Well I’ve never been much of a blogger but here it goes…
I joined the last Europe trip two years ago in 2008, however, that time it was more of an audit/tag along situation. I listened to the lectures and presentations but did none of the work. Having now completed the first portion of the homework I realize I had a pretty sweet deal. However, I am looking forward to viewing the artwork and exploring the cities having now studied so much more about the places we’re going and the things we are seeing. I am also appreciating the fact that I know the group I am traveling with prior to embarking on this journey. One thing that I am apprehensive about is my past experiences forming expectations that could get in the way of how I choose to do things along the trip. I need to remind myself that this is a fresh experience and that I am with a new group of fellow travelers and I myself am not the same as I was the last time I was in these places. This trip will be unlike any other, and it will be a challenge and a blast!
Once again I find myself struggling to articulate the feelings I am experiencing before leaving for another SSU travel term abroad. I am filled with anticipation and excitement for traveling with a new group with new dynamics and fresh new places. I am also filled with feelings of uncertainty for what is to come, and how those new personalities and perspectives will affect the trip and my travel experience. I keep going back to something that Margaret Anne said in one of her lectures about the trip. She spoke about living out experiences “artfully”. To me this means living my life in every situation, whether that be simply enjoying a meal or standing in awe in front of a Picasso, with intentionality and purpose. One of my personal goals and challenges for this travel term is to remember this concept of artful living, and to appreciate every experience to the fullest. Even in those moments of uncertainty and discomfort I want be able to see the hidden beauty, and live my life deliberately.
The theme for the Europe Trip 2010 is the “Individual and community”. I didn’t think about that much when I first read it in our syllabus; in fact, I briefly considered how corny that sounded! This week, however, it’s been cropping up a lot, and I’m thinking about that deep, largely unplumbed concept with dread, anxiety, excitement, anticipation, fear, gladness—pretty much every emotion available.
In my first year, “thinking about community” was codename for going to the washroom ‘for a very long time’. In my second year, “thinking about community” meant sending one mystery slushy from Chiang Mai University’s meal hall around a circle of fellow classmates—we were all sick, so it never mattered if there was only one straw. Now, in my third year, community a much broader meaning for me—one I haven’t quite laid my finger on yet. I’ve spent the past week feeling like my brain was its own little storm system of emotions and reminders and forgotten reminders and unpreparedness. I’ve had moments of breakdown, moments of irrational insecurity, moments of exhaustion, moments of depression, moments of restlessness, moments of…well, you get the idea: I’ve been on a roller coaster of moments! But then, by chance, I overheard someone else mentioning that she felt the same way! After further discussion, half the girls on the girls’ hall had confessed to feeling some kind of distress over our coming trip. Someone suggested praying about it, and a few hours later we had gathered in an empty room and were compiling a lengthy prayer list. Just last night, I had three or four people helping me make a belated packing list as I obsessed over forgotten items which I immediately forgot again.
Tomorrow, I board a bus with these same people and cook and tent and sweat with them in the heat of a European summer for eight weeks. And I’m glad, and really nervous, and thoroughly challenged at the prospect of holding up my end of this theme of the “individual and community”, at the prospect of being part of a community that I’m already so in need of, and at the prospect of thinking about community with them in ways all too personal! So, here goes! Let the individual be vulnerable!
Leaving for Europe today. Last minute blogs…
I was talking to my mum on the phone last night, apologizing that I had not got a chance to catch up with her sooner because this last week has just been so busy. Errands all over the place, always last minute things to do… You remember something new every day. (I have already lost 5 to-do/get lists!) So, I was telling her about our orientation this week – it’s been so interesting to get prepped for all we are about to see and experience but at the same time, very overwhelming and intense.
My mother’s response: “Well at least you are getting practice being in tents.”
Good jokes run in the family…
Two minutes later my little brother came on the line and said: “Hey Margaret – European! Get it? You’re-a-peein’.”
Love those guys…
Since I am not nearly as funny as the rest of my family…
I’m excited by the challenges that this trip will present, and the room for growth and change it brings. I have only visited Europe briefly before, so I am looking forward to experiencing our Western tradition in a new way.
Hopefully, I come back with many more good stories, tidbits of information, jokes to share with everybody.
