Kate Mena: Self-Pilgrimages

Now that we are half way through our semester, there is a range of emotion spread throughout the group. The honeymoon stage was over long ago yet some of our friendships are growing stronger by the day. Home-sicknesses has entered into our conversations and the sarcasm has increased now that we know each other's quirks and antics. For us seniors, senioritis has never hit so hard since most of us will be finished this December. Our juniors are either worried about spring housing and/or classes or wondering how the remainder of their time at Westmont will be as fruitful as England Semester. Then finally our sophomores are still exploring the opportunities ahead of them while being open to new and different possibilities. Basically, the general consensus is that we are all nostalgic since our experiences have been so surreal as time passes swiftly and naturally.
 

It's about that time when responsibility creeps into all of our minds, but for now, let's continue to be nostalgic.
 

Recently, all of us had our self-guided pilgrimage weekends. We left Birmingham and webbed throughout the United Kingdom. Some of us explored the villages of northern and southern Wales. Some stayed in England and visited places such as Liverpool to experience more of the legendary Beatles and some ventured to the coastlines of Brighton or the Isle of Skye. Some traveled as far as Ireland or Spain to the great cities of Dublin and Barcelona. During this weekend, we all had the opportunity to explore the idea of pilgrimage whether internal or external. I, like many students, have struggled with the concept of presence and how to achieve a mental and emotional presence during a busy and mobile semester that pushes for an ability to process quickly. I speak for many of the students when I say this self-guided pilgrimage could not have come at a better time.
 

Our pilgrimage course requires us to constantly ask ourselves "What am I being called to pay attention to today? Or this week? Or this semester?" I had the privilege of going to the small village of Betws-y-coed in northern Wales with one of my peers. I don't know how or why we chose this location and I don't think many other students could answer that either. However, all of us could probably answer, or at least attempt to answer the more important question of "looking back, why do you think God sent you there?" This questions has been a theme for our entire semester. We are all called to pay attention to and be receptive to God's will. With that said, take an hour out of your day to pick up a good book, go for a walk or do whatever it is you believe God is calling you towards and pay attention. Listen. See. God is calling you.