We went to the oratory to draw and there were three sisters praying. They were silent but we could feel their intentions.

Katie R.

I am closer.  I figured something out today.  There is something there, something ancient.  it might be God, maybe Buddha.  Maybe the joining of time, ancient time with present.  But my current theory is that it is the worshippers.  Their faith is contagious; it is one of the most powerful things I have ever felt.  I am almost certain of this because I didn't feel it at the peace pagoda where no worshippers were present.  - Syl

I can't imagine having to wake up at 6am every day to pray because that would be very hard to do for me.  I love the way the sisters live together in one building and how they live like a family… I also thought it was interesting to see how the sisters came into the chapel quietly one by one and I found it peaceful.  - Ella

Silence. 

Prayer room.

Intense intentional feelings.

Not wanting to make noise.

Wincing as my pencil scrapes against paper.

Humming as loud as I can. 

Clapping my hands as hard as I can.

Intense feelings.

Temple Ohbi Shalom,

booming voices.

- Katie R.

We went to St. Margaret's I felt welcome.  Sister Christina Francis was such a sweet lady; she invited us into her sacred home.  - Phoebe

Silence, bells break the 

silence, the rustle of clothing and 

chairs scotching, the scratching of pages

against pages, then again silence

all of a sudden, the sound of pure, sweet,

voices cut through the air.  Peace.

- Elias

Each place of worship we visited had its own theme.  The Sri Lakshmi temple reminded me of dedication.  I was fascinated by how one person could sit for as long as necessary to praise so many gods.  The mosque's theme was very contradictory and uncomfortable.  Everything from the headscarves to our controversial conversation with Sara made me feel like I wasn't welcome or accepted.  And finally at the synagogue, which felt foreign.  Everyone there was warm and welcoming yet because of the language barrier, I felt out of place and it made it difficult to concentrate.  - Katie T. 

Whenever I go to a synagogue it really reminds me of my Jewish roots.  Judaism is absent in my daily life, but whenever I'm surrounded by believers I feel so connected.  When they say that Judaism is more than a religion; they are right.  Watching the cantor light the Shabbos candles reminded me of my great-great-grandmother's sliver candle sticks, which made the trip from Russia and are now lighted every Friday by one of her defendants.  As Kumar said, religion is about connection.  - Maya

…I'm hit in the face again that ALL of the God stuff has been proven wrong by science and I don't know what to believe.  So with four more days, I will continue to learn and search.  - Nate

Words to describe how I feel about the Odyssey so far:

amazed

thankful

overjoyed

confused

sad

empty

warm

grateful

happy

bewildered.

This is great!  But now I feel I have something missing from my everyday life.  

- Paige

Today was like nothing I've ever experienced before.  Starting out with sacredness and chanting and bowing and singing non-stop.  It felt like I was on a totally different planet.  At first everything was sacred and had holiness to it.  Then we went to a large community where everyone was full of joy.  - Alex

Once the service began and the music started, I realized that I wanted this; I wanted to be a part of something like this.  A family that worships what they believe in and love every minute of it.  I'm not sure if being agnostic is going to be enough for me anymore.  Just not knowing is suddenly unsettling and strange.  - Casey

I move through time slowly but after I look back it feels like I was painting days ago, but really it was just hours… still I progress in time.  I am at church but this church is not like any church; it is safe, friendly, warm, free, and very much about you and what you believe.  - Gabe

Meditating was hard today for me.  It seemed like half the class was fidgeting at some point or another.  I was ignoring that, but that, along with the pain of sitting the way we had to, something got through.  Eventually everything worked out and I got to the emptiness that was my goal, but it took a little while.  - Katie R. 

Silent breath is loud

in a silent mind

flickering thoughts

swatted away like mosquitos.

Silence a trance

a blessing

a gift

an itch.

- Paige