Leaving an empty room, an empty house, lots of unwashed dishes (thanks Jonathon!) and a familiar place, I move onward.
Europe 2010!! Here I come!!
Since the close of SSU’s Winter semester, my life has been consumed with saying farewell to friends, beginning (and completing) a plethora of Europe assignments, and tripling the size of my forearms by scraping paint from the exterior of an old New Brunswick home.
Yes, things have been fairly busy around these parts, and despite all the ‘hoopla’ that has surrounded the preparation for these next two months abroad, I realize that I have not yet had a real opportunity to consider how I feel about what lies ahead. I’m not sure whether I am filled with sheer delight at the thought of spending two months in Europe, or whether that feeling in my gut is just anxiety and hesitation.
And, in the short space of this blog, I have still not been able to figure it out. However, if the words won’t come to me, then perhaps the words of another might do better. I finish this meager entry with a poem by Carl Sandburg which, I think, speaks fairly well to that inexpressible feeling that dances through my spirit on the eve of this new adventure.
?The Road and the End
I shall foot it
Down the roadway in the dusk,
Where shapes of hunger wander
And the fugitives of pain go by.
I shall foot it
In the silence of the morning,
See the night slur into dawn,
Hear the slow great winds arise
Where tall trees flank the way
And shoulder toward the sky.
The broken boulders by the road
Shall not commemorate my ruin.
Regret shall be the gravel under foot.
I shall watch for
Slim birds swift of wing
That go where wind and ranks of thunder
Drive the wild processionals of rain.
The dust of the travelled road
Shall touch my hands and face
Well, here I am, writing my first blog for a Europe trip I wasn’t planning on being a part of when I started my second year in the Fall. Here I am, pondering what to write about with heavy eyes and a mind filled to the brim with new snippets of knowledge about brilliant artists, genius composers, the politics of the EU, language divisions, historical events both victorious for the human race and heartbreaking, and the list could go on. Here I am, in the midst of homework and classes, trying to make sure everything is in order: bags packed, ipod charged, another trip to the store, call credit card company, legs waxed, one more trip to the store… We catch a plane tomorrow and land in Spain and I have no idea what to expect. I have moments of normalcy when I feel like I’m just here at SSU going to school then it clicks in and I start thinking, “Is this really happening? Am I really getting ready to spend two months sleeping on the ground, strolling down cobblestone streets and standing before gigantic pieces of artwork, centuries old?” I am here.
My favourite moment of this week was the ‘ice breaker’ chapel. One hour of hearing a glimpse of where everyone was coming from, how we were all feeling, what we are hoping for. It broke the tension of what was unknown within each person and connected us — in that moment we became a group.
I look forward to seeing and experiencing all the growth ahead, individually and collectively.
Cheers!
Being able to travel once again I find myself feeling very privileged to be able to go to so many wonderful places, and experience so much. I am really looking forward to spending time in the different cities, visiting art galleries and spending time learning about European culture. I have wanted to travel to Europe for some time. These cities are so important, the history is so rich and there is so much tradition and culture. Spending time with so many of my friends for the second time will be a real privilege as well. I am so thankful that I will be able to spend my summer traveling through Europe seeing amazing sites. Places that holds such importance within culture and are so rich with history is amazing. Spending an afternoon in a wonderful city like London or Paris will be fantastic, It is slowly starting to become a reality that in less than twenty four hours from now I will be on a plane bound for Spain.
I have only been back home, here in St. Stephen for a week, and yet here I am leaving once again. I had spent the last term in Fort Mac, or ‘hell on earth’ as I like to call it. I have been looking forward to this trip to Europe for four years, since I was last there in 2006. The streets, the smells, the pizza, it all calls out to me, begging for me to return.
Today, I sit on my porch in the sun, beer in hand, writing this blog and I find myself wishing I could spend a little more time in my home town before setting off on another adventure. However, when it comes to it, St. Stephen only has so much to offer.
I have previously been on three other Europe trips with the SSU community. Every two years since I was 12, until I entered SSU as a student. Now finally feeling the burden of the work load I feel as if I deserve to be on the trip. For the first time I will be there, not as a under aged tag-a-long or small fry mascot, but as a student experiencing my dream like childhood in real time. From seeing new cities to actually researching the art that I have seen time and time again, this will be the first time that I have truly been to Europe. Also, did I mention Kendall likes flowers?
