Trip to Jerusalem

by: Nicole Andres

While the title may be a play on the popular Filipino party game, the experience for
Theology professor Ms. Nancy Pia Sison (endearingly known by her students as Ms.
Pia) was anything but a playtime it was a journey that would further enrich and
inspire her faith in God.
August 2011 was the month she left Philippines for the land she would call home
for the next few months. She made a stop-over to Hong Kong before departing to
Jerusalem where she enrolled in the Bat Kol Institute for her Jewish studies. With
only herself for company, she arrived at the airport in Israel at one oclock in the
morning. After landing in the country, she made her way to Tel Aviv where the St.
Charles Hospice Convent was located. She arrived at the convent at 2 a.m. through
a sharut a form of shared taxi in Israel and was greeted by 2 nuns outside.
While relating her experience of travelling alone in a foreign land in the wee hours
of the morning, Ms. Pia said she was scared at first but her excitement for what
awaits her in the next few days quickly dissipated any fear that she felt. I felt right
at home the moment I got off the plane says ms. Pia. The professors prior visit to
the country also helped. She first went to Israel on a pilgrimage tour on the year
1993; this is her second visit to the place.
So what was the importance of her travel to Jerusalem?
You understand Him more if you understand the Jewishness of the Bible because
Jerusalem is the root of Christianity and the [historical] Jesus was a Jew. If you know
your roots, you know yourself. said Ms. Pia when asked about the importance of her
journey to Gods country of birth. The theology professor who is committed to
learning beyond what she already knows relates that it was a safe place to
disagree. You respect the fact that not everyone believes the same things you do.
It was not all hard work for Ms. Pia, however. Armed with a tiny point-and-shoot
camera and excitement seeping in her very bones, she traversed the capital; taking
in all the sights and sceneries the place has to offer. One of which is the Western
Wall: the remains of what once was a temple during Jesus time. The theology
professor -- who also possesses a certain passion for photography took
breathtaking photos that captured the world of Jerusalem mostly through the lens of
her Lumix digital camera. Her DSLR was, as she stated, too heavy to be carried
throughout her constant travels.
A lesson for AC students
Immersed in the culture of the birthplace of Christ himself, Ms. Pias passion for
learning was evident as she relates her insights and experiences during the
interview. However, she is not the only one to benefit from the trip. Ms. Pias many

experiences during her travel is an important reminder for students that, though we
may share differing religions with other people, we can still come to an
understanding and gain mutual respect for each other because, ultimately, we
believe in the same thing: that there is a higher being bigger than all of us. It is also
a reminder of friendships that can be forged despite or, mayhap, through
differences but is ultimately strung together tightly by one important thing: faith.