We’ve been home for a few days now; the laundry is almost done, my fridge is restocked, and I’ve gotten used to sleeping in the same bed again. Now the question is this: what did traversing all over New England do for me the last couple of weeks?
This question isn’t exactly easy to answer I have found. I have seen some of the most beautiful countryside, been in one of the busiest cities in America and walked where our Founding Fathers did, and I’ve touched the very pages some of America’s finest writers have, but where does that leave me now?
The easiest answer is to just say that I’m more enlightened regarding early American literature, that I identify more with writers of that period, and that I’ve found a much better appreciation for those early works. But, even though it’s the easiest answer, I feel as if I need to dig more deeply. This trip, above all else, has shown me that some of the greatest treasures for a student of literature aren’t necessarily located in London or anywhere else in Europe; they are here in our backyard. Literature is no longer this far-away concept for me; it is something tangible and close to home. I don’t need a passport to reconnect with my studies on a physical level, and that, above anything else, is something that I will walk away from this trip with that I will never lose.
Thanks for the amazing journey to all those who were involved!