This March break, 11 students and two faculty members are traveling to Spain to explore the life and works of Teresa de Ávila, a renowned Spanish mystic. Please enjoy the blog post below from Abdullah ’25 on the groups journey from Deerfield Academy to Madrid.
Today was a long journey, beginning the moment we loaded our luggage on the bus. The drive lasted hours, so it was good of Mr. Jan and Ms. Bicknell to be so conscious of bathroom breaks, especially since they gave us each a relatively large bottle of water. We also received Theresa of Avila’s autobiography – a book to be read during the trip.
We eventually arrived at the airport, checked in, and went through security. We sat by a wall and Mr. Jan asked each of us to name a personal hero. Some of us named spiritual heroes, national heroes, personal heroes, superheroes, I think even sports heroes. Artie recalled the kindness of a dining hall employee, which I found to be most admirable.
It must have been after that that we found out our flight was delayed by three hours. Luckily Mr. Jan came prepared with card games. Though most of my peers played, I must admit to choosing the solitude of reading. I started on Theresa of Avila’s book, considering her self-deprecation and the terrible sins of her youth There was a section where she recalled how, in childhood, she and her older brother wanted to go to “the land of the Moors”…I wonder if she ever thought that a Moor would end up reading that? The time before our flight passed faster than anticipated with the food and the card games. Soon we found ourselves on the flight.
Now, as I sit on the flight, I am here with my peers who I am familiar with and who are familiar with me. But we are going to experience something entirely different than we are altogether used to. My excitement is not just in this great different experience, but the new light it may shed on those with whom I am familiar.
