bus to Belfast

We are on the wrong side of the road. And it appears to be raining. The road cuts between green fields scattered with townhouses and leafless trees. And we are driving under the arch of a rainbow backed up against low mountains.

It has been 6 days since I left my beautiful family in London and started traveling with my wonderful mother in Ireland. We spent two days in London town, which consisted of going to the National Gallery and seeing two shows. I loved seeing the familiar works of all the artists I have grown to love on this trip. Caravaggio, Monet, van Eyck and the like. The first show we saw was Wicked, which was absolutely incredible. Best voices I have ever heard in my life. It was the kind of show you find yourself thinking of days and days after you’ve seen it. The second was Jersey Boys. I knew it was a popular show, but I never assumed it was they type of show that 2,000 Brits would go crazy over… I mean they were just 60’s American pop-stars (nothing compared to their own bands like The Beatles or the Rolling Stones if I’m being generous). I seriously thought that these women I was sitting behind were going to take their tops off for these actors (actors- not even the real Four Seasons). Audience members on all sides of me were clapping to 5 different beats to every single song. It was just ridiculous. But nonetheless, still a good show.

Though I rarely ever needed to navigate while I was on Europe Semester, I have realized during this week how much better I am at it now that I have been on that trip. But I suppose the only thing to do with my directional challenges was to improve (I was pretty damn awful). I think the next four months will be an adventure just discovering the ways my European adventures have shaped me. There are the stereotypical changes of being more globally minded, seeing other religions in a new light, and having the Bible ‘come alive’ in Israel etc etc. Now those are all things we could all use transformation in, but I am not altogether sure that those will be my changes. I would like to think of myself as somewhere outside those boundaries of learning. I will like to sit hear and wait for those changes to unravel into some kind of mess that will be my new self. We are always a beautiful mess though aren’t we?

After London we flew to Dublin. We briefly explored the city and traveled to the Cliffs of Moher, small cities on the west coast, as well as Glendilough and the surrounding countryside. Last night I had the pleasure of meeting up with two of my friends from Europe Semester and getting drinks with them in Temple Bar- the last Euro Sem reunion in Europe ever.

I have wanted to see the hillsides of Ireland for many years now. Before I knew that green was my favorite color even, ha. It’s as beautiful as you would think. It’s as beautiful and peaceful as you’ve seen it portrayed. And isn’t that nice to know?

We stayed in a great hostel in downtown Dublin. Lucas who worked there was from Bakersfield and had in the last 10 years been to 65 countries. That is not the lifestyle for me. I have met so many people with that itch for travel: the more countries to scratch it the better. But I love the comfort of a home and the ease of being near those I love. I do not need distance or new food or strange languages to make me feel free or alive. The wind outside my door is enough for that. I merely long to see great mountains, long reaching meadows, tall forests, low, slow moving rivers, and fields of flowers. Lord willing I will one day settle down near to these and traveling to them will be no longer necessary.

But until that day, I will journey to places like Montana, Wyoming, Maine, the Great Smokey Mountains of the South, the Rockies of Colorado, and the Wicklow Mountains of this here Ireland. And I will be satisfied in their beauty.

concerning farewells

How do I say good-bye? I mean technically I already have. I am sitting in a hostel in Dublin and have now spent two days away from my Europe Semester family. I see everyone’s faces now and again, hear our jokes, remember our memories, and accidentally laugh out loud at them sometimes because they are just too good. I obviously cannot sum up this semester in a blog post but I feel compelled tell you how I feel now that it is all over. If you won’t listen who will right?

First of all, I am blown away by how well the semester went. I mean that sincerely. When I say everyone got along, I truly mean it. I do not believe I was in a dream-like state where in reality, everyone tolerated one another, but we had extreme cliques and dislikes. Obviously we had friends we were closer to, but dinner groups constantly got switched around as did the roommates; we were all comfortable with each member of the group despite our different personalities and backgrounds. Is that dropping heavily enough for you? 43 young people all getting along. Praise the Lord. Each week, each new city, I kept expecting drama to creep up on us. I thought, “surely, this is the week the honeymoon period will end and groups will start to form and people will be shut out etc etc.” That day never came. I am not sure if we ever had a ‘honeymoon period’, it was hard from day one, but it was always good. So so good.

Second, Vespers was one of the most memorable and shaping events of our semester. Every Sunday night we would meet together in our hotel/ hostel lounge/room, wherever we could find, and worship. We would sing, share, pray for one another, take Communion, and end with more singing. The sharing is what was so striking to me. Since our very first Vespers in Oxford, our group opened up their hearts and shared more than anyone expected. The level of vulnerability within our group was entirely a gift from the Lord. We were all deeply invited into each other’s struggles, pains, and joys. These are the nights we all the looked forward to and I would say these nights were the main reason we stayed the way we did. Without inviting the Spirit into our group at least once a week, I am convinced this trip would not have been even a fraction of as incredible as it was.

And lastly, I say it’s all over, but it is not over.

I cannot wait for spring semester to start when I will see everyone again and relive every good and bad moment we had on this trip. Hell, I can’t wait to get home during Christmas break and text them (never thought I’d look forward to texting so much). I really am firm in believing that Europe Semester was just a basis for these friendships, it did not encompass them. And sometimes I get anxious with the fear that people will not pursue each other, that there will be a few of us always striving to keep these friendships alive and we will eventually give up in exhaustion from trying.

But perfect love casts out all fear. The Lord has his hand over all of our relationships. He greatly desires our fellowship with one another. His perfect love saves us. Our group was not by any means perfect nor did we love perfectly, but when I remember how well we did love each other, and how much we love each other still, the fear ceases.