Last week in England

This week we are winding down, and the students have their final presentations tomorrow.  My students are creating their own definition of what Gothic is.  Molly actually said that she realized what cultural relativism really means after having been to so many countries.  She said its just that people do things differently, and it it's all okay.  Molly is the one  in the hoody.

Isn't study abroad great?  Another student, Sarah, comments that doing study abroad has allowed her to become more courageous.  She says it helped her come out of her shell and try new things she never thought she could do.  Isn't study abroad fantastic?  Sarah is the one with the wonderfully red hair. 

This week we had our final conferences with all the students asking them, "So, how has study abroad changed you?". Okay, so how has this trip changed me?  Interestingly enough, I have learned to have a lighter hand and a quieter mind.  I can more clearly see where people's fear comes from, and what effect that fear can have.  I feel like a wandering mendicant with my experiential begging bowl.  Some of the students complain that the novelty of the new cities and the manor house wears off too fast, but I feel like I have rediscovered the constant renewal of novelty in everyday life.  Here at Harlaxton, we have bacon and eggs every day for breakfast.  Everyday, I get my little saucer of bacon and egg,  and it is as divine each morning as it was the day before.  Oh delicious breakfast!  I walk through the halls of Harlaxton and smell the past in the walls, and it is so much fun every single time.  We went to Kew gardens and it was as deliriously beautiful as it was the first time.  

So as I get older, and more practiced in being in the moment, I find that I have more joy and patience.  I also think that being well rested, joyful, and patient leads to more compassion for the suffering of others.  I used to think it was my responsibility to take it away from them, but that's not nice.  It is better to be a sympathetic witness.