Fieldtrip Reflection

The first place that we visited on our fieldtrip was an Islamic Center. This center was interesting because not only was it a place for worship, it was also a school for kids in preschool up until 8^th grade. In the school, the kids learn the same curriculum as public school, but have extra classes that deal with learning the religion and the Koran. We got to listen to different children speak about the school, about the Islam religion, and recite portions of the Koran that they have memorized. One thing I found interesting was that every time they said “Muhammad”, they followed it with “peace and blessings be upon him”. In Christianity, we do not do this when we say “Jesus”, so this was a neat part of their religion. Everybody here was very nice and it was my favorite stop of the day.

The second place we went was a Buddhist Temple. When we first walked in, there was a gift shop, which I was not expecting, but it was very colorful and inviting. We then went back to the worship room where there were pillows on the floor. As we sat on the floor, we were taught by Tibetan Buddhists about the culture, traditions, and background of Buddhism. I learned about the story of the Dalai Lama, prayer flags, the spinning prayer wheel, and the Stupa. The stupa was my favorite as we walked around it to receive positive energy.

The third stop on our trip was the Hindu Temple. The outside of the building was beautiful as there was so much detail in every piece. There were many different entrances and smaller buildings that surrounded the main building, that I found to be a lot smaller on the inside than it looked on the outside. As we walked in, we were hit with a variety of different strong smells. I was surprised at how formal it was and how many of the people did not like for us to be there as they prayed. I learned about the different traditions that this specific temple does and the reasoning behind different clothing items that the men and women wear.

The fourth and final stop was to a Jewish Synagogue. I had been to this Synagogue before for a friend’s Bat Mitzvah. I loved how relaxed it was and how upbeat and entertaining the Rabi was. I learned how Christians’ views on the bible may be slightly different, as the bible was translated to English. I also learned about the personal struggles that Jews may have now and struggles they faced in the past. I enjoyed the personal interaction and stories that the Rabi told and thought that it was a very friendly and inviting environment.

I overall enjoyed this fieldtrip a lot, as it opened my eyes to how different religions worship and practice in our community.