My Recent Fascination with the Amish

I recently made a trip to Chicago for business purposes. Since one quarter of my family tree stems from Chicago, I decided to take a little vacation before and after the work part of the trip to focus on genealogy research. Stay tuned for more postings on this blog, with some of my newest discoveries. It's very exciting!

This particular photo, however, has no relation to my family. 

I was driving in Indiana and I came across an Amish settlement and was captivated. I'd only read about the Amish, or seen them in movies or, at worst, referred to in several reality television shows. But after driving around for several miles swerving in and out of dozens of buggies, all I wanted to do was read/know about them more. I devoured the PBS series on my iPad in the evenings on my trip, along with other documentaries, blogs, and Lifetime movies – till I was fully satiated. 

Though it's a complicated religion, I do admire their intent to simplify. One of the themes of my business trip was essentialism, and in retrospect, my extra-curricular study of the Amish fit in most appropriately.