Finding Luther
The first time I visited central London was just days after I arrived. It was that day that I experienced a very strange phenomenon. I was standing right in the middle of Parliament Square, towered over on all sides by attractions of mass interest– Big Ben, the London Eye, the statue of Churchill, double-decker buses galore. I felt an overwhelming sense of awe and appreciation for the mass doses of culture I was taking in all at once. And yet, something crept in from the back of my head. A twinge of uneasiness. It was odd. I couldn’t understand what my own body was feeling. I am exactly where I want to be, so why should I feel any bit of unrest? Looking back on it later, I realized that what I was feeling was some brand of imposter syndrome. It stung to love a culture so much, but to feel I’d never truly be a part of it because of my heritage; like I would always just be an observer on the outside, a tourist in every sense of the word.
Three weeks later and I haven’t felt that feeling since. It’s come to the point where, at least when I’m on campus, I feel comfortably assimilated. I’ve made my one-person dorm room feel a bit more like home by fancying it up with posters and books and things of my interest. I’ve grown close enough to my flat mates that I (hardly) don’t even notice their British accents anymore. Though, they often remind me of my own background whenever I say phrases like “dude” and y’all.” I think their fascination towards American culture has actually fueled a pride for my country that I didn’t have before. I’ve walked around campus enough times to familiarize myself with its geography, which isn’t to say that I’m used to its beauty yet. Every time I walk to class, I get to take in all sorts of awesome sights. First, is the oldest artifact of campus: The Grove House (pictured left). It used to be a manor, but was repurposed as a classroom hall. Its Victorian-style pillars and statues make it stand apart from the rest of campus, and its centrality makes it a popular hang-out spot for students. Then, I pass from the manmade to the God-made through the lush green nature trail that wraps around a pond (pictured middle). This, on the other hand, is a popular hang-out spot for the local foxes and cranes of the campus.
Apart from campus (and Five Guys), I’ve found comfort in other places too. Namely, I got a taste of home when I visited Pastor Hartman’s mission church here. The congregation was so welcoming, which brought me hope for the future of the mission. It was also a very unique experience to sing “A Mighty Fortress Is Our God” in St. George’s (pictured right), the oldest German church in Britain. I honestly didn’t think I hear that song during my trip. It’s during experiences like that that I’ve come to terms with the fact: I can be at the same time proud of where I came from and proud to be where I am. Those things don’t have to be mutually exclusive.
Riding the Curve
On the day after my arrival in London, we had an orientation during which an advisor pulled up an image of the “Study Abroad Emotional Curve.” It’s a model that I’m sure many-a-study abroad student has encountered– one that starts at a high, only to dip down to a lull of depression and homesickness, but then rise up again to familiarity. As I sat there taking it in, it dawned upon me that I had realized the entire path of this curve in just the first day of arriving in London. On the bus ride to the University, I didn’t have any worries. I was talking to people who could speak my language. And not only could I understand the English folk I had just met, but they were willing to joke about the differences between America and the UK, like our high school cheerleaders and pep rallies or their fries being chips (being crisps). At that point, it seemed like this would only be a slight adjustment for me, and only to largely silly or inconsequential things.
Further into the day, I realized there were in fact bigger hurdles to jump over. When I went to buy groceries, the cashier would not let me purchase my food because I didn’t have a signature on my card. When I finally got things sorted out, I got off on the wrong bus stop and had to walk twenty minutes with a week’s supply of food. So sure, there was a noticeable culture shock, but nothing to completely throw me off. It’s only when I arrived at my dorm that it set in– the depression phase. I hadn’t felt homesickness since my first week of boarding school as a high school freshman, so this completely threw me for a loop. I hadn’t gotten anyone’s number that I met that day. I had to come to grips with the fact that it doesn’t matter how big the city is or how many people you are surrounded by. You can be lonely anywhere.
I was about to take an early night that night, until my flat rep (that’s what they call RAs here) comes knocking on my door and invites me to come meet everyone else in the flat. From this small act of kindness, things started looking up. They only got better when I found a permanent group of about 6 other people who were willing to travel. This was a relief as I had been stressing about traveling alone. Since then, we have done several of day trips, visiting many hotspots, such as the London Tower and the Buckingham Palace. It is amazing that even flats on the side of the street have more architectural flair than most buildings in America. My personal favorite stop so far has been the British Museum, which has so many exhibits that it could be toured in several days. Not to mention it’s free! It was surreal to see ancient artifacts, such as the Rosetta Stone or the Shalmaneser’s Black Obelisk standing so casually in front of me. Pictured above is our trip to central London. From left to right, they are Truvail (from Chicago), Rajnah (from Sydney, Austrailia), Ehsan (from Fars, Iran), me, Anthony (from Sydney, Australia), Lunden (from Georgia, despite her namesake), and Hattie (from Michigan). It is refreshing to be traveling with people from various backgrounds, but also comforting to to be with fellow Americans who can relate to my experience.
