Mini-Grant Projects: Gia Allgoode's Amtrak Journey

Photo courtesy of Gia Allgoode '27 MA

Villanova English student Gia Allgoode '27 MA received a mini-grant this past spring from the Margaret Powell Esmonde Memorial Fund to engage in a project of reading journals by women writers, keeping her own journal, and traveling the country by train and foot over the course of a month, documenting her travels in words and photographs. You can read excerpts from her work on its own dedicated blog (scroll back to the first entry to read it in order!). The introductory entry is included below:

I spent the entire month of June hopping on and off of the Amtrak train. I traveled in a big circle around the US: From Philly to New York to Chicago to Denver to San Francisco to LA to Houston to New Orleans to DC to Boston to Rockport and finally back to Philly. My stays in each city ranged from one hour to 7 days with most being around 2 days. I set out on this trip in order to gain some sort of insight, enlightenment, or clarity. I wanted to know what it would feel like to leave everything behind in order to follow a spiritual/intellectual impulse, to seek healing or punishment or wisdom through motion. My journey did not terminate at a holy site and was not guided by the voice of god or a religious authority, but it nonetheless was intended to be, and I think was, a pilgrimage. While on my trip, I kept a diary/travelogue to document my activities, thoughts, and progress towards my “goal” (that term feels inadequate but it is hard to think of a better alternative). My journal became my traveling companion, someone to share things with and talk to as I explored unfamiliar places on my own. Some welcome, although unanticipated, results of my paper-bound confidant include an increased confidence to engage in spontaneous conversations with strangers, a surer sense of how to communicate my observations and passing thoughts, a feeling of deeper connectedness to my memories and experiences, and a growing fascination with journals and personal correspondences as a genre. Everyday of my trip I wrote at least one entry in my journal, usually many more than that, and I have continued the practice since returning home. My day no longer feels complete until I jot down a thought or two. I’ve nearly forgotten a couple of times and, on more than one occasion, have hastily made 5 min entries literally on my way out the door for evening plans. The following are excerpts from my June journal that I think best capture what the trip meant to me and the ways I was able to realize my initial hope of some sort of numinous transcendence. 

Note: Brackets are notes added by me after the fact and are not part of the original entry.