Sojourners’ Snapshots

Each year Gordon’s Global Education Office sponsors a photo contest for students in its many study-abroad programs. The 2014 theme was “Sojourning: Parables from a Life."
View all the entries and the photographers’ reflections >>

First place: Rachel Reed ’15 “Hound and Christ” | Toledo, Spain

“Toledo is a city in central Spain, a city built on a rock alongside the Tajo River, a city influenced by the Muslim, Jewish and Christian inhabitants over the course of thousands of years. Walking along the long, narrow, cobblestone streets of this medieval gothic city, one finds many sword shops, the occasional tourist shop and grand cathedrals. I spotted this old hound relaxing by a sword shop. How perfect—the dog seeking upward, the Christ image behind; separate worlds and separate times connected by gaze.

Second place: McKenzie Watson '15, "Outside the Tate" | London, England 

"I walked out of the Tate Modern in London, and encountered street performers making giant bubbles streaming all the way down the sidewalk beside the Thames. Children began to gather, squealing, trying to capture the bubbles. I realized that museums, while they can contain beauty, do not have a monopoly on beauty or its meaning. Beauty is in life together, strangers convening to appreciate spontaneity and wonder.”

Third place: Nathaniel Youndt ’15 “Not My Home” | Florence, Italy

“I was sitting on the steps of the church of San Miniato in Florence, watching the sun set over the city of the Italian Renaissance, when one of the Benedictine monks came out of the church to enjoy the sight as well. I was reminded that I am not just a sojourner in Italy, but also a sojourner on earth. We are not fully at home on this earth, but we immerse ourselves in daily life to honor our context, wherever we are.” 

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