Some Further Thoughts

This summer has been awesome. It was busy, it was chaotic, but it was awesome. At the start of this summer, I knew next to nothing about where I was from and a mediocre knowledge about my own people. This project really gave me the opportunity to go back and explore.

As someone who loves history, it was almost embarrassing how little I knew. I spent my education feeling envious of the Europeans for being surrounded by all of this history and not appreciating it as much as I said I would, while I was surrounded by all of this brilliant history and completely ignoring it.

What have I learned about my people this summer? I have learned that we are a strong people. We have faced some great oppositions and some pretty sad disasters, but we survived. We are a funny people. I loved researching the ways that Newfoundlanders have used humour to not only cope but to also come to terms with their struggles. I love the people. I have met some amazing people along the road. When I went to Brigus I met this awesome woman named Tina who told me about all of these great things I could see there and even gave me a print out of a write up she'd made on it so I could read it myself. When i went to Cupids I had this awesome woman named Megan tour me around the archaeological dig and her enthusiasm reminded me of why I love what I do. When I went to The Rooms in St. John's, I met a guy named Larry who reminded me that Newfoundland actually was a part of the World Wars and of the impact it had on the world and on Newfoundland. Everywhere I went I met amazing people. I love that I learned so much from this journey by simply meeting people and going places. I didn't pick up many books, usually only to get dates and precise information. Other than that it was entirely through my adventures and happenings that I learned everything I've been talking about and the even greater wealth I didn't have the time to share with you all.

I have learned a lot about where I came from. I didn't know anything about my father's side of the family whatsoever. Now I know I had a Great Grandmother Hazel who didn't have a middle name so she would joke that it was 'nut' so she would be 'Hazel Nut', and that she worked in Joey Smallwood's house as a servant/maid. I had a Great Grandfather who owned a garage. I learned that my grandmother met my grandfather when she began working for him at his snack bar. I find that super cute. I guess what I mean to say is that this course actually made me realize "Oh, my dad's parents didn't just spontaneously generate out of thin air, they actually came from somewhere."

If there's anything else that I really wanted to say about this project is that it has really given me a new view of what is around me. It never really dawned on me that I was missing all of this amazing stuff that is right in front of me. Stopping and smelling the historical roses this summer has left me realizing just how many amazing things are right here and that I've wasted 22 years of my life not giving them the proper respect that they deserve. While The 709 Project may be ending here, at least for now, I feel that my adventure's really just begun, because I'm going to go forward from here continuing to learn more and more about the world around me.

It's been a pleasure to adventure with you guys this summer and I hope that I get the chance to return to adventure more with you guys again sometime. Go forth and start your own little adventures and learn about where you're all from. Perhaps I will keep posting some findings and such throughout the school year but I am packing so that I can return to university and won't be able to adventure the way I have been this summer. It has been an honour and hopefully we will have the opportunity to keep adventuring together.