This week in class, we watched an incredible movie called "The Way" about one dad's journey to finish the modern pilgrimage that took the life of his son. It's truly a touching film about Dr. Avery connecting with his son (Daniel) and something that was so meaningful to the younger - travel. You see the son at the start so eager to soak up everything the world has to offer, and his doctor father disapproving.
Along "The Way" though, Dr. Avery begins to have a change of heart, and you begin to see him open up to the world around him as he walks the miles of the pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela. Openness. This was one of my biggest takeaways from the whole movie. Dr. Avery was so narrow-minded initially in his thinking of what it meant to be successful in life. He's unhappy that Daniel quits getting his PhD and misses out on such a huge part of his son's life. Yet walking "The Way" really begins to open his eyes so that Dr. Avery can find true joy and meaning.
I also love Daniel's thought that to really experience the world, you have to get out and see it. He offers this to his dad for his reason for quitting school, and I personally relate so much to this desire to just go. After my first study abroad experience, I got a major case of the travel bug and haven't looked back since.
Traveling and especially pilgrimage is such an amazing way to connect with other people. You get to learn about different cultures and backgrounds. You hear different stories and understand a different way of life. Dr. Avery learns this as he connects with his newfound travel buddies along the way. I think there's something so valuable to be learned from others from different countries, and it's definitely one of my favorite parts of going abroad!
As I reflect on the movie and the idea of pilgrimage, I've been challenged to evaluate my own position here and reflect on whether or not I'd consider myself a type of pilgrim.
To be completely honest, I'd say both yes and no. If we are considering a pilgrim to be someone who travels with intention (historically, a religious one), then part of my study abroad experience for sure counts as this. In class, I wrote that I was a pilgrim because:
"...I'm here to learn. To learn about Viterbo and Italy and their pasts. The culture, food, and language. To learn about myself - my interests, values, who I am, and who I want to be, my faith. All of this is a learning experience and helps bring me more in touch with myself and the world around me which is definitely an outcome of a pilgrimage."
So in this sense, dramatic or not, I like to think that I'm at least in part participating in an adventure like "The Way." My only hesitation in completely calling myself a pilgrim is that I do think my travel might be a bit more casual than historical pilgrimages. I realize you don't have to be walking barefoot for miles a day to travel with intention, but I think my focus is less intense at times than a pilgrim would have. In "The Way," Dr. Avery sets out with Daniel's ashes with a very specific goal and keeps learning along the way. For me, my journey is a bit looser and less structured which at least for where I'm at, is more important than obsessing over a specific "path" to take with my life and summer.
I have goals for travel, but I'm also trying to take time to just refresh. I wrote that "I'm getting away from my home, my comfort zone, and my sense of normalcy..." here which allows me to learn a lot. I also just gives me a break from my regular responsibilities. With this, I've caught up on sleep, enjoyed Netflix, and actually read books for fun. While I've had plenty of time for touristy travel and learning opportunities, I've appreciated the time to pause too and step away from it all, and I don't know if pilgrims would have done that in the same way.
Either way, I'm so grateful to be here and excited to see what else Italy has in store to teach me. Buona notte from Viterbo!!!