Week Long Rimdro

Monks & Students sharing song & dance 

It has been a very interesting week at Mongar Lower Secondary School.  We have just finished a week long rimdro, (a Buddhist ceremony to cleanse and bless our school) with 100 monks and lamas in our multi-purpose hall chanting from 6:30 am to 6:30 pm.  Most schools do this ceremony for one to two days, but not at Mongar LSS.  The entire week has been largely devoted to this rimdro although the students did have class when their teachers weren't assigned a duty at the MPH.  I was able to go into classrooms that were missing their teachers and do some English review before the big mid-term exams that are starting tomorrow.  

During the breaks many of the younger monks crowded around my office windows to look at the strange woman with the wild hair.  I kept inviting them in if I wasn't working with students.  A few of the brave ones ventured in and tried to speak English with me and ask me questions.  They all seemed fascinated but very giggly at everything I showed them. Today a large crowd of PP-third level students and many monks joined me singing, "The Wheels on the Bus."   A crazy scene it was!

I must admit that when I went into the hall early this morning I had the best meditation / prayer session I've had since I've been here in Bhutan.  It is hard not to be carried into another realm of consciousness when the smell of burning cyprus and incense, with the sound of 100 chanting monks float through your body.  Peace was the overriding feeling as I left the hall. 

So I shall not turn on TV today, (yes,we have cable here), in hopes that this feeling may linger a little while longer instead of the distressful news on CNN or BBC.  

Outside sing-a-long