CULTURALPLUNGE

Living Hope Church of the Nazarene

Maria de Jesus Rocha
Arizona State University

EDP 310: Education Psychology for Non-Teachers

Professor Dr. Newsome
Cultural Plunge
November 6, 2016

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Introduction

I reside in the beautiful state of California. I currently live in the Salinas Valley and
agriculture is what drives our economy here in the valley. Salinas is the home for almost all
Hispanic families who work in agriculture. For my cultural plunge, I knew I had to drive to get to
an environment where I am the minority. On Sunday November 6, I chose to sit and listen in a
Christian church located in a town 30 minutes away from me. Living Hope Church of the
Nazarene is found in 1375 Josselyn Canyon Road in Monterey. Their contact number is: (831)
375-4414 and please talk to Pastor John. Pastor John is their senior pastor.
What I Learned
When I first moved here from Mexico, I had no idea what I was getting myself into. I had
no clue how to act, I especially did not know how to speak the language and I had no single
person that could answer my many questions. It was very intimidating and scary being in a
foreign place, but I still had my family. They helped me feel safe and encouraged me to never
give up. This was my first time putting myself in a situation that was out of my norm, but for this
assignment I chose to go to a place where I was a minority and learn a new religion. Being raised
catholic had its ups and downs. As a kid, I dreaded the idea of attending church, but I was forced
to attend every Sunday mass. I have never been religious, but I found this assignment as an
opportunity to venture out of my comfort zone and sit through a Christian mass.
When I first arrived at the Nazarene Church I heard people singing inside the building. I
refused to step outside my car door because I was afraid the families would stare at me in shame
or be upset because I interrupted their pastor. I knew this project had to be done, and so I put my
embarrassment aside and walked inside the church. I was surprised in how small the church
actually was and how simple and cozy it felt. No one looked at me because everyone was busy

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singing and looking at their pastor. I, of course, sat in the back and tried to avoid eye contact. No
one looked my way and I was happy with that. I noticed there was a lot of singing involved and
everyone would sing along, and so I did too. Luckily there was a screen with the lyrics of the
song they were playing so that helped me fit in. As I looked around the building, I noticed there
was no Hispanics in sight. I was in a room full of white families and they all seemed so happy
and beautiful. There were mostly elderly couples and a few younger parents with their children. I
only saw a handful of teens and no one that I could see in my age.
During the service I learned about our inevitable death. There was a death in the pastors
family and he gave us a few stories about him. He talked about how our death could happen at
any time or day. It was an eye opener because I forgot about how death will happen to all us, but
we have no idea when. I have never really thought about death and where we go after death. I
always assumed I would go to heaven and meet God, but as I sat there listening; I knew I was
heading to hell. The pastor went on and asked us well prepared are we for death, and I sat there
thinking to myself I have no clue on how to prepare. I was having a hard time listening because I
was having a small panic attack, but I remember him repeating Father, into your hands I commit
my spirit. Remember these words: Spirit, father, hands. Everything else is a blur because I kept
repeating these words in my head.
Insights Learned
Death can happen to anyone on any given day. Although it is frightening to think about
death happening to you or a loved one, I learned that we must prepare for death. The Living
Hope Church of the Nazarene is a place where I found acceptance and love in one hour. I
accepted my fate of death, and felt love because I knew how to prepare for death. We believed
that knowledge is a good thing, but it has been increasingly evident that having the knowledge

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is not enough anymore- knowledge must be followed by measurable commitment and action
(Holliman, pg. 183). Now that I took action and attended a Christian Service, I have a different
view on the religion and the Caucasian families that I met after the service.
I have met many white folks who have either been somewhat nice to me or just
plain rude, but I would never let them get the best of me. The families I met after the service
were so kind and thoughtful. A few of them asked about me and what I thought about the service.
They even invited me over to eat with their families and talk about why they love their Church of
the Nazarene, but I kindly refused because I had prior engagements. I only met two elderly
couples. The first couple I met was Rosie and Mathew. Mathew was a doctor and Rosie was a
stay at home mother with 2 children. They introduced themselves first and they reminded me of
my parents. They were full of love and kindness. The second couple I met was Roxane and
Edwin. They were both retired. Roxane used to work for the school district and Edwin used to be
a forest ranger. They invited me over because they were very interested in my project and wanted
to give me some insight. I wished I had the time, but I had no time.
Prior Knowledge
As I mentioned before, I am not a very religious person. I have not stepped inside a
Catholic church in years and going to a Christian service was nerve wrecking especially because
I was going alone. I believe in a God and that there is a heaven for those who do not break any of
the Ten Commandments. That was all I knew before attending Sundays Service. As for being a
minority, I have felt a minority most of my life. I have taken classes where I was surrounded by
non-Spanish speaking students. It can be very lonely and intimidating but I continued with the
class and worked just as hard as everyone else, or even harder. I have met many white folks who
have either been somewhat nice to me or just plain rude, but I would never let them get the best

