We’re out of England, and I’m writing from Detroit. Anyway, I believe a reflection blog is in order. Airports stress me out generally, but we’re sitting pretty on top of a six-hour layover to Indy. And because layovers are far more halcyon than rushing to get to boarding with no time to spare, I’m quite content.

I’ve yet to become accustomed to the accents and sales taxes back in the States… and why isn’t there a tube in Greencastle?

This trip has taught me so much about expression in the midst of hardship and confusion. No one really knows what to make of war besides the ones who wage it, and oftentimes the ones who wage it are not involved in the fighting. Before signing up I knew almost nothing about Benjamin Britten and nothing at all about the War Requiem.

Before going to England, I was sure that people knew what to make out of war—it’s an awful, awful affair, and that’s all there is to it. However, neither the War Requiem nor any of Wilfred Owen’s poetry is that clear-cut. Both Owen and Britten had complex feelings about war. I had thought my own response to the St. Michael ruins would be more clear-cut, as well, but it wasn’t. Instead of standing in somber appreciation of all that has been lost in war, I didn’t know what to do or how I felt. Before, I projected my pacifism on everybody. Now hopefully I won’t be so blind.

Now I have two new wonderful photo books: one of Benjamin Britten and Peter Pears, and one of Aldeburgh. Pictures calm me down, especially of a place as nice as Aldeburgh, and I admire Britten and Pears as artists. Seeing their creative processes documented on photo paper is a solace to me when I’m under a lot of pressure to create something meaningful.

London has been more exciting than moving for me, since I’ve been there before. I did learn a lot there from the museums, and those were facts, not feelings. That is important in a different way, and I’ll try my best to remember those facts because with facts come context. (And as a writer I try to find as much context as possible… sometimes it’s hard for me to get out of the exposition and into the plot.)

The people make the trip, too, and the people with whom I went were incredible.  Each was quite intelligent and interesting and added perspective to the course through musicianship, literary knowledge, and personality. We had loads of fun together, from laughing uproariously at Family Guy on the train to exploding Facebook feeds with embarrassing photos in the airport. To Rachel, Blake, Valentina, Max, Danny, Eleanor, Graeme, Stephen, Matt, Laura, and Leah, my awesome roommate: this wouldn’t have been half the trip it was without you guys. Thanks a million.

I know for sure that this is going to be my last Winter Term abroad, and I know for sure that I’m going to miss it.

Thank you, Scott Perkins and Scott Spiegelberg, for providing such a wonderful experience.

I can’t find a picture including all of these wonderful people, so I won’t post one today. Besides, this might be getting a bit too sentimental for anybody’s liking.