I had no idea of what the trip to London was going to be like when I signed up for it. I mean, I knew it had something to do with learning about history, which already interested me, but I didn't know what the actual experience would be like. I ended up learning, not only about the history of London, but about many other topics.
To me, the common thread in all the activities we did on the trip was politics. To be fair, politics tends to be the common thread in everything I'm passionate about, but I still think one could make a pretty good argument as to why it's true. We learned about ancient battles over the sovereignty of land, the significance of the Royal family in the past and present, the involvement of England in World War II, and the role of an institution like the British Parliament. Even the White Cliffs of Dover were used as a political instrument during the war, as we discovered in the documentary. After all of our experiences, I was forced to think about the meaning of democracy, particularly after we witnessed the Brexit march first-hand. Not only did I become more aware of my newfound role as a voting citizen, but I was also reminded of my own country's political problems.
Above all, learning about the history of an English city made me a lot more aware of the differences between U.S. and Europe. Although the most practiced religion in the U.S. is Christianity, it's not comparable to how deeply entrenched the religion was (and continues to be) in European culture. Visiting places like Westminster Abbey and St. Paul's Cathedral reminded me of why I became interested in religion in the first place, and deepened my admiration of both religious knowledge and religious art. Because the trip not only gave me a chance to absorb new information, but inspired me to improve my understanding of what I'm already passionate about, I'm confident that moving forward I'll use all the knowledge I gained. There are many things I want to do now--learn more about Western religions, develop my comprehension of latin, and read more English literature.
Overall, I'm glad I waited until my senior year to travel with the school, because I had the opportunity to choose a trip I could genuinely take advantage of. Now that I'm able to look back on everything that happened during the ten days we were living in London, I realize that, in addition to furthering my knowledge and interest in politics and religion, I built a few new friendships with students I wouldn't normally approach at school. I'm thankful for the success of the trip, and I think this is a great way of ending high school.
To me, the common thread in all the activities we did on the trip was politics. To be fair, politics tends to be the common thread in everything I'm passionate about, but I still think one could make a pretty good argument as to why it's true. We learned about ancient battles over the sovereignty of land, the significance of the Royal family in the past and present, the involvement of England in World War II, and the role of an institution like the British Parliament. Even the White Cliffs of Dover were used as a political instrument during the war, as we discovered in the documentary. After all of our experiences, I was forced to think about the meaning of democracy, particularly after we witnessed the Brexit march first-hand. Not only did I become more aware of my newfound role as a voting citizen, but I was also reminded of my own country's political problems.
Above all, learning about the history of an English city made me a lot more aware of the differences between U.S. and Europe. Although the most practiced religion in the U.S. is Christianity, it's not comparable to how deeply entrenched the religion was (and continues to be) in European culture. Visiting places like Westminster Abbey and St. Paul's Cathedral reminded me of why I became interested in religion in the first place, and deepened my admiration of both religious knowledge and religious art. Because the trip not only gave me a chance to absorb new information, but inspired me to improve my understanding of what I'm already passionate about, I'm confident that moving forward I'll use all the knowledge I gained. There are many things I want to do now--learn more about Western religions, develop my comprehension of latin, and read more English literature.
Overall, I'm glad I waited until my senior year to travel with the school, because I had the opportunity to choose a trip I could genuinely take advantage of. Now that I'm able to look back on everything that happened during the ten days we were living in London, I realize that, in addition to furthering my knowledge and interest in politics and religion, I built a few new friendships with students I wouldn't normally approach at school. I'm thankful for the success of the trip, and I think this is a great way of ending high school.
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