During my freshman year of college, I was given an amazing opportunity to take a trip to the ME with the Intercultural Studies department of my university. Our team was comprised of 10 students and 3 adult leaders. Most of the students were upperclassmen and had been out of the country before, but I had never left the United States. I figured that my first trip out of the country would be somewhere like Central America or maybe Europe… I never imagined that I would travel all the way to Asia and visit the ME, without my parents, as my first international trip. However, because of the immense support I recieved from my church family and friends, it happened! And it was truly life changing.

Exploring the desert!

Jumping in the desert with very little coordination!

For the majority of our trip, we attended a global event that attracted people from almost every country in the world. Including countries that we would not be able to visit as tourists, so this was an amazing opportunity. Every morning, we would walk from our hotel to the metro station and ride the metro to this event. It took us a while to get used to the metro, especially since we don’t use subways or high-speed trains very often in Florida! The metro was definitely a place with a multitude of great memories and memorable connections that we made with people during our journeys back and forth.

Braiding hair and having fun on the metro

Getting a power nap on the way back to the hotel

When we arrived at the event, it felt like the gates to the nations were being opened. It was truly a once-in-a-lifetime experience. Although we were there for longer than a week, we were hardly able to scratch the surface of this event, because it was so large and there were so many people there. We got to meet people from so many different countries and learn about their cultures. We got to listen intently to the stories that they shared; the stories of their lives. It was really special to let these people know that we genuinely cared about them and wanted to hear their stories. Especially since some of them were very hard. We shared our compassion with them and let them know that they would never be alone in their struggles, for they are loved more than they can imagine!

Sometimes there were language barriers, as most of the friends we made spoke Arabic. Thankfully, we had Google Translate and some other apps for translation. However, during our preparation for this trip, we all studied basic Arabic words and phrases. This came in handy as we used “Shukran” (meaning “Thank you”) and “Alhumdulilah” (meaning “Praise God!”) on a daily basis. It was so endearing to see the pleasant look of surprise on people’s faces, as they certainly did not expect that a group of teenagers from America would have taken the time to learn any Arabic! Language is so powerful, and I love the ability that it has to create intimate connections with people you have only just met. Showing that you have taken the time to learn someone’s native language shows that you truly care about them and their culture, and I think it makes them feel at home.

One of the most memorable experiences for me was in the Korean section of the event. If you have known me for a while, you probably know that I have been studying the Korean language for a while now. Since July of 2018, to be specific. I don’t have any Korean-speaking friends in Florida, which makes practicing a bit more difficult. Thanks to technology and certain language-exchange apps, I have been able to meet Korean friends and communicate with them over the phone, but I had never been able to do so in person. I was extremely nervous to try speaking it in person, but as soon as I saw an opportunity to, I did! It was such a rewarding experience to see that all of my hard work was paying off, and people from another country can actually understand me while speaking their native language! I made multiple Korean friends during this trip that I will certainly be reuiniting with when I finally end up in Korea, whenever that may be!

There is a funny story behind this picture. One of the Korean friends I met didn’t know that I could speak Korean yet, and she offered to teach me how to write my name in Hangul (the Korean alphabet). She wrote my name “레이첼" at the top for me to copy. While she was watching over my shoulder, I quickly wrote my name in more native-like handwriting. She was so surprised! Then underneath, I added “사실은 한국말 잘 알아요 ㅋㅋㅋ" which means “Honestly, I know Korean well. Hahaha.” It was such a funny and special memory!

This trip was an amazing first intercultural experience for me. More importantly, however, it is a trip that will have an eternal impact on all of the people we met! This would not have been possible without the support of my church family, friends, and anonymous supporters! This trip has certainly lit a flame inside of me and a passion for the nations is growing inside of me. I know that this is just the beginning of my journey, so I will continue to be obedient to the call that it is on my life, wherever that may lead. I am so thankful that you took the time to read this, and I hope you will continue to be a part of this journey! I can’t wait to update you about the next step.

Rachel Crisp

June 21, 2022