Why Am I Doing This?

With my back against the Italian Consulate's proverbial wall, I have to keep reminding myself what I'm going to be doing in Rome and why I want to be doing it. Fortunately, a friend of mine came through with this article about a local university that sends students to Rome for a semester. I think one of its best points is this paragraph:

"Making the out-of-the-classroom experience complete for our students in another culture is also being willing to embrace the cultural differences and the little, ordinary things that make the student’s experience a meaningful and memorable one. Hence the purpose of living and studying abroad is for the students to expand their horizons and view our world from a different perspective. As Rome was not 'built in a day,' it cannot be enjoyed and absorbed in a day either."

What a fantastic reminder about why abroad experiences are important! This is part of the intention for the Graduate Preaching Fellowship - that future leaders of our church are able to spend time in another place and context to give their preaching and ministry further depth and dimension. The act of living in another place uproots someone in such a way that they not only have to find who they truly are, but what this new place means for them.

Even if I never get a chance to leave Rome (something which I hope is not the case, since I really want to see the rest of the country and region!) there would be plenty of living to do in the Eternal City for a year. After all, part of my intent in choosing Rome for the Fellowship was to be in a place so rich in history, culture, religion and architecture that I could learn just by living in the area. Add to that the first-rate religious education I get to take part in, and you've got a resounding recommendation for Rome.

So I'm willing to keep plugging through the bureaucracy on my way to an exquisite year in Rome. Here's hoping Chicago sees it the same way!