I know that the rest of my trip won’t be complete smooth sailing from here on out. I have already faced a share of road bumps (that’s a mixed metaphor, I know). But I have made connections with people solid enough that I can share my faith comfortably. This is a real blessing, and in my estimation, a sign of a positive trajectory moving forward.
Blessings, Joe
Preparing for Takeoff with Ted Lasso
In the past weeks, I’ve been binging Apple TV’s Ted Lasso. In many ways, it is a show that came to me at a perfect time. It follows the efforts of a happy-go-lucky American football coach with a southern twang as he ventures into the chaotic world of the British soccer– sorry, football– scene in London. While there are all sorts of messages to reap from the show, what stands out the most to me are its lessons on “expectations vs. reality.” Ted expects things to go his way through the sheer force of his optimism. He knows nothing about the rules of soccer and doesn’t look into them because he has the “right attitude.” And that’s enough, isn’t it?
I think I’m a lot like Ted. The obvious connection would be the fact that I am also an American who is flying off to London without many familiar faces by his side. However, I also share the spirit of Ted, for better or for worse. Last semester, Mrs. Kassuelke asked those of us who would be going abroad to fill out a “goals and expectations” sheet. It was at that point that I realized: I don’t really know what I expect. Sure, I want to go to London for broad reasons– to gain independence or a new perspective, to make new friends– but I never really thought about how that would realistically work out. I figured, the “right attitude” would get me through.
I came to understand the importance of specific and realistic goals for my trip. They will allow me to look back more objectively at the progress that I’ve made. For example, I know I want to hear the perspectives of people with different backgrounds than me, so I made a goal to meet five people, each from a different country, and hear their stories. To enrich my knowledge and understanding of these different cultures, I also made a goal to visit at least three countries outside of England. I’ve found it helps with motivation to have numerical goals, so that I made sure to do. I figured there is nothing wrong with throwing a couple of fun, personal goals in there too. I hope to take a rowboat ride in Venice and to taste fresh Parisian bread!
Aside from positive expectations, this activity forced me to acknowledge fears I might have going in. I honestly didn’t think I had many until considering the possibilities. Also like Ted Lasso, I tend to be someone who doesn’t even consider the worst case (or even just a bad case) scenario, until it hits me in the face and I’m not sure how to handle it. I came to realize that it isn’t being negative to acknowledge possible troubles, but instead, it is safe and healthy, because it allows you to be mentally prepared to deal with it.
One of my biggest fears is that I will say or do something that is normal in America, but when said or done in England, is insensitive. I would hate to be viewed as a rude, or even prejudiced person. To avoid this happening, it will be important for me to tread carefully in cultural waters that I am unfamiliar with. In other words, I plan to get familiar with the environment before getting too comfortable with it. And if I do make a mistake, which is inevitable, I hope to acknowledge it right away and make proper amends.
With my fears sorted out and my goals ahead of me, I eagerly anticipate my arrival in London in just one week. Until then, it’s on to Ted Lasso, Season 2!
-Joe Cloute
From the Dells to Deutschland
This was my first time across the pond!
For some reason, I always make things more scary and harder in my mind. I thought it would be a huge monumental thing and difficult to get here. I’ll admit I was a little underwhelmed by how seemingly easy it was, just because I imagined things to be much harder in my mind. I suppose many others think the same way.
On the way, I kept forgetting that I was in Europe, especially when I was in the airports. Once you’ve been to a few airports in America, you pretty much get the gist of how things work in European airports, too. It sure makes traveling a lot less intimidating. I was sitting in the Paris airport and looking at the nice green hills. When the plane took off from Paris to Berlin I saw some nice towns and farm fields and churches, when it hit me that these were French towns and fields and churches! I was in Europe now!
The tricky part came when I landed in Berlin and had to find my host family since they could not come and pick me up. The train system was very intimidating, and I was operating off one hour of sleep, but I somehow I was able to get on the right train and made it to their house. My living situation is very nice, since I want to practice my German and I am living in my host family’s basement with a Polish lady who can only speak German and Polish, so I am getting lots of German practice!
I also am seeing many cool sights, which was one of my personal goals. (The German word for tourist attraction literally means, “place worthy of seeing”) I had a few free days before orientation started to I went and saw the Brandenburg Gate and the Reichstag, I also walked the entirety of Park Sanssouci the next day! For reference, that’s about the size of Central Park in NYC. I apologize, I am not the best at taking pictures but I also want to get better at that while I am abroad!
Something I that truly surprised me was the amount of time spent on trains. In the small community of the Wisconsin Dells area, there isn’t much in the way of public transportation. Now I spend around two hours a day on trains! After being here for a week and a half, trains aren’t so scary anymore, and I would rather sit on a train for an hour than drive an hour to go to school everyday.
Here are some photos of the places I saw, there should be more coming!
