Monday 1/9 - Wyatt & Owen

            

The first day of our second week was full of exciting activities. We started the day by driving to BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir, a Hindu temple in Stafford. This architectural marvel is completely hand-carved out of Italian marble, and no steel or glass was used in its construction, not even a nail! We were given a guided tour that gifted us insight into the vast world of the Hindu religion and one of its denominations. We learned about the unique ceremonies and habits that are practiced day to day, and the devoted lives of the Hindu monks. The ornate carving inside the building was truly marvelous and took around 1,000,000 hours to complete. Celestial beings, animals, and religious symbols were all immortalized in the marble. After the tour, we were led underneath the temple to view two videos that went in depth on Hinduism and the Swaminarayan denomination. Unfortunately, photos are prohibited everywhere but the grounds before the temple, so you must admire its beauty from afar. 

We then headed to Narin's Bombay Brasserie for a delicious meal, enjoying the buffet style menu of classic Indian cuisine and new favorites for many. Some of the highlights of our lunch included chicken tikka masala, mango lassi, and fresh naan. This was a perfect conclusion to our studies of Indian cultures during our J- Term, as we were able to reflect on our past learnings while having fun and connecting. After leaving the restaurant well-fed, we ended our day by watching Crazy Rich Asians, a light-hearted yet insightful movie about Singapore and Asian culture. We were able to find connections from the movie to other aspects of our J-term, as a majority of the film took place in Singapore itself. Overall, we had an exciting and fun start to the second week of our course, and we're excited to see what comes next!



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