My Wiki Experience :)

Well first off, I didn’t have a partner for this assignment. I missed class the day partners were assigned, and go figure I was the only one who missed class that day. So I went about this on my own, which is okay, because I actually like working on assignments alone better. Sometimes when I work with a partner I feel like I can’t quite do something the way I might want it done. So this one is all me, and it is about something that really only I can write about.

This is an Actual Picture of my Town

                I chose to write my Wiki How on how to adjust from living in a small town to a large city like Buffalo. Now I know some of you are going to argue that Buffalo is not a large city, but for me it is. I grew up in a crazy small town. And when I saw small I mean small. Where I grew up is Hamlin New York, most people only know of it by Hamlin Beach State Park as we are right on Lake Ontario. The next thing we are known for is being a short 10-15 minute drive from Brockport NY, where SUNY Brockport is. That’s about all of our highlights.                                                  



This is my Squirrel- His name is Sammy



                Pretty much everyone is town has grown up there their whole lives, and some like me, move away eventually, but most come back. It’s oddly one of those places you come back to after years of being away. We have essentially 1 road that goes through the whole town, and a few very small roads to connect the farms and houses. We also only have 1 stop light in the whole town. That’s not something you get everywhere.



                So I thought that I can’t be the only person in my situation, moving to a larger city from a very very small, country, town. I know for me it was a rather frightening experience, so I thought it had to be for other people, and it would be great if I could possibly help out some people who are attempting to do the same thing. So I decided to write a Wiki How on Adjusting to big city living if you grew up like I did.



                I put down a bunch of “steps”. I put quotations on these because they are not necessarily steps, but they are more like guidelines on making your transition easier. I included things like finding grocery stores that are similar to yours at home, experimenting with public transportation and even things like going out and trying new things.

                I tried to write about things that were important to helping me transition. For instance, the grocery store. As small as it seems, it really is something that can make you more comfortable. I never stepped foot into a Wegman’s until I came to Buffalo. I grew up with Big M and IGA. I grew up knowing everyone who worked in the store, including the Butcher, who also happens to be my father. I could call and order something and never have to give my name, they knew me by voice. I could walk around the store and know everyone who was shopping there. They could be my teachers, my neighbors, and my relatives. I really was a place where you knew everyone.

                Experimenting with Public Transportation was probably the hardest for me. I grew up having a car, or having a four wheeler or snow mobile to get me places. My version of Public Transportation was having my friends pick me up on the way. Getting on a public bus was something that frightened me, but I was glad that I tried it, and even more happy that I had a car.

                Overall, writing this Wiki How was actually a really great thing. I was able to really put my heart into to try and make someone else’s life a bit easier. I am glad that I was able to write it, because I want people to know what it’s like living in such a small town! I didn’t have any bad experiences writing it, just was a little bit more work because I was by myself. I didn’t get locked out of mine like a few other people did, which is great. I really had fun writing it. I hope that people will read my Wiki How and they will take something away from it. Maybe it will make them more comfortable about their own transition into city living. And I even hope that some people who read it will miss their home, and maybe want to go back, even if it is just for a visit. I love when I go home, it really makes me happy, and makes me miss the simple style of living where you could strike up a conversation with someone walking on the street and it would be ok because you knew them, and would probably see them again later anyways.

                I think the whole Wiki process is a brilliant thing. Being able to post your own stuff on the web, that can potentially really benefit other people is awesome. It's so simple, yet so technically advanced. It allows for a very easy editing program so that virtually anyone can make their own sites with no knowledge of html or editing at all. It creates a user friendly type of system. It gets people involved in different ways, whether you are writing, editing, or just browsing. I feel that the whole Wiki process was created by something with the intention of bringing people from different backgrounds, educations, religions, ethnicities, and internet knowledge together to form one collective database.

                I hope everyone can experience this type of living once in their life time, where you can actually relax, and enjoy the company of friends, and you won’t be bothered by traffic, by phone calls, or by rude people. You can sit out by a campfire with just two friends, and an hour later there is thirty of you there all laughing and having a great time. It’s something I will always cherish and hope that I can hold with me for the rest of my life, and I secretly wish to move back there when I am done with college, but I don’t think my boyfriend will like that very much.