N ame – Deenakshi ‘
Student Id – 100310782
Submitted to – Dr Jenny Francis
Geography 1110
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Here, “spatial analysis ” is used in human geograph ical concepts to understand a
phenomenon of my own positionality. I am going to focus on three aspects – gender, age and
immigration status to exp lain the connection between different concept s and positionality.
I arrived in Canada at the age of 18 as female international student on a study visa. I have
be en here for a yea r now. I must admit that the first year indeed was a litmus test for me. Here I
was away from my homeland, in a strange country and still a teen. Gender and age affe ct the
geographical co ncept of private and public space , as girls try to take less space in public and care
much about th e m anners and behavior and private space is not fixed and doesn ‘t depend on the
surroundings. The pressures of adjusting to a new educational system and culture and keep the
grades up at the same time were immense. The multip le identities of my immigration status, age,
and gender would affect my life experienc es and spatialize my identity.
I was aware that I was in another country which was very different from my native
country. Here I was a young female student on immigr ation status and thus not a citizen of the
new country. I was new to the place and its way of life and culture. Thus , the sense of location is
reflect ed here, attachm en ts that I have with my homeland is closely related to me , but still I
changed m y behavio r in different w ays which depends on p lace. It was a frightening experience
for me, and simple things like shopping from a grocery store or asking for directions could be
overwhelming. Moreover, I was not used to the harsh cold climate. Still, it was my d ifficult
positio n t hat made me more determined to succeed. I made efforts to be part of the new culture
and community and take advantage of the exceptionally great cultural exposure. I looked for
ways to fit within the new space by looking at others and f ollowing what th ey did or take
guidance.
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Gradually , I became good at time management and made friends from different
countries. I learned how to do my daily chores in time and be punctual for my classes. I studied,
worked and connected with other students instead of beco ming a cocoon. In a way, I found
Canada to be a progressive and multi -cultural society. The geographical concept place lessness
shows here the spatiality of the place that it doe sn’t matter if it looks same , different or where it
is or a di stinctive proper ty, but depth of the fe elings is different in every place. When I look at
myself and the last year, I find that it i ndeed has been a wonderful experience and a great journey
of discove r the real side of you in another land.
