I woke up this morning to the quiet tapping of rain against my window. At first, I just lay there, staring at the ceiling and listening to it. It’s peaceful. But also a little sad. Why? Part of me wanted to stay under my blanket all day, but I had an early class at eight.
I slowly got up, changed into some warm clothes, and put on my gray rain jacket that I hadn’t worn since last semester. When I stepped outside, I started feeling more awake as the cold air made contact with me. I could hear the rain hitting the sidewalk and dripping off the bushes lined up next to the dorm entrance. It wasn’t pouring hard enough to feel miserable. It was enough to soak the ground and make the earthy soil smell strong and fresh. I pulled my hood over my head and started walking to class.
At that time, around 7:40 in the morning, the campus was still half asleep. There weren’t many people outside yet. It’s one of the nice parts of waking up early, I guess. I could hear the soft sounds of tree leaves swaying in the wind and the only footsteps I heard were my own. I was careful of splashing through the small puddles that were already starting to form. I dislike wet socks.
As I walked further, I walked by the small stone fountain. Even though the rain was falling, the fountain still made its own quiet sound. The combination of the rain and the fountain water felt kind of comforting. It was noise to help me focus on just existing in that moment. I found myself standing still for a second before proceeding. Then a thought crossed my mind. Did you know? Walking on a clear day feels different than walking in the rain. That’s because you won’t get wet.
The sound of cars driving by in the distance seemed more… noticeable. Even though I was still feeling a little tired, something about that morning walk early in the day made me feel… good, I guess.
For this audio assignment, Create a Place, I wanted to recreate the feeling of that morning walk to class. I started with a base layer of gentle rainfall to represent the steady rain that morning. Then, I added the sound of footsteps on wet pavement, making sure they were paced calmly to match how I was walking slowly, just taking in the moment. I layered in the quiet bubbling of a small fountain. Finally, I added a distant sound of a car driving by to give it that sense of early morning quietness with a reminder that the world was still waking up. I wanted these sounds to create a place that felt calm, just like how I felt during that walk. It’s easy to think of rainy days as gloomy, but sometimes they remind me to slow down and just be present with myself.
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