One adventure ends, another begins. Leaving the comfortable home base that Hampshire had provided me the past few years wasn’t easy–the thought of being thousands of miles away from the familiarity of home and the security of friends, family, and a community of people available whenever I needed to get away from studies to climb, run, and explore wasn’t easy. On the eve of my departure Northwest to Alaska, my friend Nick asked me the simple question–“why?” That day and night friends from Hampshire, friends from home, and my family got together to celebrate my graduation and my post collegiate going away travels. I was unsure what the outcome would be in gathering the different groups together. It went better than I could have hoped for which made ‘going’ the next morning an even tougher reality. But despite how great everything was, I told him that I just needed to go. I couldn’t come up with any better response than that… and that “the best part of going to new places is coming back to old places.” I told him that I needed time away from home, from friends, family, and everything else I became used to and comfortable with so that I could better appreciate it all.

And that is how it has been–every summer for the past 6 years I have found somewhere new to go to and everytime I miss everyone and everything from back home more and more as the summers progress. Now though, my concept of home is changing as I create memories and make friendships all over. Going back to those places become equally important and meaningful. Without Hampshire on the fall horizon, I will have the freedom to go farther and for a longer period of time than previously. I’m unsure how the freedom will affect my idea of home, permanence, relationships, but I sure will embrace it. And like usual, I will seek out the familiarities of home wherever I go.