Once again, a group of SKS students opted to take a Spring Break without bikinis, bashes, or beers. And once again, they found an experience more intense—and more memorable—than any beach party they had experienced.

This year, the students were given a choice. Some went to Mepkin Abbey, a Catholic monastery in South Carolina (pictured above left). Some went to WAT Carolina, a Buddhist monastery in North Carolina (pictured above right). Both groups spent a week living with the monks, learning their lifestyle and participating in their daily work as well as in their spiritual practices.

When I asked both groups for quotes that I could post to the Web, what struck me most was how similar they sounded. The students seem to have gotten many of the same experiences, and many of the same lessons, from these two monasteries from very different traditions.

All of the quotes and pictures on this page come from the 2001 Spring Break trip. However, the quotes do not necessarily go with the pictures next to them—in fact, sometimes, a picture from one monastery is paired with a quote from the other.

"The Monks are so unconditionally kind it is awe inspiring. It doesn't matter what color, creed, race, disability, personality, past, or present you have, they take you for a human being and one of God's children. It is wonderful. Something I probably wouldn't have credited the Catholic Church with but something that makes this place glow with kindness and acceptance. Really transcending the earthy.

"Mepkin was an oasis in the desert of life. Everyday living is such an absence of any real emotion and feeling as we run pell-mell to get over the next sand dune. Mepkin offered a spring where I could relax, take a deep breath, and really start to feel. I was able to discover things that I didn't know grew in me, but Mepkin was a breeze that blew away the sand that was covering them in my life. It is sad that I think that steadily the sand will blow back over these things as I tramp back into everyday life, but I know that I need to fight against this every day. While I may not be successful even the mere awareness is comforting."

"After the first day I felt like I had exhaled a breath that I forgot I had been holding. It took a while to get used to waking up at 3am, but after a couple days I was surprised at the clarity of thought I had at that time, my mind was slow and quiet. I think St. Benedict had it right when he said monks should do manual labor, there is something about doing a good days work that relieved tension in my body and made me feel better too, even though I was covered in compost. That week was one of the few time that I really felt in the presence of God, I started praying there, a lot. By the end of the week life at Mepkin seemed so much more real and worthwhile than my busy life here."

"Being in the silence made the default mode of my mind very loud. I knew quite well what I was prone to thinking when not being constantly bombarded by external stimuli. I was able to get a better grasp of what I actually spend a lot of my time thinking about, and also to realize that I can have some control over it now that I am more aware. Wow, but it is hard work!"

"At college, I overanalyze everything, but at Mepkin, I just let the monks’ faith and the words of the psalms wash over me and I believed. Walking back to my room after compline, the last, and my favorite service of the day, I looked up at the night sky exploding with stars and I felt God's presence.

"I felt so completely at home there. I felt like the monks were living exactly how everyone should live, a simple life with no superficial worries, working and renewing the land they have been given."

"Aug, It's been a few weeks now since my first visit to Mepkin. And even though it has temporally been a long time, in spirit, it feels like ten minutes ago. I want to thank you for graciously providing the opportunity for me to spend the weekend with you, Ed and Eric. The time I spent at the monastery only served to strengthen my faith and improve my life of prayer. I am glad that you were there as an instrument of God to guide me. The time at the monastery helped me to see that the spirit of God is strong with all three of you. I just feel so grateful for this time, only a small part of my life, but truthfully, an incredible component of my spiritual life. I'll be candid, Aug. I kind of admire you; I think that in spite of your lack of faith in the resurrection of Christ, I think that you understand something about the Christian faith that most Sunday Christians will not understand until they see the Glory of God. I look forward to spending more time with you. In the love of God," --Matthew Huffman