by Katy Wall | Summer 2023 |
Traveling is a unique opportunity to know myself better. I have traveled a lot in my life, many thanks to my family, and I have found that travel often brings on transformation. In Oxford this July, I soaked in every moment of learning and reflection I could get. I went to Oxford to take an English class about Jane Austen’s six novels with eleven other girls. It was my second time studying abroad with ACU, so I was expecting more of the same: some interesting group trips, some new friends, and an overall good experience. What I got was one of the most peaceful, lovely months of my life.
When I first arrived, the on-site director took us for a walk known as the Alice in Wonderland walk by our group. We saw the Treacle well that Lewis Carroll mentioned in his famous story and learned about how the land in Oxford is deeply connected with literature. As someone who loves literature of all sorts, children or otherwise, I was struck by this connection. I had never seen a story so inextricably linked with its place; it made me wonder about some of the other books I have read and loved. I pondered this same topic when I visited Stratford-upon-Avon, where Shakespeare lived and wrote, and when our class took a trip to Bath, where Jane Austen lived and wrote. I wondered how the streets I walked hundreds of years later laid the groundwork for universally loved stories.
Only a few days later, our group took a trip to London. While we were there, we had lots of opportunities to see and do amazing things. We saw The Comedy of Errors at the Globe Theater, where Shakespeare’s players performed the same show four hundred years ago; I was a groundling, as many common folk have been before me. I took a solo afternoon, wandering down streets full of shopping, making my way from place to place with the tube. I stopped in Hyde Park for a little while just to watch the many faces of London stroll through their everyday lives. I figured out a way to get back to the hotel without the luxury of cell service; as it turns out, the London Underground workers are very friendly.
Through this and many other experiences, like picking blackberries from the brambles on the sidewalk paths, I came to know and love the people of the world more fully. I also came to know and love myself more fully. Traveling affords me the chance to reflect on myself and my life. In Oxford, I did my best to learn the way of life there. I have returned with a deeper sense of awe for the world. Now, you will find me walking more—more slowly, more thoughtfully, more often. You will find me in my kitchen more, cooking for the people I love. You will find me with a book in my hand, digesting every delicious word. You will find me living more deeply.
