Among the monks...
Ok now I flooded the blog with pictures (less than on the French one but still...), I can begin to write. A lot, as usual ^^ Our group was... awesome... I feel so lucky and honoured to have been able to travel with only thai people (and a korean, ok), especially with monks. And i feel really weird writting all of these knowing some monks are going to read it...
I mean... If I was a guy, I would already be a monk. When I said it to the guide, I just made a huge grin and said "Yeah, i know, I felt it too"
But i'm a girl (damn... ^^). And yet, I feel "at home" when I speak with monks. I feel like I found "my community", a universe I belong to. I know I'm a girl and it should only be "they" and "I", not a "we", it's not the same level. But... I don't know, I feel like a connection, not really a "we" but something close to it sometimes. Well, guess it's the same thing than when I was mind-connected with Azlan in Malaysia...
I mean... If I was a guy, I would already be a monk. When I said it to the guide, I just made a huge grin and said "Yeah, i know, I felt it too"
But i'm a girl (damn... ^^). And yet, I feel "at home" when I speak with monks. I feel like I found "my community", a universe I belong to. I know I'm a girl and it should only be "they" and "I", not a "we", it's not the same level. But... I don't know, I feel like a connection, not really a "we" but something close to it sometimes. Well, guess it's the same thing than when I was mind-connected with Azlan in Malaysia...
The monks were actually students from the Mahachulalongkorn Buddhist University, from the Thai Program, 2nd year, Phra Sanet being their teacher. Sometimes, they were divided in 2 groups during the afternoon, to collect informations for their studies. I'm not sure about all of them, but seems like they had to write a report of about 12 pages. So, they were there to study... and to enjoy :)
Honestly, it was so fun to see them playing the tourists, focusing their digital camera on everything and taking videos of every interesting moment. Taking a serious posture in front of a Buddha or clustering for a collective picture, dragging me along the way.
They totally followed the saying "In Roma, do as Roman do" (isn't it, Phra Sit ? ^^). Here in Burma, monks can ride a bike, drive a motorbike, touch a woman. And eat a loooooooot. On Friday, I saw them eating breakfast, then eating sticky rice at the small market. And 1 hour later, I found them sitting at a table in the Central Market... ^^;
Like... the first time Phra Thanong touched my hand to sign me to come for a picture... I was so surprised, I almost jumped out of my own skin. First time I had to give something to one of them, I was "zut, got nothing to put it on so that he can take it... ... Bah, ok, I'll give it directly hand to hand". But touching one of them had never occured to me as a possibility ^^; Like being alone with Phra Sit in his room one evening... It felt unreal.
I mean, since I'm in Asia, I feel kind of frustrated not to be able to touch boys. I wanted to hug Azlan the day before I left but it's not part of this culture, especially in public. In France, I mostly have boys friends, the only girls I know are kind of boyish too. And I am always in contact with the guys, patting an arm, clapping a back, probing a finger between two rib bones... It's part of my way of communicating...
So since I am in Asia, I kind of brain-washed my habits, to try to fit into the culture of here and not to shock anyone (and not to make some guys believe i'm interested in them...). But when I feel so much connected to someone, like I was with Azlan, it's really hard to keep the distance. With the monks, society's rules are even harder. So I constantly kept a grip on myself, surveying my moves.
And suddenly, they decided they could touch me and clap hands with me... I swear, it was the most incredible to me. And it felt so unreal I was almost uneasy. Like it was not right, in a way... But it was a precious gift, a recognition of some sort, and I will never be able to thank them enough for their accepting me among them.
They totally followed the saying "In Roma, do as Roman do" (isn't it, Phra Sit ? ^^). Here in Burma, monks can ride a bike, drive a motorbike, touch a woman. And eat a loooooooot. On Friday, I saw them eating breakfast, then eating sticky rice at the small market. And 1 hour later, I found them sitting at a table in the Central Market... ^^;
Like... the first time Phra Thanong touched my hand to sign me to come for a picture... I was so surprised, I almost jumped out of my own skin. First time I had to give something to one of them, I was "zut, got nothing to put it on so that he can take it... ... Bah, ok, I'll give it directly hand to hand". But touching one of them had never occured to me as a possibility ^^; Like being alone with Phra Sit in his room one evening... It felt unreal.
I mean, since I'm in Asia, I feel kind of frustrated not to be able to touch boys. I wanted to hug Azlan the day before I left but it's not part of this culture, especially in public. In France, I mostly have boys friends, the only girls I know are kind of boyish too. And I am always in contact with the guys, patting an arm, clapping a back, probing a finger between two rib bones... It's part of my way of communicating...
So since I am in Asia, I kind of brain-washed my habits, to try to fit into the culture of here and not to shock anyone (and not to make some guys believe i'm interested in them...). But when I feel so much connected to someone, like I was with Azlan, it's really hard to keep the distance. With the monks, society's rules are even harder. So I constantly kept a grip on myself, surveying my moves.
And suddenly, they decided they could touch me and clap hands with me... I swear, it was the most incredible to me. And it felt so unreal I was almost uneasy. Like it was not right, in a way... But it was a precious gift, a recognition of some sort, and I will never be able to thank them enough for their accepting me among them.
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