For me, Europe is a place once experienced as a child, and now, 11 years later, I will relive it as an adult. Europe to me is a memory, filled with mystique and allure, with the experience of having been fluent in a language with which I could interact with other kids my age in Neunkirchen, Germany (the language itself can only be recollected now in abstract terms). Back then, my brothers and I used the Deutsche Mark to buy snacks from the local corner store. We traveled across the continent with our family, and there are pictures in my mind of castles, monuments, gorgeous villas and marketplaces.
In less than a week, I will approach this great place, where can I expect to have both the sense of familiarity and newness, as an adult. The nostalgia will inevitably be mixed with novelty, and as an adult who has studied Europe in depth through the SSU curriculum, and as an artist who has now studied the history and the progression of art, my experience in Europe will surely be valuable beyond measure.
Chaim Potok’s insight into what it means to be an artist (as lived through the character Asher Lev) has been especially influential in how I will choose to absorb what I see around me. As Asher chooses to digest ‘new worlds’ and open up his mind so that he can integrate it into his art, the same philosophy will apply to me as an artist as I broaden my worldview, become exposed to dynamic aspects of culture, and view majestic pieces of art that have changed and refined this world.
Tomorrow afternoon I am leaving for Europe. Tomorrow afternoon one of my dreams is coming true. That is simply…unbelievable. Ever since I was a young girl, I’ve been fascinated with Europe. I have always understood that my ethnic roots are planted in European soil. As I scramble to tie up loose ends before I leave, I am incredibly excited for the trip.
On an academic trip, there are many extra tasks that do belong in typical European vacations. I must read books, write papers, keep an academic journal, give presentations and hear lectures from staff and faculty. It would be easy to despise all of the hard work that I have already done and the hard work that I am about to do, but I do not despise either of those things. Traveling SSU-style demands something unusual of a traveler. In an academic community like this one, that is trying to expand its worldview in a such a way as to be true world citizens, is a unique experience and it asks of its travelers—its pilgrims—to be more than tourists.
As I prepare to leave, I am challenging myself to remember the things that I have learned through the pre-travel study period. I hope to approach this trip with an open heart and mind, without conclusions drawn about the European people or historical events. Rather, I hope that my classroom education can be enhanced and nuanced by my experience abroad. I must be open to letting my travel experiences change me, and change I must.
A semester at home has made it quite difficult to come back to St. Stephen and continue on with student and community life all over again. I feel as if I’m just barely getting used to the idea of being around people all the time, and this makes me quite nervous about being in close quarters while camping and traveling in Europe with 35 of my peers. It was quite a challenge to buckle down academically while I was in BC, which has caused me some unnecessary stress and regret. However, now that our departure date is just around the corner, I finally feel semi-prepared for the academic portion of the trip, and have been trying to grasp how Europe will affect me emotionally, relationally, and spiritually.
After talking and discussing with a few people about their hopes for this Europe trip, I have better understood the attitude that I want to have going into it. Like many, I want to live and experience every site, walk, cafe, and conversation that I can. I have already stressed and fretted over the little trivial things, such as packing and preparation, and I don’t want to bring this kind of anxiety with me on the first leg of our European adventure.
It is tiring to try and understand how I am ‘coming into this trip’, by analyzing myself over and over, but I think I am beginning to understand the importance of it. I don’t want to over-think my time abroad, but I want to be mindful that my experiences can have the power to change me completely.
Travel again. Europe this time, not Asia, and I have to admit I’m excited. I get to travel with some of the greatest people ever, ramble all over Europe, try new things, take oodles of pictures and be a care-free student.
At the same time, I know it’s not always going to be fun and tourism. Dachau, for example, is a sobering thought. Still, I wouldn’t avoid the concentration camp: it is a part of our history and I don’t want to close my eyes at all. Maybe I can want to see it all because I haven’t experienced anything to put it in perspective. I want to fully understand everything I can, even the parts that I may not find interesting at present.
