Today we arrived at the temple, and it was unlike any place I had ever visited before. The temple was very isolated, surrounded by tall trees and peaceful nature, which made it feel calm and quiet the moment we arrived. Since we would be staying overnight, I was both excited and a little nervous to experience what life there would be like. When we first got there, we learned about the temple’s rules and traditions. There was no meat allowed, and we also had to remove our shoes before entering certain areas. At first it seemed strict, but after a while it honestly was not too difficult to adjust to. We were assigned rooms inside one of the temple buildings, with about four to six people in each room. I ended up rooming with Emily, Gabby, V, and Emma, which made the experience a lot more fun and comfortable. We also had to change into temple uniforms. The outfits were very loose and baggy, consisting of an orange vest and oversized brown pants. Even though they looked funny at first, they were actually pretty comfortable to wear.

After getting settled into our rooms, we watched a ceremony at the temple. The atmosphere was peaceful, and everyone was very respectful and quiet. Later, we participated in a Sunmudo training session. It involved a lot of stretching, balance exercises, and movements that focused on controlling the body and mind. It was tiring, but it also felt relaxing in a way.

After training, we went to dinner. The food options were simple because of the temple lifestyle. I ate rice and bean sprouts, and although the menu was limited, it matched the peaceful and disciplined environment. The tables were very low to the ground, so we sat closely together on the floor while eating.
That evening, the people at the temple performed a special show for us. The performance was beautiful, and the music sounded calming and elegant. Afterward, we tried walking up a hill nearby, but it became too dark, so we turned back. At the end of the night, I got ready for bed and spent time talking with my roommates. The bed was extremely hard, so it took me a while to finally fall asleep, but overall it was a very memorable experience.