When I decided to go abroad to study social work in the United Kingdom, I never thought the biggest thing I would be doing would be self-reflection.
Each day, our class participates in two activities, ranging from archival tours to scavenger hunts. During these events, we are encouraged to learn more about ourselves and how we perceive the world — and more importantly, how we operate within it.
All of our activities led to deep conversations about uncomfortable topics, and while I knew that our social justice work necessitates such discomfort, I originally thought I was prepared for such discussions. This, however, was a mistake.
While I had always prided myself on being a very aware individual, the lectures and dialogues I had with other students truly showed me that I still have a lot to learn about history, privilege, and the complex dynamics of power and otherness.
One of the first things I noticed was while visiting both St. Martin-in-the-Fields Church and Gurdwara Sri Guru Singh Sabha. Coming from a Catholic family, St. Martin (part of the Church of England) was extremely open and accepting, but also familiar and similar enough to my own denomination.
However, when we went to the Gurdwara, we were immersed in the world of Sikhism. We first put on head coverings, then took off our shoes and socks before going into the back of the building for a tour of the kitchen, dining, and prayer areas.
As I mentioned before, I have pretty much always considered myself a knowledgeable and open person. However, on this day, I was faced with a completely new belief system and a set of customs completely different from my own.
After these two visits, we had a class discussion about what we learned and how it made us feel. It was during this time that I was really able to reflect on how my history with Catholicism and Christianity shaped how I expected other religious institutions like the Gurdwara to operate.
By identifying these assumptions and discussing where they stem from, I am now better able to combat them and more easily identify when similar assumptions may arise in the future.
It was through our experiences at places like St. Martin and the Gurdwara that I feel that I have truly become better acquainted with myself.
While self-discovery is usually mentioned when others talk about their experiences abroad, I never thought that it would play such a large role in my experience with the program. Thankfully, these memories — along with others — have completely changed how I want to show up in the world for myself and others.
This blog was contributed by Caris Gray, Global Ambassador for May 2026. Caris is a College of Liberal Arts junior participating in the faculty-led program “Social Change: A Critical International Perspective” in London, England
