We finished our touring yesterday, and today is a travel day for many of us as we head home or continue our time in Europe. Greece has been an incredible experience and certainly one I will remember and cherish for years to come!
Many of us left the hotel at 3AM to head to the airport, though a few folks did get to sleep in 🙂 Most students are returning to Minneapolis, but others are heading to other places they call home and still others are enjoying the opportunity to continue their breaks in Europe by going to places including Italy and the UK.
The sunrise at the airport this morning
As I look back on this travel experience, a few special days stick out to me: meeting the nuns at St Paul, enjoying the orange farm, and seeing George pull phyllo in Crete. I’ve loved getting to know my classmates, Jason, and our sassy and fun guide, Gabriella, over this month. One of my favorite Gabriella out of context quotes (there are sooooo many, she’s a hilarious woman) is: military historians probably have an orgasm [at Marathon] or something!
For me personally, this trip has been a wonderful opportunity to understand the context and meaning of the New Testament on a deeper level. I have grown up with a Christian background, but lost touch with the church as I saw some Christians justify oppressions and imperialism with the Bible. Now, I can fully appreciate the Bible’s context, which helps reveal many of the ways the Early Jesus Movement responded to Rome and allows me to find calls of anti-imperialism and liberation throughout the pages of the New Testament. I know for many of us, this trip was a particularly tangible way to understand the context of the New Testament, as seeing how religion was incorporated into every part of the Greco-Roman world and visiting the ancient sites where Paul wrote to gave us new insights into the Bible and Early Jesus Movement.
Yesterday, in class, our amazing professor Jason told us that although it might feel like we are done traveling, we are taking a journey to go back home. And once we arrive, we can continue to explore new facets of our identities and learn about the wonderful world around us: this might feel like an ending but it is only the beginning of a long adventure.
Oles in Greece 2020 