Phoebe Chan Assignment 3 1.What is your proposed plan (activity, date(s), time, duration, location)?

My plan is going to a Sikh Temple on Mar 2, 2013, 5:00 pm to 6:45 pm at the address 135 Martindale Blvd. NE 2.Who is/are the facilitator(s) of this event? Provide contact information. The contact person is Gurpree and his phone number is 403 437 2722 and the facilitator or tour guide who give me a lecture about Sikhism is Gurjit Dhanoa. 3. Why have you chosen this specific event? Provide a brief paragraph rationale. I never been to a Sikh temple before and I would like to feel the difference from other religion and culture. It is a great experience for me to explore new and multiculturalism. 4. What are your assumptions and understandings going into the event about the group/community/individual? I assume there will be a lot of East Indian people in this temple and they will speak their own language. They will be not a lot of people can speak English. They will do some Sikh service in their language in the temple which I wont understand. 5. What stage are you at in terms of organizing your activity and participation? This is the final stage that I attend the activity and participate in the temple and I start to write this paper. 6. What supports do you think you might need to be successful in this activity? I have to engage and open minded to learn about this religion Sikh.

Phoebe Chan Assignment 3 My intention of this event visiting a Sikh temple is about learning multiculturalism. In this event, I would like to feel as a new immigrant student entered a Canadian school which s/he did not know the language, culture and people. Hopefully, I can shed a light about the fear of the new environment which is not in their comfort zone. Before I went to a Sikh Temple, I searched it online to find a Sikh temple. There were three temples in Calgary and there were one in the northeast and two in the southwest area. I contacted the northeast temple and explained my intention to go to their temple. I discussed the matter with the organizer, his name was Gurpree and I will visit the temple on Saturday March 2, 2013 at 5 p.m. When I arrived to the parking lot of the temple, the parking lot is packed. At first I felt uncomfortable before I went into the temple because some people walking in the temple were staring at me. I looked like a weirdo in that place. I started walking into the front door of the temple. I met a pair of mother and daughter (I assumed). I saw the mother touched the floor and then she touched her forehead. (I felt strange, I found out later that from the facilitator who explain that anyone touching the floor then the forehead was blessing the people who came to the temple.) She thought that I am lost and she tried to talk to me but the language barrier, therefore she asked her daughter to translate and help me out. The daughter led me to the main office and looked for Gurpree. First I need to remove my shoes and the facilitator confirmed with me that I absolutely did not drink any alcohol and did not take any illegal drugs. I went in the office with Gurpree and the facilitator Gurjit Dhanoa. Gurjit Dhanoa gave an hour of lecture about the history of Sikh religion. He also provided me a headscarf to wear because everyone (including men) needed to wear either a turban or a headscarf to enter the temple. This symbolize everyone were wearing a crown just like king and queen.

Phoebe Chan Assignment 3 First Gurjit introduce what is Sikh means. Sikh means student and Guru means teacher. The first teacher is the mother of every child and in this religion the female is the dominant in this community. Sikhs followers have a concept of equality from the poverty, to the noble and the empire, they all who were the student of Guru. Gurjit also explained that Sikh is open to everyone by the example of the Golden Temple in India. This is a one god religion. The name of Sikhs god is Waheguru which is an immortal, no shape, no particular form and can transform to anything to teach the Sikhs Textbook. Gurjit also emphasis that the god is in your heart to guide you. (I think he meant my own consciousness to guide my way.) He also explain the ten teachers(Guru) of Sikh, how the Sikh is establish and oppress by Hinduism and Muslims. Sikhs followers always have wars between these two religions. The one of the Guru was killed by

his enemy because Sikh was a marginalise religion and followed Guru established the military because of the Sikh had to defence themselves from Hinduism and Muslims. This is why Sikh had the five Ks symbols. The five Ks are Kesh which cannot cut hair because Sikh believe that hair is the gods precious gift, Kangha which is wooden comb that they comb their hair twice a day, Katchera which is a cotton special made underwear that they sit on the floor comfortable and easily to get up for any situation, Kara which is the iron bracelet is for defence if someone use knife to attach them, Kirpan which is either a small or big iron dagger for self defence.

Phoebe Chan Assignment 3

Golden Temple is a holy place for the God. It was build by the fourth Guru. It was build in the middle of the water. The temple is represented a symbol of freedom and spiritual independent and welcome all prayers to come and enjoy the peace environment. The temple was build a little incline into the water which is different then other temple have many stairs to go up to the temple. This means that the God want the followers to be humble and easily to get into your heart and close to God. But the other temple with many stairs represent the God always is all mighty superior. This temple is specially built with four door entrances instead of one entrance. The four door entrances means four direction of north, south, east and west, which represented all over the world of people with different faith welcome to the temple. It also means the inclusive of different people regardless of their socioeconomic. After the lecture of history of Sikh, Gurjit toured me to the main hall. Every follower went in front of the shire and bow. The priest used a feather fan wave to the followers which meant that the priest treat them as the King and the Queen. There were three musician sang their hymn which was their Scripture. The women sat in the left hall and the men sat in right hall. After this event, he brought me to the kitchen and had a meal. During the meal, he also explained that there were many volunteers during everyday. The temple served three time a day around five hundred meals. They all sat on the floor (even the king and queen, dignitary) it represented we all equal. This temple only provided vegetarian meals.

Phoebe Chan Assignment 3 In the whole experience, I realize that the Sikh concept are similar in my reading of the liberal diversity practice and the pluralist diversity practice, such as the Sikh is emphasized the natural equality (everyone is the same under the Sikh God) and common humanity of individuals from diverse race, class and gender groups (Steinbery, S. & Kincheloe, J.L.). They tried to avoid the concept of oppression (Steinbery, S. & Kincheloe, J.L.) because Sikhs history was always oppressed by other religions. They were also focused attention on the sameness (everyone sat on the floor eating a meal) of individuals from diverse group. (Steinbery, S. & Kincheloe, J.L.) The Sikhs idea also recognized of the reading of the diversity which have to accommodate the pluralism and willing to engage to the society. They also willingness to recognize and engage with the religious other in all its dimensions seeks the goal of a manner of living together, a modus vivendi,... that is inclusive and always respectful of the other. (Boudreau, S.) In conclusion, I had a wonderful experience for this event, and I also learn I need to be open-mind to embrace and respect all different people, culture and religions. I need to seek more ways to understand different peoples background and try to accommodate by dialog that we can develop a harmony society which can fit the multiculturalism idea. Reference: Steinbery, S. & Kincheloe, J.L. (2001) Smoke and Mirrors, More Than One Way to be Diverse and Multicultural: A Reader, 3-20 Boudreau, S. (2001) Diversity in Education and the Marginalization of Religion: A Reader, 297305