So, I feel like I’m in a state of expectation, waiting for it all to start, for it all to begin again. I’m caught in stasis, poking God and niggling at His big clock like a child. I really hope He finds it cute, because otherwise I’ve made a real nuisance of myself over the past few days 
So for many people that know me, i have been talking about the Europe trip since i found out that SSU did a term in Europe. I have been looking forward to this trip more than anything–like when we were going to Asia last year i was almost more excited about the fact that very soon i would be going to Europe, even though i was stepping on a plane and leaving for Asia. But now that i am in the last week before our class leaves to go to Europe I am blindsided by the trip. It is not as if I forgot about it, but i want things to slow down a little so i can get my bearings. I have been continuously overwhelmed with feelings of angst and doubts and not really knowing where it is coming from. I feel more comfortable now that i have been at SSU and seeing the things that i was learning by myself being put into place and that gives me comfort, knowing that i was on the right track most of the time. And my excitement is coming back and I really want to go and experience Europe for the first time. I desperately want to know Europe more because for some reason I feel it is a home away from home, even though i have no close family or friends living there; maybe this is because it has been where all my focus has been when studying at SSU. I just want to be as excited as I was when i first heard about the trip, or when i was about to board the plane a year ago to go to Asia. This strange feeling please go away.
It is really ironic that students in Canada learn so much about Europe but might never see it. Europe might even have a mythological element in our minds – as if it was not just another slice of geography. I think it is because most of us hear stories about our ancestors coming over from Europe, see posters of the imposing Eiffel tower, hear about our grandparents involvement in the two world wars, watch movies based on Europe in the medieval times, etc. We have these timeless connotations of “Europe” which help it seem like this mythical place across the ocean. That is until, maybe, when we start to hear about current issues happening in Europe. I guess in today’s interconnected world, Europe might be prone to lose its dreamlike quality.
Europe is very special, nonetheless, for me because my ancestors and my culture were imported from there long ago. Not that I will ever see the actual turnip farm Abraham Jebidiah Henderson the IV built, dwelt in, and sold for a nickel, before joining a movement to settle British North America. I will get see places my ancestors might have seen in their lifetimes, or at least the buildings and art from their era. It’s a way for me to connect with my family’s and culture’s past.
I forgot my retainer. I can already feel my teeth moving out of place.
Am I feeling a little directionless? Yes. Wondering where I fit into this giant, ever-changing world of SSU, Oakville, family and friends is becoming more and more of a struggle than an exciting venture.
Scattered.
I just want to get on that plane!
I’m really excited to go, but I feel like this is a pretty big crossroads in my life. This trip marks the middle mark in my SSU experience (much like a Wednesday), and I thought I had it all figured out, but now, it feels like the world is a whole new place and I’ve yet to experience it! Where am I going? Who knows. But I’m glad I’m doing it with these friends I’ve made over the past two years, and I can’t wait to make new friendships along the way.
I find myself beyond excited for this travel term, as I am looking at it in a completely different way than I looked at the Asia trip. With this trip I am planning on not over thinking anything, and just keeping a positive attitude the entire time. During the Asia trip I found myself being negative a lot, in regards to leadership, travel mates, schoolwork, weather, basically anything I could complain about, I did. With this trip I want to go in with a positive mind the entire time, focus on the good in everything. In other words, where I looked at Asia as a being big learning curve, and a challenge, Europe is more of a vacation. Don’t get me wrong, I am totally expecting to learn a lot and change who I am, I am just looking forward to fully experiencing everything about the trip, without letting myself get worked up over little things.
We’re off for Europe in less than 24 hours and I’m experiencing a multitude of conflicting feelings. I’m worried about the work I need to get done in that time, I’m excited to be back in Europe, this time with my class, and I’m unsure how I feel about some aspects of the trip that the school is pushing.
I have been to Europe before, but this time it will be with my entire class (and some extras). The good part is that I like my class, the bad part is that this feeling may change after two months of living (without breaks) in close quarters with all of them.
We will be living in tents for most of the trip, but I’ve done this for the past two summers so it doesn’t bother me. I actually like waking up in a 30 degree tent, which makes it impossible to indulge in those 5 extra minutes of sleep, putting on the shorts I’ve worn for the past 5 days, and crawling outside. Aside from some minor conflicts of interest, this trip really is my ideal way to see Europe.
