I was dragged into attending the Easter service at an Orthodox Church on Saturday night.

“Come on, it’ll be fun,” I was told. More than anything, I was nervous. The last time I went to a church, I had to listen to an ignorant person insult Buddhism.

“I promise there won’t be a sermon. It’s just going to be a lot of chanting and stuff,” I was told.

Skeptically, I agreed. I had been warned in the past about how long these services could last. It didn’t scare me.

In high school, we were sometimes required to attend prayer sessions that lasted 12-24 hours. In my eyes, I had trained to survive this.

The service was beautiful, and for a long time, I felt like I was on the receiving end of a cultural experience. I was glad we sat down near a pillar. I was shielded from any awkward stares I might receive in case I did something stupid.

For the longest time, I couldn’t see a single person wearing white. In a sea of dark-colored suits, I was the only person in a white shirt. Was this considered rude? Would I be escorted out? I finally resumed breathing normally as I spotted two other people wearing white shirts.

The proceedings began around 11 p.m., and I couldn’t help noticing similarities in the structures of the verses being chanted and I was taken back to my school days. It wasn’t uncommon for us to chant verses from the Vedas for a couple of hours. The monotone of the intonated chants was uncannily similar.

There were a few differences, no doubt. Having to switch between standing and sitting every few minutes makes it hard to play Sudoku without drawing any attention to yourself. Anyway, two and a half hours later, I found myself switching my weight from one foot to another.

“How much longer is this going to take,” I ask my friend.

“You are such a baby. I thought you attended 24 hour prayer sessions,” she responded.

“Well, I guess I’ve lost touch,” I thought to myself.

After a beautiful, but painful, four hours, we left the church to go home and catch some sleep. I guess I am not getting any cultural experience next Easter.