The Things I Carry Forth (Not Just Passport Stamps)

As I made my way through UK customs from Cinque Terre, Italy this past weekend, the officer who checked my passport asked what I have been studying during my semester in London. “I am an English and Theology double major,” I replied. “What is theology?,” she questioned, holding my gaze. I smiled and explained that I study God and religion within the Catholic tradition. She nodded, flipping through my passport, and remarked, “You’ve been doing a lot of traveling since January, haven’t you?” “I have,” I responded. “I’ve been very fortunate.” “But you’re almost done?” she asked, noting that I am scheduled to return to the U.S. at the beginning of May. I replied, “I am. It’s hard to believe!” and she handed my passport back to me, freshly stamped, and advised me to remain a student for as long as possible.

Over the course of the semester, I have become accustomed to explaining why I am where I am in removed, typically impersonal interactions with airport authorities. “I am here on vacation until Sunday” explains my purpose for entering various countries on weekend adventures, and “I am studying in University for five months from the States” clarifies my reason for re-entering the United Kingdom. Never before, though, had an officer asked me what theology is or commented on my travel schedule or offered life advice about continuing education. My interaction with this woman offered the opportunity to reflect upon several ways I have grown during this special semester studying in London.

First, my semester abroad has invited me to locate my faith on a global scale. I have attended Catholic Mass in English, Latin, Norwegian, French, and Italian this semester. I met the challenge of adapting my prayer and worship routine to the fast pace of a semester abroad, forming supportive friendships with wonderful people doing the same and being intentional about faith decisions such as choosing Lenten devotions that have supported my goals for personal growth during the semester. I had the immense privilege of attending Easter Mass at the Vatican with Pope Francis, which is perhaps the prime example of what it has meant to locate my faith on a global scale: the sheer number of pilgrims attending that Mass from all over the world was a powerful witness to the universality of the Catholic faith and the Christian spirit.

When I think back to the first Mass I attended during my semester abroad, a comment full of awe, relief, and gratitude that one of my friends made as we walked into the church stands out to me and still rings true: “No matter where we go, this liturgy is always the same.” In my first blog of the semester, I reflected on the comfort the universality of the Mass brought me after I attended that liturgy: “The same sacred liturgy is celebrated. The same Eucharist is really present. The same Body of Christ is manifest in the people gathering around the same table of the Lord. My catholic Catholic faith has rooted me in hope here in London.” Looking at my experience from the other side, only a few weeks away from my return to life in the States, I can proudly and gratefully say that by the grace of God, my catholic Catholic faith has rooted me in hope here this semester. Yes, in London, and also in the world. My brief conversation about theology with the customs officer reminded me how important it has been for me to encounter Christ in all sorts of different ways wherever I have traveled and in everyone I have met.

Second, traveling in Europe with incredible people has been an invaluable gift. The customs officer was right: I have been traveling to a different country almost every weekend since January, and I have had the opportunity to explore London, England in between weekends and spring break trips. My friends and I often talk about how we want to “live into” each new place we explore, which involves really seeing, tasting, smelling, hearing, and feeling a place. Fortunately, I have been blessed by wonderful people with which to do so in London and beyond.

Third, I have had the opportunity to learn in and from the world. Not only have I been blessed with the immense gift of going to school in a truly global city and taken various classes that focus on the history of the people and places of London, but I have also come to call Europe my classroom. Education has occurred on an unprecedented level both in terms of volume and impact this semester. I learned about World War II in Berlin and Prague by attending tours through areas where the events I have learned about in history books for years actually happened. I walked through centuries of world history preserved around every corner in Rome. I have discovered how to regularly communicate with people who do not speak English and how to conduct transactions and conversions in the pound, euro, Norwegian krone, Czech koruna, and Hungarian forint. This list is truly inexhaustible: the ways I have grown personally and intellectually from having the opportunity to throw myself entirely into a semester of learning-saturated adventure is an incredible gift I will carry with me forever. After this semester, it will be impossible not to follow the advice of the customs officer: I will be devoted to remaining a student for the rest of my life, whether in school or in the world.

Though our conversation lasted for all of three minutes, the customs officer at UK Border Control gifted me with a framework through which to reflect on my semester abroad. I am so grateful for each moment here: each new challenge, lesson, city, and person are gifts I will carry with me when I return home in May. The opportunities to locate my faith on a global scale, to explore Europe with fantastic friends, and to learn in and from the world have shaped me in powerful ways that will continue to challenge and energize me for the rest of my life.

 

Vernazza, Cinque Terre, Italy