Retracing my Grandfather's Steps: A Journey to Kent

My grandfather came from Kent, a county on the southeastern shores of England, in 1947 after coming back from serving in the Royal Navy during World War II. My grandfather died before I was born in 1996, but I have always felt a deep connection with him and my English heritage since he was the only first generation immigrant in my family. When I traveled there at 16 years old, I made it a priority to travel to Kent and retrace the steps of my grandfather and his life. This journey was important to me because it reflected my life and my grandfather's, which are two lives that can never intersect but will always be connected.
I was so excited when I found out I was going to England. I was going during the aftermath of the Royal wedding and I

She lived in a small cottage covered in ivy, roses, tulips, carrots and many other kinds of flora I had never even heard of. Her house seemed like the embodiment of the "garden of England" that Kent was known to be. She was a very kind, gentile woman. She also loved her brother very much and recounted tales of my grandfather to me. From being thrown from his horse on the family farm to his escapades being a Royal Navy officer in the Mediterranean Sea and Indian Ocean. She was the closest thing I had to my grandfather and I cherished my time with her greatly. The people that you meet on these journeys are incredible because it is almost like they embody everything you are searching for just in their

The sights were breathtaking and it was a way to see the things my grandfather saw in his life, many left unchanged from his childhood. His family owned a horse farm and the house was beautiful at sunset, with the sun illuminating the rolling hills while creeping under the tree line. The village he grew up in, Maidstone, has the river medway running through it. It is a quintessential English town, complete with Tudor style houses, cobble stone streets, and even a castle. I imagined my grandfather walking these streets as a young lad, being reckless and stupid before embarking on the challenge of participating in war. Being there, after the planning and searching I did for the trip gave me a gratifying feeling of peace. I had met my grandfather vicariously through taking a journey through his life in England.
The plane ride back is always the worst part of any trip. You have just embarked on an incredible journey that always leaves you wanting to do more and see more, but alas you have to go home. This trip was different, however, because I felt so gratified. I experienced something I never thought i would be able to by traveling to where my grandfather grew up. I experienced getting to know someone I could never meet but am forever connected to and entwined with. Finding things out about, and traveling to places connected to your lineage can be a difficult undertaking, but very much worth it in the