This last week or so...

It's been a good last week or so. Full of normalish good things. I went south to Bandarban for a Buddhist Water festival last weekend with some friends. The water festival generally involves lots of little children throwing water all over anyone who looks their way. We got completely soaked on our rickshaw when 14 boys decided to attack us with water from 2 liter bottles as we cruised by. It was a hot and humid day so it felt really nice. Later, I went near the river and watched the Monks bathe the Golden Buddha in holy water, which smelled of sandalwood. A huge crowd gathered on the riverbank to take part in the ceremony and prayers. Some monks played the drums and other men played something that looked a bit like a flute. As I looked around I felt a bit out of place--of course no other foreigners besides us came to this; Sometimes not fitting in hits me more than other times--it wasn't a bad thing, more of an amusing realization.

This weekend my friend and housemate from last year, James, has been visiting, which has been fun. It's always good to show someone around and see what they notice and the conversations it produces.

The Sisters have been attending an Herbal Medicine Seminar for the last week, and have been cooking up all sorts of interesting medicines in the kitchen, producing many interesting new smells. James and I tried one today, it was very good, and menthol tasting. We had to close our eyes while drinking it, or we would start to cry from the fumes.

Tomorrow will bring prayers at Taize, a bus to Dhaka and Tea with Ethel. Oh yeah, and teaching English.

This weekend will bring a trip to Kolkata to see the city and Mother Theresa's house....

It's not a bad life that I'm living at all.

p.e.a.c.e.