Tammy Tran

Mrs. Parrott

AP Lang; Period 3

20 March 2017

A Bright Light

Alan Alda, an American actor, director, screenwriter, and author, once stated, Begin

challenging your own assumptions. Your assumptions are your windows on the world. Scrub

them off every once in awhile, or the light won't come in.(izquotes.com) Individuals must

challenge their doubts in order to expand their knowledge and to eliminate any bias theory. In the

world, each individual has the duty to contribute to better the world and maintain peace. Thus, I

decided venture off my comfort zone by attending a mass at St. Polycarp Catholic Church. My

first thought is to ask Natalie, whom is also enrolled in the AP English Language and

Composition class, to take me to her church. At first, I was overwhelmed with uncertainty, for I

have never attended any events unfamiliar to my culture as I fear my inability to blend in with

my surroundings. As an adolescent, I mind a lot about my appearance and the judgements

society have about me being a place I dont belong to. Moreover, I fear that my action will

offend someone in the church, for I am clueless of the process. Beside my fears, I have many

assumptions upon entering the overwhelming experience. The overwhelmed feeling of unable to

comprehend the terminology and of having to face a crowd made me doubt my choice for this

project. Like many other introverts, I have an inconvenient fear of socializing and expressing

my thoughts in front of a crowd. As a Buddhist attending a Catholic church, I feel that it would
be hard for me to comprehend the terminology of the Bible. Hopefully, I will be able to

overcome this difficulty with the help of my friend.

Overall, I intend to expand my knowledge of a culture that I vaguely know of, allowing

me to overcome any biased feeling and thought of this religion and any other religion.
Tammy Tran

Mrs. Parrott

AP Lang; Period 3

20 March 2017

Jesus V. Pizza; Jesus cant be topped.

Why do people fear of venturing of their comfort zone? People live life believing that

there is only one area in life that makes them comfortable and happy. However, without reaching

the end of your comfort zone, you will not be able to realize that there are many other things that

makes life worthwhile, yet offer a comfortable vibe. As for challenging my assumptions, I have

discovered a new curiosity that resulted in an objective mindset.

Leaving my home and entering the blazing hot atmosphere, I began my fifteen minute

walk to the Catholic church. Initially, I decided to attend an English, but after examining the

intriguing factors of attending a Vietnamese mass, I changed my plans. I continue the rigid walk

to Starbucks to spend the thirty minutes before the mass at four in the evening. As I encounter

many of my neighbors, I began to envision the process of the mass and the people I may

encounter. Upon my arrival at the church, there were already many Vietnamese family arriving

and entering the church. Little kids were running around, some holding their parents hand, and

families were having small talks as they wait for the mass to start. It was a perfect time for the

Vietnamese community to come together and find the tranquility in their tiresome life.

As Natalies family and I enter the church, the church choir have already began singing

the songs of prayers. Hardly understanding the terminology in the songs, I was filled with

uncertainty and worries. However, Natalie, being the prepared person she is, handed me a Bible
turned to the page of the song they were singing. I followed along the words in the page and

unexpectedly, everyone stood up. Taken back by the surprise, I stood up quickly and followed

the actions of others. Natalie giggled and told me that I didn't have to do exactly what they did.

As the priest proceed to the read the gospel, I follow the exact words in the Bible. Then came the

second reading. Then came the time for the church attendees to pray. The whole process amazed

me more and more as the mass goes on. Later on, the priest called for and accepted the

individuals who are coming to be Catholics. The enormous amount of faith God has will forever

remain unbreakable. After the ceremony, the priest asks the attendees to wish each other a

wonderful day. Everyone quickly turn to each and start bowing and wishing each other upon

their well-beings. After the warm blessings, the church attendees stands up one row at a time to

prepare to accept the bread and wine. As the mass comes to an end, I observe the church one

more time. That was when I realized the the priests robe had matched the curtains on both sides

of the wall with the cross with Jesus on it. Later, I learned that the color changes according to the

season and since it was lent, the color is purple.

Arriving home, I became curious of why the color was purple, so I did some research.

Lent is a season of prayers, penance, sacrifice, and good works, allowing them to grow closer to

God. The season last forty days- from Ash Wednesday to Easter. Purple is traditionally

associated with lent for two reasons. One being it symbolizes royalty and the celebration of

Christ's resurrection and sovereignty. The second reason is the color allows them to focus on

fasting and repentance.

Tammy Tran

Mrs. Parrott

AP Lang; Period 3

20 March 2017

The Eye-opening Experience

As Alan Alda haves stated, an individual will only be able expand their perception of life

and their knowledge of the world. Personally, this experience has expanded my perception of the

mixed cultures in my community, advocating me to take more risks and challenge my comfort

zone. Initially, I was told by many people that church would be boring and that I should do

something more intriguing such as visiting a cat cafe or Little Tokyo. My reliance on their

opinion have shaped my assumptions and expectations of attending church. However, I still try

to overcome those opinions by go beyond my comfort zone and attend church. Individuals allow

society to shape their opinion and perception of certain matters. Relatively, in the current global

situation, many Americans assumes that anyone who is Muslim must be a terrorist. However,

they have never experienced the terror Muslims face that ultimately led them to fleeing their

beloved nation to migrate at a foreign nation that views them as suspects. Individuals must fully

understand the circumstances of each situation or person in order to truly come to a just

conclusion.

Moreover, challenging my own assumptions advocated to uphold my religious pride and

utilize the unification of my community to recreate the welcoming center for the Vietnamese

who fled the nation as a result of the Vietnam war. Through Catholicism and St. Polycarp

Catholic church, the Vietnamese community in Garden Grove and Stanton can easily access
tranquility from the burdensome struggles of migrating into a new nation. Besides Catholicism,

other religions such as Buddhism and Christianity as provided an invariable sense of warmth.

Ever since, I was a elementary school student, I became less open about my religion, for most of

my friends were either Christians or Catholics, soon enough my religion was only disclosed

when asked about. The force of conformity dominated my life and my actions. However, my

entrance into high school allowed me to appreciate my religion, for it shaped my belief and faith

in life. Despite how an individual feels the need to conform, they must realize that they are born

to be real with themselves, not perfect.

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