As he looked around in wonder at the ruins of the ancient city of Pergamum in modern-day Turkey, Cadet Gavin O\u2019Brien, \u201927, found himself caught between two worlds. In the distance, commuters in the modern city of Bergama went about their daily lives. Around him lay the remnants of a Greek civilization that had thrived more than 2,000 years earlier.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIt was cool to see the old and the new together,\u201d said O\u2019Brien. \u201cI learned so much about the history there.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
O\u2019Brien and a dozen other students traveled with Chaplain Aaron Meadows, \u201904, in May to visit sites associated with the seven churches of the Book of Revelation. The 10-day study abroad experience took them from Istanbul to Ephesus.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
For O\u2019Brien, an exercise science major from Cleveland, Ohio, the trip was another opportunity to broaden his perspective. He previously spent a semester studying in Greece and has developed a passion for travel and learning about other cultures.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI\u2019ve always been a spiritual person,\u201d he said. \u201cWhen I saw a trip focused on learning about the Bible and the Book of Revelation and visiting the sites associated with John\u2019s letters, I thought it looked like something I would love.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
While learning about the ancient cities of the Bible, O\u2019Brien discovered something else\u2014the students traveling alongside him. As the trip progressed, they explored ancient sites, studied together and formed friendships.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWe all got really close,\u201d he said. \u201cAll day on the bus and at the ruins, we would talk to each other and learn from each other.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
O\u2019Brien is pursuing a commission through Army ROTC and hopes to one day become a physical therapist working with high school athletes. His trip was made possible in part through support from the Ralph N. Bloch, \u201951, Scholarship and the Star of the West Scholarship through The Citadel\u2019s Center for International and Special Programs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The experience also reinforced a lesson he has learned through travel: the world is much larger than he once thought.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIt really opens your eyes to how many opportunities there are,\u201d he said. \u201cI\u2019m not limited to living in Ohio or South Carolina. I\u2019ve got the whole world to work with.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
As he looked around in wonder at the ruins of the ancient city of Pergamum in modern-day Turkey, Cadet Gavin O\u2019Brien, \u201927, found himself caught between two worlds. In the distance, commuters in the modern city of Bergama went about their daily lives. Around him lay the remnants of a Greek civilization that had thrived […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":694,"featured_media":414,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_coblocks_attr":"","_coblocks_dimensions":"","_coblocks_responsive_height":"","_coblocks_accordion_ie_support":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-415","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-other"],"yoast_head":"\n