Reflection Paper

Choosing an unfamiliar place within the small town of Athens, OH was a difficult task for someone with a diverse list of interests to do. Personally, I had to think about where I wanted to spend my time ‘culture watching’. There are many places that I have spent much of my time, like coffee shops, multiple basketball and football games freshman year, and three well known dining halls across campus. I had to think to myself where have I not spent time in Athens, and then it came to me, church. For the cultural immersion project, I spent three Sundays observing the Athens First United Methodist Church, each service being one hour long focusing on different areas each time. The location of the church is extremely familiar to me being that I live

These entwined moments of welcome add to the already high significance societies place upon hospitality by alluding to a divine presence among those who meet, reinforcing the importance of this practice for those who attempt to follow the Hebrew Faith.

Everybody looked very cheerful and benevolent. It felt like one big family gathering. We entered the synagogue and there were plush chairs and carpet embellished with nature like colors and leaf designs. The roof was high, there was a lot of light, gold accents, a stained glass window, wooden beams that were exposed, as well as a wooden bureau, which housed the Torah. There were also candles and podium/table from which the rabbi spoke.

For this assignment I took part in a religious service at a small Orthodox Church in Baltimore.

The three of us arrived at the church about 30 minutes before the service started. I noticed as I waited for everything to start that this church had a phenomenally diverse range of attendees. There was your typical grandmother with her

I was greeted by, and conversed with, different patrons on each of my visits. This is unusual for me because I typically am not approached by strangers, I am not complaining. I was also offered unconsecrated bread by different practitioners on each visit which was the best tasting bread I have had during a church service. The thing that impressed me most, however, was the church member’s commitment to their surrounding community. They welcome anyone to their services, to the coffee hour afterward, to their annual block party, which they host, and to their harvest Sundays, where they collect food from their patrons and feed the local homeless population. The connection with their surrounding neighborhood is strong, but what is truly unique is the connection the congregation has with one another. For example, on the first Sunday I attended after the service was completed I remained in the nave to photograph and watch the community. I talked to one man about his conversion to Orthodoxy as the priest was consoling a young man who seemed distraught. This seemed to change the church from its ritual space to a community space of self or group

On Saturday morning, October 15th, 2016, my friends and I visited the Touro Synagogue. We attended a synagogue Sabbath worship which took place for less than two hours. I was really excited and eager because I have never experienced any ritual service before. As I first entered the small chapel, I was struck by the beautiful, magnificent architecture of the place. It was a clean, warm place with a nice chandelier. The upper wall is covered with glass windows that help light up the small chapel and bring a refreshing feeling. We were given directions to obtain the service books on the shelves outside before the ritual service began. As I went further inside the chapel, a lady greeted me with the phrase “Shabbat shalom.” All the people there were friendly and greeted us with smiles. I noticed some men wore their Kippot and Tallitot. We had some small introductions and conversations. After getting service books, my friends and I sat in the back row of the chapel. The place was quiet with a sense of peace and contentment. A few minutes after, the Rabbi and the Cantor came in, and the Sabbath service began.

Once the officiants had made their way out the congregation and I proceeded towards the doors to leave. This was when I noticed that there was a Holy Water Fountain on the wall to the left of the doors that opened to the outside. I observed several individuals deep their fingers into the water to make a cross by touching their forehead, chest, and shoulders. Right outside of the cathedral the officiants stood and greeted each individual as they left the service. I felt very comfortable going up to the officiants and shaking their hands. Their presence and appearance was very inviting for individuals whether you were a guest or not. Neither did the Priest nor bulletin make a suggestion that there was a reception after the service. The majority of the congregation immediately departed from their seats to the outside to interact with the officiants and other individuals of the

"It was utterly amazing to go to this location and have community members from eight different language groups gathered together. All of us thanked God for what He's done to dedicate these to God's glory. Our hope and our prayer is there would be transformation and [that] churches would be started as a result of

Since it was September 11th, they paid respect to those who had died in the 9/11 attacks in New York. They had a moment of self-reflection; they all bowed their heads. After this moment the Rabbi took time to talk about Yom Kippur, she explained that it is a time to self-reflect and to build up to become a better person of faith; then continued on with a group prayer for those in their congregation that had asked for it. During one prayer, we were asked to stand, and as the Rabbi read the prayer, one line was read aloud and everyone in the congregation would bend their knees slightly and bow.

Over the course of the semester, there has been numerous amount of areas where I believe I have improved in comparison to high school. What has helped me in my writing is the writing class and the in-class writing workshop. The writing class that is located in the Kremen education building has helped me with my writing greatly because in the writing center the person in charge teach us lenses and we apply those lenses to the writing, draft, or reading that someone brings in. The in-class writing workshop has helped me because other students get to read my writing. This is helpful because I get feedback from many students and they let me know what needs to be fixed. A new tool I have been using is They Say I Say. The book is very helpful because of the information and examples it provides such as the templates. I have been applying the templates into my essays and I have seen a significant difference.

“The LORD said to Satan, "Very well, then, he is in your hands; but you must spare his life."” Upon hearing this my life was forever changed. I couldn’t understand or comprehend why God, God being all knowing and almighty, would have to make a bet with the devil in the book of Job. God began to lose me after this scripture, I had questions before, but this rocked my core and destroyed any doubt I had in my inquiry. It was in this moment I began on a path that would lead me away from Christianity and to Voodoo.

Have you ever cried so hard your contact fell out? Because you felt so hopeless, crying was all you could do. Don't worry, this is not a typical story about getting dumped by a boy.

Since the beginning of the semester, my writing has changed and evolved to accommodate and sustain longer essays. With longer essays, there is more room for in-depth analysis. Further analyzing a topic has led me to findings that I did not know existed. As I continue to write, I uncover addition and superior methods to approach my writing to the benefit of me and therefore, my audience. Throughout the semester, I have incorporated techniques to further my narrative throughout my writing.

When I was tasked to write this paper, I tried thinking of people that I didn’t know well, but I knew would have interesting stories to tell. I asked one of my professors, he asked for his name to not be used, for an interview. Before I listened to his story I asked him questions about himself to get a sense of who he is. He puts a very energetic and social face when in public, but he is more introverted in private. Also, he really holds honesty and respect close to his heart, and his story shows why this is so. His starts his story during his high school years; telling of his life and relationships. Then after a falling out he picks up the story in college and his interaction with an old friend there. Then the traumatizing even happens and he reflects and gives anecdotes to further explain his thoughts on the matter.