Thanlyin, Myanmar

        Today, I had a field program with SAS.  The first stop on our itinerary was a monastery.  To go in, you have to take off your socks and shoes and go up these stairs to get to the first floor.  Most of the buildings in these towns are built on stilts.  It was completely made of wood, and we were told that the monastery was 140 years old.  There was no furniture.  They kept their rice in patches on the floor, along with some fruits that they had out.  Their dishes sit on a table outside, next to the wash station.  The most immaculate thing was the Buddha statues that they worship.  It was behind glass and had offerings like water, flowers, and lights.   The building did have an upstairs, but it was very small and cramped.   This seemed to be where they kept their only belongings.  To get up, you had to take a steep staircase that was built around one single column.  They are not allowed to build them any bigger.  To wash, there was a large cement “tub” where they picked up a bowl and dumped water on themselves.

          The monk did not speak English, so the guide had to translate for us.  Their day starts at 4 am, when they get up and begin worship.  Around 5:30 they are allowed to eat breakfast.  After breakfast, they go to class for a few hours, where a senior monk teaches them about Buddha’s teachings.  At 11 am they are allowed to have lunch.  That is their last meal of the day; they cannot eat after 12pm, unless they have an illness that requires them to eat.  They are allowed to drink juice after noon though.  They are allowed to nap after lunch, and then they go back to classes for four hours.  They pray again after class, and this concludes their day.  We were not able to see the monks in school, because it was a holiday for them.

          After the monastery, we stopped at a nearby primary school.  We were allowed to interact with little 3-4 year olds!  They were so precious.  We gave them candies, coloring books, and colored pencils.  Some of the SASers blew up balloons that they kids had a great time with.  We got to play with them for about half an hour, and I loved it.