes across campus and throughout the dorm based on what my fellow community members are doing.  I know someone from the east wing in almost all of my classes.  If I am going to be walking to class or somewhere alone, I grab my bike from the bike locker outside of the LLC.                                                                It is interesting to part of a new community and being able to meet new people every day.  My neighborhood definition has changed since I came here to the University of Nevada, and it will constantly evolve to fit what it means to me.