Today started off with a visit to Philadelphia, complete with a visit to the Museum of Art, better known (probably?) as the Rocky steps. Mike naturally ran right up like a tourist.
With Nelly sitting outside the Rodin Museum, Mike got breakfast with a friend and Juan travelled around taking in Philly. The trio reconvened for the Philadelphia gathering which had about a dozen folks show up and even a parent of a rising sophomore! Special shoutout to regional leaders Noemí Fernandez ’09, Merritt Edlind ’07, and baby Rio for helping find a location and leading the charge in Philly!
With grey skies, we headed north for Jersey City for our NYC gathering. We were hoping to beat the weather. We didn’t. Rain started like clockwork at 5.
However, Ephs still rolled out with 4 alums stopping by in the pouring rain. Even bad weather doesn’t scare our alums.
After some chatting, we hit the road to Hartford, CT (Mike’s hometown) to pay a visit to Mike’s mom who is celebrating her birthday. We bought a cake in the city for her.
With two days left on the road portion of this journey, it makes sense to take a bit of a pause for reflection. This moment is particularly resonant for that as New York is the place where Juan called home for much of his childhood and Hartford is Mike’s hometown.
Home is an important part of people’s journey. What we all choose to call “home” varies; it can be the building you live in, the town you grew up in, your current stomping grounds, or even the abstract “where your heart is.” We encourage you to think about what you call home.
Mike will always be from Hartford, but recently has adopted Williamstown as what he means when he says “home.” When he moves to Colorado, that will be home. For him, it’s an energy, a place where you can feel at peace and be with people you care about (or alone and recharge). It changes spaces but not meaning.
This road trip has allowed us to travel around to see the various spaces people occupy. In some cases it has been directly to their homes, which allows them in some ways to feel more connected and grounded. We appreciate their time, space, and openness because sharing that can be a lot. Home is special, unique, and a space you can return to.
There’s more to unpack within this, but we’ll save it for tomorrow’s post, so stay tuned.
M-n(elly)-J