The Reunion Project: Let's Look At The Map (5/25)
It's been a fascinating experience learning where my classmates live. As the first 100 rolled in, it was pretty clear that more than 60 percent of them were still in Virginia. Of those who don't live in the area, popular places include North Carolina, near Washington, D.C., Texas, and Florida. In many cases, those were popular vacation spots as kids.
As the names and cities pile up, I've learned that our class has reached more than half of the states in the U.S., plus a few foreign countries. We've got a presence in nearly every state on the East Coast. I've even got a few classmates here with me in Michigan--but all of them don't know it because I haven't had a chance to contact them yet.
I wonder how people ended up where they did. Maybe they got a job offer, or maybe that's where their spouse is from. Maybe they just wanted to live somewhere that wasn't overrun with tourists every summer.
As I hear from classmates, I'm also learning that several of them have recently moved back to Virginia. I haven't wanted to pry, but it is curious. They could have been homesick, or maybe they just wanted to start over. Hopefully, that'll increase the chance that they'll be at the reunion next year.
Once I figure out how to do it, I might like to make a virtual map, with pins representing where everyone lives. It'll probably look like a jellyfish centered in Virginia, with thicker tentacles stretching north and south, and thinner ones stretching towards Ohio, Texas, and due west towards states such as Colorado and Nevada.
I'm excited to see the snapshot of our class starting to come into focus. I just hope that everyone will want to stick around to see the finished product.
*About this blog: Scott is a 1988 graduate of Princess Anne High School in Virginia Beach, Va. and is blogging about his experience ahead of his 25th high school reunion in 2013. You can contact Scott at 248-945-9950 or via email at sryan@cbs.com. Please put "The Reunion Project" in the subject line.
