Moving to East Lansing on a cool, snowy January morning was anything but dull for me. Being one of about six hundred students who had to wait until the second semester to begin our higher education, the excitement had been building up to this moment. Thankfully, I am someone who can orient themselves to new areas without much hassle, because Michigan State University and East Lansing can be a very daunting place to discover. However, while I have become quite accustomed to the places I frequent due to classes, there are worlds outside and all around where I make my comings and goings. Recognizing this is just the baby steps one takes in becoming familiar with and learning about the land which one lives on. Stepping out of my comfort zone and daily activities as well as examining the steps I take during these trips is a crucial part in my process of developing further knowledge about the stories of my new home. Most importantly, I have found that the richest stories arise from the journeys, rather than the actual destination.

I awoke on a Saturday morning, weary as I had been up into the early hours of the morning. I knew some of my family was coming that day, and as much as I missed them I relished the time I had before they arrived. I had much to do and although they love me, they can make it quite impossible to get anything done. Putting this prospect out of my mind, I showered and dressed for the day. Once ready, I left to go eat something in the cafeteria and read a bit of the book I was assigned in my English class. After I had been sitting there for about over an hour and my leftover crumbs had long since gone cold, I got up and headed to the library to get started on the math homework. It was on my walk when I remembered my brother would be spending the night, an infinitely more difficult prospect than just a day visit. I wondered how I could cram everything I had to do into the time I had on Sunday. Regardless, if I got something done now then I wouldn’t have as much to do then, so I set to work at a table. Not long after I started, I received a text from my sister which read, “we are in your parking lot,” so I packed up my computer and calculator and headed back to my dorm. On my walk, back I thought about what to do with my family that day, but more importantly what to do with my brother when the rest of them left. It was as if I was prepping to climb the Mt. Everest of family weekends.

Suddenly it came to me, I had not since I came to Michigan State University, travelled into Lansing. It was crazy as I thought more about it, how does one live next to the capital and never visit once except for the one time in fifth grade? My interest increased as I approached and greeted my father, sister, and brother. As someone with very passionate beliefs, going to the political center of the state filled me with excitement and joy. I had missed the women’s march, so here was my fucking chance to go. So, I entertained my father and sister around campus and such until it was time for them to depart, and then pitched my idea to my brother. Unfortunately, his reaction was not as animated as mine. However, I told him to get his damn coat because it was for a paper I had to write and we were going. So we jumped into my car which he had driven up, and headed down Michigan Ave. On our way, we passed many things that drew my attention such as a little coffee shop called Strange Matter Coffee, and a goofy looking sports bar called The Nuthouse. But as we passed the latter, I saw it on the horizon. I saw the capitol. I was so filled with glee as we neared it that I accidentally went the wrong way on a one-way street. Thankfully, I could correct myself and we parked right next to it, and walked over.

As I traversed the sidewalk to have some sort of revelation about where I was, I found no such thing. I didn’t find it in the height or beauty of the capitol building at all to be honest. While it was a magnificent site, I couldn’t bring myself to be fully taken in by it. Instead, I found that my focus was more directed towards downtown Lansing. My previous ideas about it not being very nice or even the prospect of being deemed cute were wrong. In fact, I saw many places that I would want to go if I had the time on a weekend. It reminded me a little of home, and Royal Oak. I would be lying if I said I felt no guilt over my misconceptions about the city of Lansing, or at least the section that I visited near the capitol. But, as we drove back to my dorm I realized that the journey had been much more important than the destination, and I was happy to know my new home just a little bit better.

Later the same evening, I decided to try yet another new thing since my brother was visiting. Go to a movie. I didn’t even know where a theatre was in East Lansing, and so my next journey began. I found one in Okemos, near Meridian Mall, which I only knew of from my first day. We had gone to the Best Buy near it to find a mini fridge for my room. The movie was at 6:00 p.m., so around 5:20 p.m. we piled back into the car and began the journey to find the theatre. It didn’t take long thankfully, we just had to go behind the Best Buy until the theatre was finally in sight. Passing the unopened Chik-Fil-A made my brothers’ mouth water, and I laughed at his anger over it not being open. It was an exciting adventure for both of us, but especially me as I was continuing to gain knowledge about my surroundings. As we walked in, I was astonished by how different the theatre was. It’s décor and mood were bright and modern. I could not believe that a place like this existed here. I can’t explain why; I was simply shocked and happy to have found it.

Finding this place not only made my brother’s visit easy and fun, it expanded what I knew about East Lansing and Okemos. I would never have known there was a movie theatre if it weren’t for my brother being here and pitching the idea of seeing a movie. He made me think about something I wouldn’t normally do, and it changed my mental map of the area forever. I could not be more grateful for such an act. Our trip alluded me to even more things about the area as well. Once again, I could learn more things about this place by simply setting out to complete a specific task.

These stories are merely the tools I have begun to use in my pursuit of a better understanding of the Greater Lansing area. Or, as it was originally known, Nkwejong. I couldn’t begin to tell you what was there before the movie theatre, or what exactly rested on the grounds of the capitol before it was built there. In our culture, we seem to often forget about those things. But, what I can do is go to these places and experience them. I can try new things and form new opinions about the area they inhabit. I can even attempt to learn about the things that stood before what stands now. This is how I learn about the land I live on, by going out and experiencing things I might not think to do at first glance.

I am an avid reader, and often this is how I learn best. However, when it comes to learning and committing where I live in my memory, it becomes not only an interactive, but a reflective endeavor. Testing out new places and opportunities I would never go or attempt on my own out of fear, examining the journeys that got me to these places, thinking and reading about the civilizations that existed here before I came here, and grasping the true value of the journey over the destination are all things which give me a perspective. One that bestows great respect on the land that I inhabit. As I continue to learn more and more about East and Greater Lansing, I continue to find more and more pride in where I reside through these adventures.