Everyone should go on an interfaith trip
I went on the Vanderbilt trip to D.C. and it was truly enlightening
Religion for me is a familiar yet strange term. At home in China, where the government is led by the atheist Communist Party, religion is seldom brought into daily conversations and the majority of the population does not concern itself much with religion.
At the same time however, China has such a rich history of Mahayana Buddhism that elements of Buddhism permeate everyday life as a strong cultural influence.
Buddha is sometimes referred to in Chinese terminology. This is a famous restaurant in Macau, the sign reads “Fo Xiao Lou” (the Building where Buddha Smiles)
I grew up in a multi-faith family.
My mom is a converted Protestant, and my stepdad is a semi-Buddhist. But I didn’t systematically learn about religion until college.
Me and my parents last winter
Last semester, I took a class in ‘Encountering Religious Diversity’. For the first time, I realized religion was very closely associated with important social and political issues.
Most of my friends either went on ASB trips during Spring Break, or to the beach. I decided to instead take part in the Interfaith Spring Break trip.
Few people I talked to knew about the existence of this trip, which is only in its second year. When we all returned to school and my friends asked me what I did during break, I just said “I went to D.C.…it’s like an ASB trip but without the service.”
On reflection though, my 5-day experience wandering with 18 people of different faiths and philosophical backgrounds in the nation’s capital, was far more than that.
Off we go!
I went to places ordinary tourists would never consider
Within three hours of arriving to the city, we were off to see our first site of visit, the Founding Church of Scientology. For some reason, before the visit I confused the Church of Scientology with the Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster.
I soon realized they weren’t the same thing! It was only after I got back to the hostel that day I discovered Scientology is categorized as a illegal cult by my government!
Over the course of the next four days we took tours of the National Holocaust Museum and the National Cathedral. We offered prayers at the Islamic Center and the All Souls Unitarian Church.
The other group members also talked to members from the 6th and I Synagogue and Howard University, but I have to admit I overslept that day and missed the schedule!
At the National Cathedral
While tourists in D.C. crowded in front of the Lincoln Memorial and the Washington Monument, we explored the richness of religions in the capital and heard about their most authentic stories.
We did take a group picture in front of the Lincoln Memorial like typical tourists though
I met so many cool people with diverse backgrounds
Our 18-person cohort was the most diverse composition you could ever imagine. It was a group made up of domestic and international students, Christians and Muslims, Spiritual Explorers and Seekers.
Conversations were always so sparkling as people from different faith and backgrounds had different perspectives and ideas.
Icebreakers in front of Washington Monument
We also got the opportunity to talk to people in the Office of Religion and Global Affairs in the US Department of State, as well as Tennessee senators (although I have limited knowledge of American politics, I knew these were important people).
In the Department of State of people of Office of Religion and Global Affairs
Living in a hostel also enabled me to chat (and cook!) with travelers from all over the world.
The only downside of living in a hostel is that you have to sleep on bunk bed and share a room with nine other people
I had so much time to explore D.C.
In addition to visiting national religious sites, we got plenty of time in our schedule to visit museums, national monuments, and historic places of interests. D.C. is definitely the place to be if you’re a museum fan like me!
Spotted Judy and Nick at the National Museum of Natural History after watching Zootopia the day before
I like roaming about in D.C., though sometimes there’s metro or buses available. Strolling along the boulevard while surrounded by both historical and modern buildings, I fell in love with the bustling yet quaint city.
One day this may become another of D.C.’s historical landmarks
I got to live the metro-life
Each of us got a card that gave us unlimited access to the D.C. metro system during our stay. For a person who’d been missing Chinese public transportation while in Nashville, it felt fantastic to once again be able to go everywhere using the metro system.
Exploring D.C. Chinatown
The food was incredible
Food was another perk of the trip. Two meals out were included and we got to chose any restaurants we wanted! I also had time to find some authentic Asian restaurants and eat the kind of food I missed so much from home, since D.C. had so many great places to eat!
Free food is good food!
Visiting religious places with a group of people I did not know before not only forced me out of my comfort zone but also inspired me to have meaningful conversations. I walked away from the trip with new insights concerning not only different religious views but understanding my own tradition in relationship to others.
I encourage you all to participate in this trip next year for the unique experience, the opportunity to meet new people, and of course the chance to eat lots of good food.