I have a feeling that Daniel and I would have gotten along pretty well.
Daniel was probably in his teenage years, early twenties at the most, when he was made to move to Babylon. The King of Babylon decided that Daniel should be trained in his palace and he was forced to leave behind his parents, his friends, his hometown, everything that was comfortable and known. He was chosen along with three other guys, but I’m sure he still felt very much alone.
The 24 of us that left our hometowns and everything known have been in a similar situation. Of course, we were not uprooted by the King of Babylon, and some would say that we knew what we were getting ourselves into, but we still know how it feels. To leave everything behind: parents, brothers, sisters, friends, boyfriends and girlfriends, families, teams, jobs, activities, school…everything we once knew. Leaving it all for a new country, a new family, a new school, a new culture, a new language, and a new way of life. We’ve attended the orientation, we’ve read the literature, we’ve been studying Spanish for years, we’ve done whatever we could think of in order to prepare…but nothing really prepares you for going abroad.
I remember sitting in the airport in Chicago with my sketchbook open on my lap, writing, ”This is it. I can’t turn back. We’re past security, our passports and visas have been checked and stamped, there is no turning back. It doesn’t feel real yet, though.” We boarded our plane, stashed our bags, and took our seats. The flight attendants demonstrated the proper safety procedures and walked up and down the aisles asking everyone to put their tray tables up and to ensure that their seats were in the upright position. The plane began to taxi toward the runway, and the pilot asked over the loudspeaker that we turn off all electronic devices in preparation for takeoff. Cameras, iPods, laptops, video games….and cell phones. That is where it became real. Turning off our cell phones meant the end of our connection with the United States and everything we knew.
I am convinced that nothing can really prepare a person for living and studying abroad. You can read up on the culture, practice the language, and speak with others who have gone abroad, but nothing will prepare you for the feeling of being alone. That first night living with your host family? One of the most awful nights of my life. I had no idea what I had gotten myself into and I wanted to hop a plane back to the States immediately.
Not to worry, the experience has improved since that first night. Some days are worse than others, but that is to be expected. I am of the opinion that the group of people that you go abroad with will make or break the experience. In our case, the group has made it. I feel that we have become a family. We look out for each other and take care of each other. We have to. We are all we have.
I sure hope that Daniel and the three other guys were able to bond as much as we have. Being away from home is by no means easy, but having a support system to lean on when things get tough makes it easier. They make the time go faster.
Sometimes, being here in Spain has felt kind of like being in a lion’s den. Except instead of being trapped with literal lions, like Daniel was, we are trapped with our own emotions. It’s funny how when you feel like you’re alone, the situation gets exponentially worse. I don’t speak for everyone here. Some have been having the time of their lives; others have more lions in their den than they can count.
It’s an interesting thing, this lion’s den. We were thrown in, but we are by no means trapped, as Daniel was. I have stood at the door of my den many times, planning to leave it and go back home. God kept me here, though, and often worked overtime to do so. In the same way that He had a plan for Daniel in the literal den of lions, He has a plan for each of us here in Spain. And while He works on carrying out His plan, he has shut the mouths of our lions: fear, loneliness, frustration, exhaustion, anxiety, depression, sadness…you name the emotion, and one of us has probably experienced it here. But “experienced” is the key word: we have felt it, but we have not been overcome by it. The literal lions probably had every intention of devouring Daniel. That was, after all, their job. But God shut their mouths and kept Daniel safe.
And He has promised the same thing to us. “Never will I leave you. Never will I forsake you.” Never will I let your lions overcome you.
Studying abroad is 2% schoolwork and 98% teamwork. We went from 24 students from 24 backgrounds, to classmates, to friends, to a family. We look out for each other, we support each other, we care for each other, we throw each other into the Mediterranean Sea, we encourage each other, and we pray for each other.
The team is what kept me here these past 108 days. Whenever I would look out of my lion’s den, I would think, I actually could leave. I could really leave, right now, nothing is keeping me here. But that wasn’t true. The team was keeping me here. I didn’t want to give up on them; they had not given up on me. God always gave me the strength to turn back to the den and face the lions, and I am convinced that He will continue to lend me His strength.
To all of my Spain classmates: You are all awesome. I wasn’t so sure about some of you at the beginning, but I have come to love all of you. Even if we aren’t the closest of friends here, I honestly cannot imagine the semester without you. We have made it through 108 days, and we will make it through 26 more. We’re doing it.
To my girls: Thanks for keeping me here. Thank you for your encouragement, prayers, well-timed hugs, and laughs. Thank you for sitting in the lion’s den with me. I hope that I have been at least half the blessing to you as you have been to me.
“I always thank my God when I remember you in my prayers.” -Philemon 4
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