There is no place like home

Blog Post: Stratford-upon-Avon

By Isaac Overman

June 19 2022

I come from a small town, a much smaller town than Stratford. In fact, I do not even live inside that city but five miles outside its limits. Nevertheless, I cannot help but have my heart pulled by this city. The immense history alone is astounding but more than this is the sense of home. On this trip, I have been to three cities in England: London, Stratford-upon-Avon and Bath. Each of these had certain charms and were vastly different from each other. However, I find myself most at home in places like Stratford. It just reminds me of home. People are friendlier and the community is closer together. I love London, and someday I hope to live there and work at the best restaurants in the world. I want to master my art and hone my craft alongside the greatest chefs to ever hold a knife. To be able to make the people I love smile. To make my parents proud. But after all that is said and done and the world begins to pass me by—as it does to all—I will return home. To a place like Stratford. Where my world has always began and ended. Back to the people I love. I firmly believe now that people need to go to places like London. Not to find oneself—I hate that phrase because people should know who they are before making life altering decisions—but to build oneself into what you could be. Stratford and London are both necessary parts of who I am. Shakespeare also expresses this by going to London, makes himself a fortune while blessing the world and then retires to the city that he grew up in to live out his golden years with his family. That is the kind of life I want to lead. In a way I want to try and mimic what he did. Stratford, to me, is the natural conclusion to a trip that took place largely in the big city. After all, It’s the most like home. This trip has taught me something very important—I want to conquer the world but I will always long to be home in my hundred acre wood where the sky is blue and the corn is green.