I grew up in a Christian family and attended Catholic school for most of my life. I don't consider myself a religious person; even though I was confirmed Catholic. I still find myself interested and in tune with different beliefs. I have always been curious about other religions. I decided to participate in a Hindu ceremony for this assignment because I find this particular religion very interesting. I attended a ceremony at the ISKCON temple, which stands for “International Society for Krishna Consciousness.” ISKCON is a worldwide movement started by “His Divine Grace AC Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupād”, and is dedicated to the values ​​and practice of Bhakti Yoga (also known as the path of dedication and love) in this case to their Lord “Krishna”. The temple is located in Potomac, Maryland and sits on twelve acres of beautiful wooded land. When I arrived I couldn't help but notice all the wild life around me. The deer walked in harmony with the people and did not seem frightened by our human presence. I noticed houses within the temple, which I later discovered served as guesthouses for their followers. The temple was very simple; it wasn't as decorated as I had imagined. The particular ceremony I participated in is called “Sayana Arati” and took place inside the temple. When I entered the temple I was asked to take off my shoes and put them in the wooden cabinets before stepping foot into the main room. The ceremony was not very crowded, perhaps because it was particularly cold that night. Some women wore a traditional “Sari” while others wore a more modern themed “Sari”. Most people, including myself, wore casual clothes, which helped me feel more comfortable with the way I was dressed. Everyone sat on the floor as the ceremony began with the blowing of a conch shell, then the curtains were drawn back and statues of the deities appeared. One of the statues was of “Vishnu” and another of his avatar “Rama” and his wife “Sita”, the last one was of “Krishna”. The ceremony was led by a Hindu priest, who wore a white cloth robe and, to my surprise, was of Caucasian origin. He held an oil lamp in front of the statues of the deities, which he moved in a circular motion while chanting the "Hare Krishna Mantra".”.