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of me.
How this Experience Made me Feel
This experience made me have mixed emotions. Before I entered the building, I was
terrified to step inside the doors of the church. I had no idea what to expect or what to say to
these people. I was afraid to be looked differently or people being rude to me. Once I walked in,
I sat down and felt relieved. I felt as if I passed my own test. As I was listening to the pastor
talking about death, I began imagining my own death. Thinking about my family and how much
I would miss them. Listening to the pastor and looking around the room to see the back of the
peoples heads made me feel a bit safe because no one was looking at me. The environment felt
warm and welcoming. People seemed sad because of the loss of the pastors relative, and it also
made me feel sad. This experience made me have so many emotions in the one hour I was there.
In our textbook Educational Psychology, it states we must look at the enemy within and the
enemy without to inspire the spirits (Holliman, pg. 187). Now that I have looked at the
enemy within, meaning the Christian Service, I have a different view of the people and the
religion. This experience has given me a new way to look new environments. The may make you
feel intimidating, but until you try it you will never know how it truly feels.

A Challenge or a Comfortable Experience

The number one challenge I had was going inside the church. As I mentioned before, I
was terrified to get out of my car. I normally have my sister along with me, but I forced myself to
attend the service alone. Once inside, I felt at ease. The place was warm and it smelled really
nice. The pastor had a kind and honest voice, and it made me feel welcomed. I had no idea what
to expect, but I am so happy I did not turn back home. I enjoyed the pastors talk and the singing

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was not so bad. The people seemed too focused on the pastors stories of his relative that had
passed away, and I was too. I was pleasantly surprised on how patient and attentive I was with
the service.
What I learned about Myself
What I learned about myself is that I am terrified of death. I have convinced myself in
believing I am going to hell because I stopped going to church and believing in God. I also
learned that I am very brave in going to a place where I knew I was going to be a minority again
and all alone. This assignment helped me realize that by challenging myself will also challenge
others (Holliman, pg. 187). I challenged myself with this assignment and going to a place where
I was going to be the only Mexican, and I would also like to imagine that the people from the
Church of the Nazarene challenged themselves in getting to know me. I truly hoped I left a good
impression and not judge me because of my color.
What I got from this Experience
I have to admit it was never easy to live here in America. I have had many obstacles, but I
am grateful and blessed to have my family as a support system. Diversity is growing in America
and multicultural education will benefit our classrooms. In our textbook Education Psychology, it
states that It is difficult to use perceptions to either make correct judgments about situations and
events or improve teaching, learning, human valuing and human interactions (Holliman, pg.
182). This experiment was an eye opener. Instead of people telling me their insight on
Christianity and Caucasians, I chose to learn about it firsthand. We cannot always believe what
others think about a religion or a culture because not everyone is the same. I have met two
amazing Caucasian Christian couples that opened their hearts and doors to me. I felt incredibly
special and touched by their gesture and kindness.

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Conclusion

The U.S. population is becoming diverse more and more each day. It is because of this
reason why it is time for educators make the change to a more multicultural classroom. As a
future educator I plan to create a safe environment for all of my students no matter their
background and religion. I want them to feel comfortable and accepted. If I educate myself and
become more aware of the different cultures and religions in my community will help strengthen
my cultural awareness.

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References

Obiakor, F. E. (2014). Multicultural Education: The mismeasured but important phenomenon. In

A. Holliman (Ed.), The Routledge International Companion to Educational Psychology
(p. 104-116). Oxon: Routledge.