So if I'm being honest, it's pretty hard to be tired of school when this is what your university looks like... There's so much history even packed in to this place I get to call my classroom while abroad. And for a couple minutes, I'd like to invite you to walk with me...
Throughout history, these buildings that form the campus have served as a convent and a prison (the latter perhaps an appropriate connection to many college students ;). Cloisters like this one date back hundreds of years and have their basis in religious tradition. This fountain is surrounded by a square pathway, lined with columns, that then branches out into various hallways now leading to classrooms. But years ago, priests and nuns would have circled this area, praying and going on a type of faith walk.
So for class, we had our own little journey around the cloister. My assignment was 12 laps to get away from distractions and just focus on the sacredness of simply walking and experiencing the present moment.
Though a bit odd, I soon settled in to the routine and in fact really enjoyed the simplicity of taking in this scene. It's amazing the things you notice when you actually really begin looking at something. After 5 or so laps, you'd think everything would be the same and mundane, but I found quite the opposite! Instead, my interest was piqued by little details I hadn't noticed before. Textures of the ground beneath me. The way the light hit at different angles. The lines and curves present in the architecture. The side of the fountain that for some reason kept dripping.
It was nice to just stop and walk. There was nowhere really to go. Nothing necessarily "new" to see, so instead of powering on for the purpose of accomplishing something, I got to walk for the sake of walking.
Yes it was a simple and short enough exercise, but it was also a lovely chance to just be and move or participate in "the art of sauntering" as my professor would put it.
To reflect, we were asked to capture a vision of our walk in the form of a haiku with which I will conclude our little walk today.