A Piece of My Heart in Greece
My Greek adventure is wrapping up quickly, and in a few short days, I’ll be back home in Wisconsin. In my last moments, I am soaking up the Greek sun, studying for my final exams, enjoying quality time with people who have become good friends, and visiting all my favorite places for the last time. Furthermore, it is the perfect time to reflect on my entire experience in my last blog.
As I look back on the last four months, I realize I have grown tremendously during this study abroad experience. I am most proud of overcoming my worries, fears, and anxieties of living in a different country halfway around the world by myself. One of the goals I created before leaving for Greece was to develop self-confidence and independence. I truly believe I have accomplished this goal by being intentional about going out of my comfort zone. Almost every day, I experienced something new. I learned how to navigate the little and big things of living in Athens, like public transportation, the language barrier, shopping, restaurant/cafe culture, Greek holidays, and school. I successfully traveled to places in Greece independently. I had challenging conversations with people about God, which has helped me become more confident in sharing my faith with others. When I showed my family around Athens and other parts of Greece a couple of weeks ago, I realized how much I have grown personally and how the city and the culture have become a part of my own.
Becoming more independent and confident has come with developing new habits and mindsets during this experience that I would like to continue in my life in the U.S. Some daily living routines I have really enjoyed in Greece are cooking, yoga, and journaling. I have been more intentional with my time here, but at the same time, not worrying about time at all. Prioritizing my time with what’s important has helped me slow down and be fully present. One of those priorities is spending quality time with people. Additionally, when I return to the U.S., I want to keep experiencing new things and traveling. There are so many places to visit, new things to try, and people to meet at home and in our country. I’ve realized from talking with people abroad how little of the U.S. I have actually experienced. I have the travel bug now, and I don’t think I’ll ever lose it. Most of all, I have developed the habit of being in God’s Word and prayer during my morning breakfast, which I have not been very consistent with before studying abroad. Starting my day with God has made all the difference.
Overall, I am very satisfied with my experience, but there are a couple of things I wish I did differently or did more of. One is developing friendships with more Greek people. I met many Greeks at ACG, in the community, and while traveling. I had many meaningful conversations where I learned much about Greece and other worldly perspectives. However, I became good friends with just one, Athina, a student in one of my classes, whom I wrote about in a previous blog. I wish I had stayed connected with more of the Greeks I met at church in Agia Paraskevi. Also, it would have been beneficial to put more effort into learning Greek phrases before arriving. Since most Greeks know at least a little English, it was easy not to take advantage of the opportunity to communicate with the little Greek I do know.
Studying abroad is an experience that I highly recommend students consider. By planning ahead and being intentional, an individual can grow tremendously and make the most out of new experiences. I thought about studying abroad in Greece in high school, but I seriously looked into the possibility during my freshman year at MLC. Mrs. Kassuelke guided me through helpful ISA resources and all that must be considered to study abroad. I moved around my program plan at MLC to save the courses that would transfer from the college in Athens to MLC for a semester abroad. I also intentionally saved money for studying abroad early. Being intentional is one of my biggest pieces of advice while being in the study abroad semester. If you live and study in a different country without being intentional, you will gain little growth. If you feed yourself with God’s Word, set goals, increase your knowledge about the culture and country, put yourself out of your comfort zone, and reflect on your experiences, you will gain much more.
Even though I came to Greece alone, I was never alone. There is nothing like studying abroad to make you realize God’s omnipresence. He’s in the incredibly kind Greek who helped me, an utterly lost foreigner, find my way when they could have pushed me away. He’s in the successful and safe traveling to new places throughout the semester. He’s in the breathtaking sunsets emerging from the mountains I look at daily from my apartment’s balcony. He’s in the study abroad students I met at the beginning of the semester who wanted to start a weekly Bible study together. He’s in the Christians I met at a church who love and serve Him, and sing familiar hymns in Greek, which make me tear up a little. He’s in the family and friends from home who check in on me and point me toward Him when I feel homesick and lonely. God’s hand was evident as he provided and remained in control of all things.
I can’t count the number of times I have said, “God is so good” this semester. Even in the lowest times, God comforted me with his abiding love and eternal promises. The day before I flew to Greece, I was told my mom had been diagnosed with cancer. That night was an emotional and spiritual battle for me. I had no desire to study abroad anymore. Thankfully, my mom found out a few days later that it was stage one cancer. She still had a long journey of appointments, surgery, and treatments ahead after that. God’s unfathomable timing was evident again as my mom was able to visit me in Greece a few weeks ago because her treatment finished about a week before traveling. Hugging my mom felt like the best feeling in the world. God is so good. He listens to my prayers. Even though I may not understand, His thoughts and ways are always higher than mine.
It is now time to say goodbye to the country, culture, and people I have grown to love. Greece will always have a piece of my heart, and I know that someday I will come back to visit it. As for now, I pray the impact of this study abroad experience will continue to positively influence my life forever. Thank you, God, for the tremendous blessings you have given me!
And thank you for taking the time to read my blogs! I pray you enjoyed reading them as much as I have enjoyed writing them.
God’s blessings to you always!
Morgan
