Eat. Pray. Love.

     Yesterday, I attended Sunday mass with my host mother, Marí.  I probably haven't been to mass since I was confirmed in 9th grade, but I wanted to experience everything Salamanca has to offer and I certainly have a lot to be thankful for.  The service was held in this beautiful, old church called Parroquia Sancti Spiritus.  At 1pm, we walked about a quarter mile to the church and squeezed in the doorway; it was filled to maximum capacity at about 200 people, and there were no seats left so we had to stand! It was mostly grandparents with a few younger families sprinkled here or there but no one my age.  After 45 minutes of readings, songs, collection, communion, and prayers, mass was over and we walked back to our apartment.  A delicious Sunday paella was waiting for us :)

       From what I gathered, Marí doesn't necessarily strictly practice Catholicism but her beliefs are important to her.  To me, it does not matter what religion you practice as long as your beliefs help you to lead a better life and don't harm others.  Although many religious traditions may seem weird or crazy, most of the time the objective is to promote personal growth of the individual(and/or community) mentally, spiritually, emotionally, psychologically, and/or physically.  Therefore, there is no reason to dislike or discriminate against someone just because their set of beliefs/practices are different because in the end we are all just trying to become the best person that we can be.

     I am not one to shy away from other cultures or religions, because rather than counting the differences, I try to find similarities and appreciate the uniqueness.  Most importantly, if I decide a certain practice or habit does not suit me, its not because the foreign culture is wrong or stupid, it is because I was raised a certain way in a certain environment by my own incredible family.  My creation is different from every American, every New Jersey resident, every 19 year old girl, and even different from my own siblings; Not better. Not worse.  Different.  I apply this perspective on a daily basis, so that I can achieve a greater understanding of the world around me as well as how things interact with each other.  An open mind is more valuable than a knowledgable one because with tolerance, there are no limits.

Typical lunch/dinner at the kitchen table.  Marí could feed an army!