Seeking out the Sikhs and Hindus!

I'm back and recovering from catching the plague here in London. I believe it must be some sort of initiation into the culture or something... Anyways, I will catch you all up on what has been going on in London over the past couple of days.


On the 3rd of September we journeyed to Southall to a Sikh temple. I would go on to further explain Sikhism but I think BBC can explain it a little bit better than I, so click here for more information on Sikhs! Overall, it was an incredible experience. Both men and women had to have their heads covered and remove their shoes upon entering. We got a tour and talk by a fellow Sikh and then ate some free food with other members of the Sikh community. Even though we all got strange looks by the fellow Sikhs (especially the male members of the group...they did look rather ridiculous in scarves around their heads when most men wore turbans or just a kerchief) they were still welcoming. Afterwards, my professor, my friend and I went out in search of food through Southall. There were many street vendors selling many of the same items such as saris, henna, fresh produce, etc. that it makes one wonder how they all survive. We ended up eating at Rita's...but not the Italian Ice place...just an Indian restaurant where I got my Chicken Masala, naan and my favorite drink, a mango lassi.

Yesterday we ventured out to Oxford by train and many of my fellow classmates were excited to go. I had already been to Oxford the last time I was in Europe, so I thought I knew what I expect, but I was pleasantly surprised by many new areas I had not seen. The first thing on the list was many of us Harry Potter fans wanted to stop at Christ Church, where they had filmed a few scenes, especially the epic Great Hall. Unfortunately, that day the Great Hall was not open, but we went in anyway. After that we met up with the rest of the group for a tour of Oxford focusing on literature and the colleges. I learned that Oxford is just not one campus, but many, sort of like Penn State. There are about 4 different colleges in Oxford that belong to Oxford University, such as Jesus College (which we all got a kick out of) and Corpus Christi. Many of the campuses are at least 300 or so years old, which of course appealed to me. Everyone had a good time in Oxford, and even though it wasn't one of my favorite towns, I quite enjoyed it as well.
The oldest ham in the world at some market in Oxford!

Today was another day I was looking forward to because we were going to visit a Hindu Swaminarayan Mandir, or temple. I had taken a class two semesters ago called What is Hinduism? and I fell in love with the religion. For more information on Hinduism, click here. for it is far too complex for me to explain in a few sentences. The temple's grand appearance hits you as you round the corner and it suddenly appears. It is massive and ornate and absolutely beautiful. Inside it is just as beautiful, housing a gift shop, a huge worship room, two other worship centers, a museum, and a library. You can really tell that they take great pride in their faith. I had been to a Hindu temple before so I sort of knew what to expect, but it was definitely not to this scale! The one I had gone to before was on a farm set back in the country with a small temple and everyone provided for the community. It was rather touching and absolutely beautiful to see such faith at work. This temple was far more grand and more, I felt, to inform the general public about their religion as well as serve as a place of worship. I bought a few little Hindu trinkets at the shop (along with many other people), such as a small statue of Ganesh, the elephant god who is considered the mover of obstances, and one of Brahma and Sarasvati, my favorite god and goddess couple. One of my suggestions to anyone, whether they are religious or not, is to go and visit a place of worship completely different from their own, for you'll actually discover that all religions are similar in one way or another. Faith, no matter what religion, is still absolutely beautiful.