I must confess, I was a bit apprehensive at the very thought of venturing outside my comfort zone and discovering areas in my neighborhood. Strange as it may seem, I have lived in this area for almost a year and I still have not fully explored the community. That being said, I am extremely grateful for this exercise because it not only forced me to locate the historical significance of my neighborhood, but also helped me to practice my descriptive and public speaking skills. I live in the East Flatbush neighborhood. Which is a diverse residential area sprinkled with a lot of the commercial world on the outskirts. 

Among the various attractions on the neighborhood, I found the historical landmark of the Albermarle and Kenmore Terraces to be the most endearing. It’s an area that can be easily overlooked in the midst of our everyday lives running from one destination to the next, barely noticing each other. I am guilty of failing to notice this landmark even though I have walked past it severally. This majestic historical neighborhood is like a little drop of history in a modernized community. Set in a colonial housing style from the early 1900’s, the whole area is so quaint and peaceful in direct opposition to the surrounding apartment buildings. I have been back to this area twice since I discovered it during this project.  

Before embarking on this assignment, I had no idea where to find anything in this neighborhood other that the train station, my workplace and the nearest grocery store. I am immensely happy this project afforded me the chance to look up and around me, take in the scenery and try to describe it in ways others can understand. Now I find myself trying to guess what year a building was constructed depending on the type of materials that it is made out of, the surrounding buildings in the area and so on. I am not an architecture student. In fact, I was feeling out of my element being the only student with legal studies as my major in this class. But after doing this assignment, I am more comfortable with the semester ahead.