![Portrait of Lily sitting in the woods](https://admissions.dartmouth.edu/sites/admissions.prod/files/styles/400x420_blog/public/admissions/content/blog-author/image/lily_10-12_-_lily_johnson.jpg?itok=mQHa7Ywb×tamp=1694612886)
Springterim Interfaith Trip to DC: Part 1
This past interim, I was part of an interfaith group that traveled to Washington DC on a Dartmouth-funded trip for American religious history! Here is what it looked like:
Washington National Cathedral
Our group was fortunate to have a tour from Reverend Hamlin who is the Minister of Equity and Inclusion at the Cathedral. Everything in the Cathedral has some sort of significance, whether you are looking at the stained glass, mosaics, or architecture. We learned that the Cathedral is for the people of the United States and is supposed to reflect that. Therefore, many of the stained glass pieces tell stories related to U.S. history. For example, the colors in the Civil War stained glass below are meant to reflect the turmoil in the country at that time. Downstairs there is also a multifaith room and a space for reflection on the devastation in Ukraine, and our group valued the existence of those spaces.
![Civil War Stained Glass Civil War Stained Glass in the Washington National Cathedral](https://admissions.dartmouth.edu/sites/admissions.prod/files/styles/wysiwyg_width_only_half/public/admissions/wysiwyg/pxl_20240314_155900815_1.jpg?itok=Sp4QOr1P)
![Peaceful Protest Stained Glass Peaceful Protest Stained Glass in National Cathedral](https://admissions.dartmouth.edu/sites/admissions.prod/files/styles/wysiwyg_width_only_half/public/admissions/wysiwyg/pxl_20240314_145759880.jpg?itok=ZDQoVNVh)
![National Cathedral Mosaic National Cathedral Mosaic](https://admissions.dartmouth.edu/sites/admissions.prod/files/styles/wysiwyg_width_only_300/public/admissions/wysiwyg/pxl_20240314_155623136_1.jpg?itok=vsaP0rlG)
Sikh Gurdwara DC
On the fourth day of our trip, we went to the Gurdwara, which was familiar for me. The group got to see part of a service and got a special presentation given by a member of the Sikh Coalition about the social impact and dedication to service that is a huge part of the Sikh faith. The group also got to experience Langar, which is the picture of me below, where people eat simple vegetarian food while sitting on the floor.
![Langar at the Gurdwara Lily eating Langar at the Gurdwara](https://admissions.dartmouth.edu/sites/admissions.prod/files/styles/wysiwyg_width_only_300/public/admissions/wysiwyg/pxl_20240317_182228068.jpg?itok=qPHTI7sK)
Islamic Center of Washington DC
This mosque is on Embassy Row and it is fairly close to the Cathedral and Gurdwara. We went there mainly just to see it an did not have a tour.
![Inside the Mosque Inside the Mosque](https://admissions.dartmouth.edu/sites/admissions.prod/files/styles/wysiwyg_width_only_590/public/admissions/wysiwyg/pxl_20240316_212901960_1.jpg?itok=5hr1chfx)
![Outside the Mosque Outside the Mosque](https://admissions.dartmouth.edu/sites/admissions.prod/files/styles/wysiwyg_width_only_590/public/admissions/wysiwyg/pxl_20240316_221346221_1.jpg?itok=WYKMQQ28)
Sixth & I Synagogue
On the second day of our trip we started our day at the synagogue and had a great conversation with Kira Doar, the Director of Community Impact and Organizational Culture. We learned that the synagogue is also used as an event venue and that as an organization they are trying to create an inclusive space and Kira specifically noted that they have trainings for LGBTQIA+ and racial inclusivity.
![Synagogue Seating and Stage Synagogue Seating and Stage](https://admissions.dartmouth.edu/sites/admissions.prod/files/styles/wysiwyg_width_only_590/public/admissions/wysiwyg/pxl_20240315_145913761.jpg?itok=QvAMDDuS)
![Synagogue Ceiling Synagogue Ceiling](https://admissions.dartmouth.edu/sites/admissions.prod/files/styles/wysiwyg_width_only_590/public/admissions/wysiwyg/pxl_20240315_145004948_1.jpg?itok=-CrvzB9y)
Iftars at Center DC, Georgetown University, and Howard University
In case you do not know, Iftar is when Muslims break their daily fast during Ramadan. It was really neat to see the slightly different approaches at the different places and to better appreciate the Muslim prayer practices of some of my friends. At Georgetown we were also fortunate to get a tour of some of the their student religious centers, and I found their dharmic room to very exciting.
A note on affordability: this trip was covered by the Tucker Center along with generous alumni funding, and thanks to that those of us who went on the trip did not have to pay anything for it. Things at Dartmouth are typically finanical aid friendly!
Stay tuned to check out my next trip update next week!