SSU Travels the World

Our trip to Asia has been a truly enlightening experience. Not only do I know all there is to know about Buddhist temples and Southeast Asian history (ok, so maybe that’s a bit of an exaggeration), but I have also experienced cultures that have taught me extensively about humanity and have inspired me in my own passions through the various nuances of everyday life. I have learnt about sustainable living from one of our speakers, Jeff Rutherford, and about simplistic living from my Filipino and Malaysian host moms. While it is interesting to know about the many kings of Thailand and their history, it is the lessons on sustainable and simplistic living that will (hopefully) have a lasting impact on my life.
Asia has taught me a lot, but above all I have learnt about community. I know that our class certainly isn’t a perfect community but what my experiences in Asia have shown me is that we, as a class, are willing to strive for something deeper. We went into the Asia trip very divided, there were clear lines separating one group from another. As we travelled together, we learnt about each other; we discovered how to bridge the gap that divided our class into their two extremes and how to love (or understand, or have grace for, or be patient with) the individuals that just seemed so different from ourselves. It has been three weeks since we’ve been back and still I am amazed at the connectedness of our class.