Friday, February 18, 2011

A Tribute to My Half-Semester Stint in Michigan Pre-Recession

I made a wonderful mistake of going to graduate school in art history a few years ago.  I say "wonderful" without sarcasm, and I say this because I was given the opportunity to finally understand why I decided to study the arts as an undergraduate in the first place.  I didn't come to this realization while still in Michigan.  My decision to leave Michigan was based on intuition and a lack of will to follow-through a possible mistake.  I could not vocalize why I needed to leave, how I knew I was making the right decision, and what I wanted to do afterwards.  My lack of justification and inability to explain myself made me feel like an utter failure.  Through all of this, I was fortunate to have really supportive parents, who took me on a road trip throughout the entire State of Michigan to help me let out my frustrations.  It has not been easy for me to talk about Michigan, and I feel like that part of my life will always remain a sensitive spot for me.  In the beginning of this year, I was finally able to undust this memory and appreciate what I had originally felt was time lost.

The University of Michigan - Ann Arbor Campus

Ann Arbor

Beautiful Trees at the Gerald R. Ford Library in Ann Arbor

Maya Lin's The Wave Field in Ann Arbor

Fair Lane - Henry Ford's Home in Dearborn

Detroit

The Deserted but Beautiful Belle Isle Park

Canadian Geese at Belle Isle Park

Michigan State Capitol in Lansing

View of Lake Michigan from St. Joseph, MI

Farmers' Market in Holland, MI

Autumn on the Road

Lighthouses

Cranberry Farm

Upper Tahquamenon Falls

Miner's Castle and Lake Superior

Mackinaw Bridge

Mackinac Island

Mackinac Island

Lake Huron

Farewell

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