Processing the Pieces

So we are all home, in school, working.... or doing whatever we knew we would be doing post-Europe. Some of us never want to leave American soil again, others of us are itching to get back, or even making plans for their next big adventure as I type this.
The other day I went to lunch with a friend and she asked "So, how was Europe?" I stared at her for a second as the following thoughts streamed through my mind "Wow, I just saw some of the most significant things in the WORLD, had a life changing experience, met and grew to appreciate and even love about 50 new people, experienced over 7 entirely new and different cultures, learned thousands of new things about myself and other, saw the world and the gospel in a whole new perspective, and am not sure how I really feel about half the stuff that I saw and did!!!!" After blinking at her for a few seconds while my mouth caught up with my brain I said, "Uh, it was great. Yea... it was really great."
The rest of the lunch she tried to think of questions to ask, and I tried to think of stuff to say - unfortunately neither of us were super successful. I walked away thinking, "How can I ever begin to explain Europe when someone asks a question as broad as 'how was it?' " and I am sure she thought something along the lines of, "What was her problem? She spent a month over there, how could she not even get more than a sentence or two out about it?"

SO in the wake of that embarrassing moment, I decided that I was going to type up every possible question I could think of related to this trip that I would ask someone and then answer them. As I was compiling the list, I realized that others might have encountered the same frustrating situation, so I opted to posted them here also, if anyone is interested in looking through them. If you have anything that you think would be good to ask, or you appreciated that someone asked you, and want it posted, send it my way (s.denker@yahoo.com OR facebook me!) and I can add it to the list.

***** ALSO, Sister Sturm's uncle is in the hospital. Please pray for both of them. She asked us once on the trip to pray for him specifically, and I get the vibe that they are close.******

My thoughts about the Brigham Young University – Idaho 2008 European Religious History Tour:

What was your favorite place? Why did you like it?

Rank the cities and countries in favorite to least favorite.

What was one shining moment about each city?

What were some of the landmark things you saw and why did you enjoy seeing them?

What would you like to go back and see?

If you could relive one moment, what would it be?

What was your first thought as you saw some of the places you’ve dreamed about, such as the Louver, the Vatican, the Eiffel Tower, Big Ben, etc?

What was one thing your brought that you were especially thankful for?

What was something your brought that you never used?

How would you pack differently if you could do it again?

Would you change your shopping patterns/habits if you could go again?

Is there anything you wished you had/had not bought?

Who was someone that made your trip better? What did they do/say that impacted you the most?

How did you like the daily routine? What would you keep and change?

Out of the cities you didn’t enjoy as much, what could you have done to make it more enjoyable?

What would you have seen or done that you did not see or do in each city?

What were the top three spiritual moments?

What was something that was done differently on this trip that you liked and disliked? (i.e. Sacrament meeting, morning devotionals)

What was one food that you liked there more than America? What was one food you were grateful to eat once back in the States?

What was the hardest part about the trip, physically, mentally, spiritually, and socially? Most enjoyable? Easiest?

What did you learn about your personality?

Out of the friends that you made, what were some of the common qualities that you found in them? Why did you like these qualities?

List five experiences or moments that make you smile.

List five funny quotes that other people said.

What was your most embarrassing moment? What make it so bad, and in retrospect was there anyway to have sidestep the situation?

What did you think about the styles you saw?

Did you see anything that shocked you? What and why?

How often did you feel homesick? What did you miss, and what helped you get over those feelings?

Are there any cities you would have liked to spend more or less time in? Any places such as monuments or museums you would have liked to visit longer?

Thinking about some of the more holy or reverent places, such as Normandy Beaches or the Vatican, are there any that you liked more than the others? Why, and what order would you put them in?

Did you like the monuments or cathedrals better? Why?

What category of places did you like the most? (i.e. cathedrals, museums, historical monuments, parks)

What are five things that you experienced in Europe that made you appreciate the States?

What are some things you experience in Europe that helped you appreciate your experience there more than a similar experience in the States?

Did you feel that people differed from one country to the next? In which country were people the friendliest, meanest, and most helpful?

If you were asked to give each country a book title, what would they be? Each city?

What did you find yourself talking about the most?

What was something that someone in the group did that affected everyone in the group? Was this a personality thing, or an ‘America’ thing?

If you could have shared moments of your trip with people from home, what moments would you have shared with whom?

What was one experience that made you truly happy? Was there a moment when you felt true sorrow? Empathy? Anger? Pity? Compassion?