The temple for me is called the Gurudwara. I follow the Sikh religion and without a doubt I embrace the values and morals that I retain from it. My family is a very religious group of people, but they never forced religion upon me. They did, however; teach me prayers and enlightened as to where our religion originated from and why we believe the values we believe.

Whenever enter the Gurudwara, there’s a sense of safety and serenity that I can never find anywhere else. Everyone is there for one reason; to connect with our Guru. I recall when I was younger my parents would pray for a numerous amount of things. One of them was about our financial stability, a family member’s health, or simply just to have that spiritual connection. It is a way to distress too. I would see my parents have a calmer and relaxed appeal to them after they had prayed. They were trusting an external power with their worries, and that fascinates me.

Of course, that did not mean my parents stopped working hard to fulfill all their wishes. They continued to persevere and remain consistent with God by their side.

Today, I am so grateful I come from a house of prayer because it gives me a method to cope with all of the stress I have to endure during my senior year of high school. It’s a way to cleanse my soul and find that inner peace and to remind my mind that everything will be okay. I also whole heartedly agree with the values it portrays. Praying reminds that everything does happen for a reason, and if something doesn’t turn out the way I’d like it was for a reason. It also reminds me that I have someone that is looking over me and is guiding me through the adversities of life.

The main hall in the Gurudwara is called the Darbar Sahib, where the holy book, Guru Grant Sahib Ji, is kept and where people pray. The hall is lit with small chandeliers and white blankets are places on the floor so people can sleep. The hall is always kept clean since we are in the presence of one of Gurus. The smell of the Langar, which is the food that is being made from the downstairs hall, creep its way upstairs. The colours that are prominent are blue and orange which represent our religion the best.