Well, here we go again…once more it is time to leave this fair land in the pursuit of knowledge and adventure. Though this time ’round I find myself coming to the trip with a bit of uncertainty coloring my excitement.
The other day our group got together and had a time of sharing; we each were to share where we were coming from as we got ready to go to Europe. At first I found myself drawing a blank and then as more of my classmates shared I found that I didn’t really want to voice where I was coming from because I didn’t really want to admit it to myself.
One of the most common themes brought up was that this trip could be a good bonding time for our class. This brought up mixed feelings for me, because this was one of the seemingly unspeakable thoughts plaguing my mind. I have often found it difficult to make friends, and when I do, I find that I’m unsure as to where I stand with them. This uncertainty is mainly from past experiences when those I considered to be good friends used and abused me. Being tossed aside like worthless trash is hardly good for one’s self-esteem, but at any rate that’s where I stand.
In the deep, dark places of my heart I long for deeper relationships, but I also dread getting closer to my classmates because it will make it that much harder for me to leave them next year. There are those in my class who, sadly, I don’t really know and then there are those who I consider to be family. I want to be closer, but I fear the heartbreak that is sure to come.
And so this is how I begin this newest adventure, with fear and uncertainty and the faith that whatever happens God will see me through…
After all…what could possibly happen, living with a bunch of people on a bus for two months? 
I have never had a great appreciation for visual art. Certain pieces have appealed to me, others have not; simple as that.
As I progressed through the art history worksheet in preparation for the Europe trip, however, my interest began to mount. To understand something of the historical contexts, styles, and the artists themselves opens up an entirely new way of looking at both the art pieces and at the world. While taking a walk one evening in Winnipeg, I stopped to look at the pond in front of me. I began to imagine what Monet might have seen. The clouds were lavender, not white. The mallard floating in the pond, whose head I knew was green, looked black to me from my perspective. Likewise, I imagined what the world might look like through Picasso’s eyes. What sorts of shapes and angles make up any given object?
Gustav Klimt was especially intriguing to me. I had seen some of his artwork before. Much of it had appeared to be ornate, busy, and generally unappealing to me. His Beethoven Frieze was bizarre; I could not comprehend it simply by looking at it. His three paintings, Philosophy, Medicine, and Jurisprudence were more aesthetically pleasing, but I could not grasp his message. Nor could I understand why the paintings were so controversial in Klimt’s time. Was it simply the nudity? That seemed unlikely considering that nudity was nothing new in the history of art. After doing some research, however, I was blown away by Klimt’s skill and the depth of thought that went into each painting. Nearly every detail has a reason behind it. With just a little bit of explanation, it became significantly clearer why the paintings were controversial. It was not merely the fact of nudity in the paintings, but it was the boldness of it. Nor was it merely this that was controversial. Though commissioned by a leading university, Klimt portrayed the disciplines of philosophy, medicine and law as being relatively incapable of significantly contributing to human progress. What a bold move! I would have researched his life and works even longer had there been more time before we depart.
With this new-found excitement about art, I have a brand new reason to look forward to the upcoming travel semester.
So tomorrow I’m supposed to be flying off to Europe with my class from SSU, that is if a certain unpronounceable Icelandic volcano doesn’t decide to spew its tephra and ash again and bring air traffic to a halt…
Eyjafjallajokull
Although it’s not too likely that our trip will be directly affected, the volcano’s eruptions over the past month are a great reminder of how it’s not possible to completely control or predict what’s going to happen in our lives. In preparing for this trip, especially during the past week, I’ve found that it’s easy to get caught up with the minutiae of what to pack, which classes are when, etc. What I need to remind myself is that just like volcanic eruptions are initially destructive and yet form new ground, the stress of the assignments and studying that I have done in the past few weeks will form the foundation for a rich and fulfilling Europe trip over the next two months. If I have one hope for this time, it would be that I wouldn’t get lost in the mundanity of all the campgrounds, paintings, museums, and bus rides, but instead that I could really thrive in all situations, even if that means putting the “dan” back in mundanity!
