Samantha Plate's blog

Samantha Plate

Play In The City

09/15/2013

It’s All About The Details

            “I can feel the history of the building as I observe the architecture, as I run my fingers along the spines of books that have been read countless times, as I breathe in the smell of ink and paper.” This is what I wrote in my journal just minutes before attending a performance of The Quiet Volume. I also wrote that my goal for this trip was to experience the city in small but meaningful ways. To notice the details.

While reading "Taking Play Seriously" by Robin Marantz Henig, I started to become very frustrated. The psychologists in this article were taking all the fun out of playing.

I plan on majoring in Psychology, so at first I was very intrigued about the motivations behind playing. But as I realized that the psychologists were zooming-in so close and nit-pickingat every small detail, so much so that playing no longer resembled playing, I stopped wanting to read the article. I know that when it comes to psychology, if there's a behavior there's always going to be someone investigating the why. But trying to place a definition on an act that is so innnate and child-centered seeems to detract from the very nature of the word. Playing is playing. It's having fun and exploring what's around you. It's done for the exact reasons it appears to be done- to socialize, stretch the imagination, and, most importantly, because it makes people happy.

Sometimes I wish psychologists could just let some things be. I'd rather not know the chemicals involved in love or the steps involved in grieving. Some actions and emotions are just natural and they make us who we are. So please, don't take play too seriously. 

Samantha Plate

Play In The City

09/07/2013

Is The City My Home?

When asked where I live I often tell people “I live just outside of Philly.” Philadelphia is a well-known city and it is easier to pinpoint than my small town of Holland. But in reality, I have no real claim to Philadelphia. I feel like a tourist in my own “home town”. In fact, my friends and I took a sight-seeing trip to Philadelphia this summer. We did all the touristy things: we took the Big Bus Tour, ran up the Rocky steps, visited the LOVE statue and went to museums. It was then that I realized I had only been to Philadelphia a few times in my life and I had never really experienced it. I couldn’t really call this city my home.

Hello ladies! My name is Samantha Plate and I'm excited to explore the wonderful city of Philadelphia with you.

My avatar is a picture of me and my friends on a train track. Not too exciting- but the day holds special memories for me.

After our last day of finals this year my friends and I spent the day together, creating memories that will last a lifetime. We had brunch together and then drove to a place called Carousel Gardens where we took tons of fun pictures. The grounds are picturesque and we played on an old tractor that was there. We then ventured to an abandoned train down the road. We took pictures and explored as much of the train as we were able to access.