Thursday, March 30 For the first time in almost a week, we were forced to awaken close to six in the morning. However, this was a nice change from our typical schedule of service and local touring. Today we went to Santiago de Cuba, a lovely, historic city in southern Cuba, that holds many...
Continue readingFinal Day: Hassan II Mosque Interior
Our final day in Morocco is at an end; we began the day by checking out of our hotel in Marrakech and busing to Casablanca. After our 3 hour trek northwest, we arrived at the largest mall in Morocco, aptly named Morocco Mall. Everyone was content with a change in food for lunch, as...
Continue readingSouth Jersey Service Day 4: Perkins Center for the Arts
Today, we spent time at the Perkins Center for the Arts, at 30 Irwin Ave. in Collingswood. (There is a second location right in Moorestown, located at 395 Kings Highway). Led by Samantha Salazar, manager of Special Events and Education Assistant, we helped clean the massively impressive warehouse space, and we helped create artistic...
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Finding Inspiration at the BAPS Mandir
Today we visited the BAPS Mandir in Robbinsville, New Jersey. BAPS is a Hindu religious, humanitarian, cultural, and peace-oriented organization that focuses on humanitarian causes, spirituality, and building strong character. The Mandir, which is a Hindu place of worship, was started in 2005 and will not be finished until 2020. There are 5 different buildings that...
Continue readingWrapping Up a Busy Week With Studies of East Asia
We are going out again on the fifth day! The first place to go will be the University of Pennsylvania East Asian Civilization Dept. We listened to three speakers talk about Chinese poems, Study of Japan, and Asian Buddhism. After that, we went to a Japanese Tea House, which has authentic Japanese style architecture,...
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Sevilla, Seen From on High
Today we started later than usual, which is unusual for this trip. Usually we woke up around 6/7 to get ready for breakfast at 8, but today we had the luxury of sleeping in until about 8:30/9. From the hostel we embarked on a walking tour of Sevilla, led by a local named José...
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Asian Culture: Akshardam Arts & Culture Center
Today we learned about Hinduism and Indian Culture. We ventured out to Robbinsville, New Jersey for a divine experience at the Akshardam Arts & Culture Center. On arrival our vision was blessed with the beautifully crafted marble sculptures and designs. Everything was made of marble that was carved by hand in India, and every inch...
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La Mezquita de Córdoba
Today we said goodbye to the community of FES. It was very sad and sweet at the same time, and all of us feel that we would not want to trade the experience for the world. Then we headed on the bus towards Córdoba, which took two hours. Once we arrived, we went to...
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San Francisco: Burgers, Bridges, and Bubba Gump’s
Monday our journey began when we woke up at 3:30 AM to get to school by 4:30 AM. After our six hour flight we met up with Lance, our tour guide, and Calvin, our bus driver. From there we went to the much desired In-N-Out Burger for lunch. We then went over the Golden...
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The Moorish Kingdom of Granada
In the morning after breakfast, we once again divided into work groups after a short meeting for worship. Work on the mural continued and it’s coming along nicely. We made more delicious bread, made more arts and crafts, and worked more on the garden. After some classic frisbee and lunch, we headed out to...
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Our Last Day in Florence
We started off our day by visiting the San Miniato al Monte church outside of the main city of Florence. Considered one of the Florence’s most beautiful churches, it offered more insight into Renaissance architecture. We saw pillars that were made of faux marble and paint that was made to look like marble to...
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Kimmel, Comcast, and Barnes
Today, we started off at the Kimmel Center, located on the Avenue of the Arts. Designed by Rafael Vinoly, the Kimmel Center contains many spaces, including Verizon Hall, Perelman Theater, and the Dorrance H. Hamilton Roof Garden, all of which we visited. Verizon Hall and Perelman Theater are, in fact, two separate buildings; in...
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Society Hill: Monuments and Meetings
We started started the day off at Independence Hall talking about the history of the building. It has been a monumental place for centuries; many important meetings have been held there with Pennsylvanian politicians. It is the place where George Washington was named General of the Army. Many cases have been held their for...
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La Mesquita de Córdoba o La Catedral de Córdoba
Today we traveled to Cordoba. After we unpacked at the hotel, we began to explore the city. We then went to eat tapas. Tapas are a family styled way of eating meals, where everyone shares the food given to each other. We enjoyed a variety of different Spanish dishes, some with seafood and others...
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