Dear Pia, it seems that going to places of worship has become some kind of habit as we went to Neasden this morning to visit the Hindu temple there. I contrast to the other courses, we managed to get their without any problems and we even saw the new Wembley stadium on the way. The temple was very impressive - not only because of its sheer size ( it's huge and vast!!! ) but also because this was a very interesting encounter with some religion none of the course seemed to have known much about before, me included.
First of all we had to take our shoes off. After a first glimpse at the most sacred part of the temple we visited an exhibition explaining the basic principles of Hinduism. As is usual with exhibitions, this part of our schedule was met with a lot of scepticism ( partly based on reports by the other courses ) but I can only say that I found the displays not only easy to understand but also very helpful for us novices to this belief. After taking part in a prayer ceremony, we then headed off for question time with a representative of the temple. And here the many question were sufficient prove to me that the initial scepticism had turned into curiosity and interest - what else can a teacher hope for! Nonetheless, on the way out we agreed that we would need to be reborn several times as everybody had quickly identified his sins ...
Having listened to a lot of Hindi and Indian English, we then decided to have lunch at the nearby Indian eatery which was not only inexpensive but also tasty and very nutritious - I could hardly move anymore! The course then split off, with some of us heading off for Fulham's stadium but, unfortunately, only to learn there that the match was sold out.
Later in the evening, we enjoyed some great farewell diner at a Chinese restaurant in Bayswater and I was really very glad to hear the whole trip was regarded a big success. But what moved me most was the surprise the course had prepared: They not only invited me to the meal but also gave me a great T-shirt as a present!!! I was really shaken!!!
But, of course, this didn't mean the end of the day - instead, we met up with the other course in a local pub ....
First of all we had to take our shoes off. After a first glimpse at the most sacred part of the temple we visited an exhibition explaining the basic principles of Hinduism. As is usual with exhibitions, this part of our schedule was met with a lot of scepticism ( partly based on reports by the other courses ) but I can only say that I found the displays not only easy to understand but also very helpful for us novices to this belief. After taking part in a prayer ceremony, we then headed off for question time with a representative of the temple. And here the many question were sufficient prove to me that the initial scepticism had turned into curiosity and interest - what else can a teacher hope for! Nonetheless, on the way out we agreed that we would need to be reborn several times as everybody had quickly identified his sins ...
Having listened to a lot of Hindi and Indian English, we then decided to have lunch at the nearby Indian eatery which was not only inexpensive but also tasty and very nutritious - I could hardly move anymore! The course then split off, with some of us heading off for Fulham's stadium but, unfortunately, only to learn there that the match was sold out.
Later in the evening, we enjoyed some great farewell diner at a Chinese restaurant in Bayswater and I was really very glad to hear the whole trip was regarded a big success. But what moved me most was the surprise the course had prepared: They not only invited me to the meal but also gave me a great T-shirt as a present!!! I was really shaken!!!
But, of course, this didn't mean the end of the day - instead, we met up with the other course in a local pub ....
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