Week 1 Reflection

The coordinates indicate I am at the northernmost part of my fellowship!

            One week and 1,700 miles later it is time to take stock of my American adventure in the Finding the Founding Fathers fellowship. Suffice to say, this fellowship experience is a life-changing experience for three distinct reasons: 1) I have a more personal connection with important geographical places within our nation’s Midwest and New England regions, 2) I have a richer professional understanding of the key historical events that surround our nation’s pre-revolutionary and revolutionary eras through primary source analysis, and 3) I am empowered as an individual to continually seek new ways to better understand the world. While more than a year of planning and contemplation went into the development of this fellowship,  I am quite happy with how my plans are panning out. The journey is still unfolding and I am already reaping the benefits. Further reflection and distance from this fellowship experience will continue to yield important intrinsic discoveries and more subtle observations for many, many years to come.

            The last seven days are filled with the stunning grandeur of American scenery. The scale of American beauty has quite a range thus far…from the powerful churning waters of Niagara falls to the small meadows of a picnic grove, both examples that connect well with my soul…they remind me that I exist as a living component in a complex natural world. Beyond the beauty lies the scale. After seventeen hundred miles I am still in the same country…only seven states away from where I started in Chicago, Illinois. However, as I write this reflection in a hotel room in Ellsworth, ME, I feel wholly separated from all things that I associate with my “home” in Chicago. Sure the language and the money are the same, but what is sold, where it’s sold, and how it’s sold are vastly different.  Lobster rolls and fresh fish are sold on every block, people have entire boats sitting in their front yard, and the group psyche is far, FAR more friendlier, and relaxed, when compared to what you’d find in the Windy City. Life happens on a different wavelength in New England and being here is very special to me. The New England spirit in some places is so special in fact it makes me wonder what we’re doing wrong in Chicago…why can’t this palpable positive vibe surround us back home? Individually, we can each work to make the world a better place, however, the collective effort still falls pretty short at times.

            As I designed this fellowship experience I hoped that my time in Boston would serve as a tremendous professional development opportunity for understanding of the American Revolution. I am happy to report I met my goal. My two days of touring the Boston area refreshed my understanding of the years that led up to the revolution and provided me with new insights about the people and the places at the heart of the story. Boston Common, Boston Harbor, the North End, Lexington, and Concord are now the backdrops of my understanding of the events that led up to the revolution. I left Boston with the utmost respect for all of the individuals who risked everything to steer the colonies into direct military confrontation with Great Britain. Of course, Paul Revere, Thomas Jefferson, John Hancock, and Benjamin Franklin are easy people to admire for their accomplishments. However, today I have as much respect for all of the citizens who joined the colonial leaders and made the revolution possible AND successful.

            A week of travel for this fellowship is an enlightening experience. I am taking full advantage of every learning opportunity I can find and I am making the most of every day scheduled for the fellowship. I am one week into my fellowship and I am proud of my efforts thus far. While this is a draining task I believe I am yielding the maximum benefit possible from the experience I designed. I look forward to what the next two weeks will bring, because each day so far stands out as a twenty-four hour adventure that enhanced my life.

            Thank you for joining me thus far…May the adventure continue!

            Many thanks…rk

After a day of fellowhip touring this is what my evenings are like: Blogging, Tweeting, and writing from 10-2.