This past January, I was able to study abroad for a class called Early Christian Cites in Greece, led by Dr. Jonathan and Stacey Moo. We were able to visit almost all of mainland Greece as a class despite the hurdles of the pandemic. I had never traveled abroad before, so the trip was a fantastic way to learn to travel with a spirit of adventurousness and cultural attentiveness.
I am someone who in many ways has always taken advantage of my educational opportunities at Whitworth, but never like this. I am a double major in English and Secondary Education with three minors, including the honors program. I enjoy learning about a lot of different things— especially in the humanities— and there was something fulfilling about seeing such rich history, art, and culture in person. I’d never witnessed anything quite like it, as each day seemed to top the previous one. The sheer amount of experiential knowledge that I gained on this trip was immense, and it seemed like each day we were diving into a new niche topic.
One day we were touring Byzantine churches, cramping our necks as we stared up at ceilings full of ancient icons in each space. Some of these pieces were immaculate, and the devotion that the early Orthodox church displayed through these visuals was evident. We saw around eight small churches and spent time staring and reflecting in each one. Each church clearly had its own theological and cultural influences depicted in the architecture and illustrations. The most profound thing that I realized here was how much these communities relied on visuals as they constructed their worldview and went about their faith.
And then another day we were hiking along the base of Mt. Olympus or perhaps climbing around on an old castle on the acropolis of Ancient Corinth. These adventures were an amazing change of pace as we scrambled on cliffsides, dipped our toes in the Mediterranean, and waltzed though olive groves. It was on these adventures where a lot of the community building happened in deep conversations and shared experiences of awe and wonder.
We saw everything from the Parthenon to the Oracle of Delphi to Meteora. I am still processing a lot of these memories, and I think I will be for some time. All of this was so different from anything I had ever done in my time at Whitworth, and I wouldn’t trade it for the world. There was something about traveling in community that forged my mind and heart in a new way. Traveling to Greece made me realize how small I am in the grand scheme of the world in all its history. The other side to that is that we get to live within the world and all its history. And the other side to that is that we get to live within this world as it already is and bring it to where it ought to be. The gift of traveling –especially for a class—is something that I can’t recommend enough. While I think Jan Term in any capacity can be a great experience, going to Greece was one of the best decisions I have made as a student thus far.