Bowlings Abroad

I slam the car door shut, grab my luggage and walk confidently through the automatic doors of Seattle-Tacoma International Airport. I love an airport for its palpable buzz and the intense people watching. I can’t wait to throw my bag onto the conveyor and walk towards my gate. Not because I enjoy standing in line or going through security checks, but because with each doorway I pass, something promising awaits.

Our love of travel was icing on the cake when we decided to move abroad, and transitioning from one port city (Tacoma/Seattle) to another (Abu Dhabi/Dubai), has opened up worlds of opportunity to see life outside our Northwest bubble.

Somewhat recently, I started to take pictures of the beautiful doors or passageways we encountered. I was reluctant at first, because it felt very 2007 and a certain type of Tumblr persona. Being the English teacher that I am, I think of doors as symbolic. Each door I photograph, I pause, take in the details, and envision the story it tells.

St. John’s Co Cathedral, Valletta, Malta.

Is this door sacred?

Did this door provide security and protection for someone?

Did it keep people out or hold people in?

Did this door welcome newcomers?

Did this door invite the community to experience God in a new way?

For the most part, I will never know the answers to my questions. All I can do is take a moment of my time to appreciate the intentional craft, beauty, and history represented in front of me. And maybe convince my spouse to take a silly pictures (scroll to the bottom of this post).

Tashkent and Samarkand, Uzbekistan