Different Religions + working together = Peace

1. Describe the trip

Our 7th grade field trip was very interesting and fun. We went to the China Town area of Kuala Lumpur, to look at the different religions of Malaysia. We went to a Buddhist temple, a Hindu temple, and a Muslim temple. We took pictures and notes about these temples. All of them were very interesting, and I learned a lot from all of them.

2. What did you see, hear, smell, feel, and taste?

I saw a lot of statues, incense, rituals, spiritual people and different believe systems. The area and the location where these temples are placed have different smells because of the suage water near by. The sounds were different on all of them because of the different ways of worshiping. The Muslim mosque had loud speakers playing a prayer or a worship to Allah. I thought that was very interesting.

3. What were the common values that you saw between the religions?

All of these temples had a great amount of spiritual feeling in them. They all had their own interesting way of teaching and worshiping. I saw that the mosque and the Hindu temple had a lot of patterns in their temples. The Hindu and the Buddhist religions both pray to statues, have lots of candles and burn incense involved which their religious practices.

mYtHs!!!

Some people say that, "A myth is the projection of a culture's soul". This is because creation myths tell us how people think and there are many similarities to be seen. Myths sometimes has some of the same/similar elements.

Myths carry the common elements of love, Gods, the creation of humankind. This is unusual because they are so different from each other.

A common element in many creation myths is love. For example in the Maori myth the sky and the earth held on to each other because they loved each other so much. Also in the Chinese myth where Nuwa created humans and loved them. Therefor it can be said that even though these myths are from different places, and different times there are some kind of connection between them.

In the beginning of many myths, there was Gods. For example the Egyptian creation myth. Another example is the Yoruba myth where there was a council of Gods. This proves that people in other countries with different thinking share the same ideas.

A similar element in many myths is the creation of human kind. In all creation myths somehow we are born, vomited, spat out into the world. In different myths here are different ways we were made.

As we can see many elements in myths started when traders spread myths around and they got known by different people in different times. Some myths die over time, but some myths, some of which has love, Gods, and the creation of man included in, stay on and hopefully will keep on for many generations to come.

I love my name. My name (Bernice) is Greek, English, or French, meaning 'Victory bringer'. Well it's suppose to be Berenice but because I was born in Bern, Switzerland my creative parents wanted a part of the city hiding in my name. I really like my name because not a lot of people have it, so it's unique. I am a lemon with sugar and chili flakes sprinkled on top. I am a bit of everything. I believe I'm pretty unique with a touch of Swiss cheese, and the roar of an African lion, so I like my name. The only disadvantage of my name, is people tend to tease me and call me 'Barney'. I don't like it, but it's not that bad, I wouldn't change my name if I had the choice.

My last name is actually van Deventer, not van de Venter. Meaning my ancestors came from the town in Holland, called Deventer. My dad was departing for a business trip and before he left he told me by the time I get back you should be able to spell our surname. That's how my sister learned too. This was of course when we were baby chicks still in the nest. When my grandpa was registered, they miss- spelled our surname, so from then on we were the van de Venters. My name and my surname might be long and very hard to say, but I like them cause they are unique. Bernice van de Venter, my name.

A little taste of me.

tAzZzZz...

My hamster Tazz (Tazzie) is not only my pet. I love him as much as I love my mom, dad, and sister. I know I sound completely stupid, but I can't help it. I consider him as a family member. He is so small so it's easy to sneak him around. He's been to the mall, he's been to pizza hut, not yet to the movies, but you get the point. He is like my baby. And the one thing I adore about him is that he LOVES kisses. When I walk in my room and he's awake, he'll run to his cage door and lift his head up so I can kiss him. When my day was really horrible, i'm sad and I cry he will automatically calm down and go into his support mode, and that makes me feel so much better. Although he can get very cranky at times and bite me, every drop of blood he has caused is worth it. He is the best pet in the world!

I love music and the arts, so thats why CD's, music notes, a microphone, and the drawing of the South African flag really represents the artistic side of me. The reason I put a mask is because I see the world from a different perspective. Not like most people do. I always question things and wonder.

I love fashion, and style. I thought sunglasses, nail-polish, lip gloss, and my heart shaped necklace goes quit well with that section.I am from the greatest place in the world, (I think) South Africa. With it's beautiful beaches, wild life, and landscapes South Africa has a lot to offer. But people don't always see that. They always see the negative side of it. Crime. Despite that I believe South Africa is AWESOME!!! Well you might be wondering why I put a camera and a flower in the picture. Well it's because I love photography. I'm not any of the best, but I really enjoy taking photos. And the flower is there because I also love our nature (including plants, and animals). Especially animals such as, cheetah's, dogs, hamsters, hippos, cats, lions, whales, reindeer, ostrich, cows, and so many more.