Finding Faith

By Katie Perkowski

            I have been a terrible blogger and have only written one post compared to the several that my classmates have posted. The past week or so has been indescribable, and I think I was (and still am) having trouble putting everything I’ve experienced into words.

            Within the past week we visited two Palestinian refugee camps in Beirut, we’ve taken a day trip to Damascus, Syria; we’ve visited the Roman ruins in Balbeek, and we’ve visited the cedar trees in the mountains surrounding the Bekáa Valley. Surprising to me, the one thing that stood out to me the most during all these experiences was the presence of God — or rather, a greater being. I think this is one of the reasons sitting down and writing out a post has been difficult for me.

            I went to Catholic school for 13 years, but throughout college I’ve been mostly uncertain about a lot of things I learned during that time. I have strayed from going to any type of church at all — except of course during the major holidays when I’m home and I go to make my mom happy. But when we visited the Sabra and Shatila Palestinian refugee camps where the 1982 massacre occurred and we stood in front of the memorial, I immediately started reciting the Hail Mary in my head over and over until we left. I don’t remember the last time I involuntarily went into prayer.

            When we visited the cedar trees near the Bekáa, as I looked around at all of the gigantic and aged trees, I began to have a childish moment of wonder and awe. “How insane is it that a tiny seed can produce this huge tree trunk and then all of those huge branches?” I asked among laughter from the rest of the group. As we walked off the trail of trees, I saw an archway ahead and wandered into it. I saw a beautiful and unique chapel and called the others in. Then all of us peacefully wandered to different pews and sat in silence. I felt the calmest I have in a long time, and it probably sounds hoaky, but I felt something bigger in the room than just the group of people I was sitting with.

            I’ve learned more on this trip so far than I have learned in any classroom. But in a country that is filled with so many different religions and threatened by violence, the most surprising thing I’ve discovered is a little bit of my faith.