Oh the Places You’ll Go, Through the Lens of a Camera

It’s hard to believe that today is the end of week two here in the Holy Land.  By now, many of us have visited local shrines more than once: we know the longest routes and the shortcuts.  The excitement of outings sprinkled with classroom work and lectures has started to become routine.  In reflecting on the last two weeks, I find that the most profound moments haven’t been ones of exaltation, but in the daily living that we have begun to share together in our new environment.

We sure aren’t used to long bus rides together, but through that we have shared experience with each other about all facets of life.  The combination of movies and games that guys have brought have moved us out of our comfort zones to reach out to members in our class that we may know by name, but have never shared life with.  The back alley adventures through corridors of local butcher shops have given rise to laughter and inquiry.  In many ways, the beginning of this routine has become its own adventure.  We are beginning to see the hidden alleys of our classmates’ personalities that can be more obscured among a group of two hundred seminarians, like a fondness for Wes Anderson films or the chance encounter and knowing smile at the humble shrine of an abstruse saint.

As one of the ‘official’ photographers for the trip, I have had a very different perspective than many on this trip.  While I do snap a few good photos of the locations we are visiting, I have a unique perspective, in that my eye is constantly turned on my fellow classmates: to see their reactions, to capture their emotions, to give a cherished memory of a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.  Some of the sights we have seen have been mostly routine.  I can always count on one or two guys in our class to try and photobomb an otherwise idyllic scene!  Some of the other reactions, though, have been beautiful to watch.  I have seen my classmates truly enter into prayer where tourists are snapping copious selfies (to be fair, it is probably their only day with the opportunity to visit a site!) and bonds of fraternity and love growing in new friendships and shared adventures.

While I have been able to take some treasured photos of unique landmarks here in the Holy Land, some of my favorite adventures haven’t been by myself, but being able to capture the memories of my class growing together as pilgrims and future priests.  We have many more places to go, but I am grateful for the places and memories, that we have already shared.