Unlike most others, right now I am preparing for my first SSU travel experience. Having not traveled to Asia last year with the class this will be a totally new sort of experience for me within this community. While on one hand I feel that this leaves me at a disadvantage, I also see the possibility that this lends me an advantage of not having any preconceived notions of what traveling within this community ought to be like. In some cases I may be less well equipped than others and yet in other situations I may have a great ability to embrace Gregg’s f-word (flexibility). I am extremely excited to travel together with the community and learn. One thing in particular that I am excited about is spending time with the group at the campsites close together. Having lived off campus this last semester and having been away for so long, while I felt very connected at times, I was sometimes disconnected in different ways. There are many people that have been away or that I have not met that I am looking forward to reconnecting with during this totally new experience we are embarking on.
During my last week at home I hardly had any time to think or do anything aside from my Europe work. I would sit on my couch with books scattered around me, reading, thinking, writing, rereading, rethinking, and then rewriting. I was learning so much in such a short period of time and yet the more I would learn, the more I realized I didn’t know.
I have been excited to go to Europe since I first knew that SSU offered this trip. Mainly I thought about how much fun it would be traveling with a big group of friends (though I realize there will be times where I can’t stand it) and how amazing my experience would be through the exploration of cities I had only dreamed about. But as I prepare to leave during this week at SSU, I find myself growing more and more excited about the academics. I hope to get the most out of this trip (but who doesn’t?) and I am really looking forward to being able to go to these places of history in a mind where I know some of the background attached to them and with the eagerness to learn more. This pre-trip preparation, though tedious as it may be, has been invaluable in teaching me the generalities of art and European culture, while still leaving me with a thirst to know more.
In an ideal world I would have been thinking about my blog sooner than half an hour before the deadline. Then again, in an ideal world I wouldn’t spend 15 minutes trying to think of a witty opening line. Therefore, due to time contraints and brain farts this entry will be very rushed and raw. Actually, that is probably a good description of how I feel I am going to Europe. With so many assignments and readings, packing and last minute logistics, I haven’t had the time to mentally prepare myself to spend two months with the same 38 people, tenting, eating, riding a bus and walking through museum after museum after museum.
We talked the other day at one of our orientation sessions about the idea of being pilgrims. That really stuck with me, and I think it is how I want to live in Europe. I want to be intentional. Intentional about how I interact with my peers, intentional about how and where I spend my money and intentional about how and where I spend my time.
In an ideal world I would have more time to prepare myself to be a pilgrim, but then again in an ideal world I would have brilliant words to leave you with. Instead I will leave you with a few words from Enya’s song “Pilgrim”.
Pilgrim, how you journey
On the road you chose
To find out why the winds die
And where the stories go.
All days come from one day
That much you must know,
You cannot change what’s over
But only where you go.
Park Hall (SSU’s main campus building) is abuzz with activity as another SSU team prepares to leave this Sunday for their European study-abroad term. Four members of Faculty, three Staff, three Assistants and 32 students are making their last preparations for a two-month study tour of Western Europe. Students will visit world class cities in Spain, France, Italy, Austria, Germany, Switzerland, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, and the U.K. They will be exploring galleries and museums, cathedrals and architectural icons, important landmarks, and historic sites.
Follow along this summer as students and Faculty post about their adventures in education.
A friend of SSU, Heidi Turner, recently brought this article to my attention. For those of you who aren’t aware, Barna group is a well respected organization that constantly conducts studies to keep it’s thumb on the youth culture of today (not an easy task for anyone familiar with the ever changing aspects of youth culture).
I’ll give you a textual clip and let you head to the article to read the rest.
God and Global
Having a connection with God and international travel emerged as second-level priorities. Nearly three-quarters of teenagers felt they would have a close, personal relationship with God (72%) in the next decade or so. About seven out of 10 youths (71%) said they will definitely or probably have traveled to other countries by their mid-twenties.
Sounds to me like SSU is the kind of place that youth are looking for today.
check out page 2 on this link to see Gregg’s recent description of the travel study programs in christianweek.org.
if you thought the only thing you could get out of your travel semesters at SSU was a great experience and academic credit, check this out. Use photos, videos or words to talk about your most amazing travel experience! If you’ve been travelling with SSU, you should definitely have something to talk about. Verge is an interesting magazine to check out for those with an interest in travel, so give them a look.
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