Dear Mr. Monk
No way! I just got an email from Tam and our friendly monk friends from Laos have apparently been trying to contact us! I'm not sure if I wrote much about them, but this has definitely been the year for strange "romantic offers" while traveling. I got two (honest) marriage proposals in India and then in Laos, we scandalized a group of students at the sculpture park when we shook hands with the monks we had been talking to for the afternoon. I know there is an abundance of more scandalous things that go on in this part of the world than a few boys asking for your hand in marriage, and I have witnessed some of them, but it still ads a little spice to your stories when
But back to the young monks from Laos. Tam and I decided to take a trip to a sculpture park outside of Vietianne and were basically approached by these two guys who started the conversation. While their English ability was amazing, this is not uncommon. A lot of people want to practice English with native speakers for a bit, giving tourists a chance to talk to the locals at the same time (although the boys did - at one point - ask if we wanted to go back to our hotel to "practice English in bed"). They were in their early twenties and thus had only shortly started monk training (as they explained), but it is strictly forbidden for Buddhist monks in Laos to even touch women, so shaking hands goodbye (in the Laos culture, at least) was a step far beyond the lip service they had been dishing out all afternoon. A few school girls in uniform glanced and were were given dirty looks, probably for seducing them. But whatever.
One of the Brothers (not the esteemed Mr. Dala, whom I am referring to now and think may actually be looking for a future with Tam) was a little more tame and I truly believe he did want to be friends. The other one, however... still not sure what to think. It's just funny we got an email from him after so long. I am a little suspicious of him, but it's also not like we're going to see them anytime soon. I guess it's just strange I let the bright orange robes throw me, not expecting such characters :P
But back to the young monks from Laos. Tam and I decided to take a trip to a sculpture park outside of Vietianne and were basically approached by these two guys who started the conversation. While their English ability was amazing, this is not uncommon. A lot of people want to practice English with native speakers for a bit, giving tourists a chance to talk to the locals at the same time (although the boys did - at one point - ask if we wanted to go back to our hotel to "practice English in bed"). They were in their early twenties and thus had only shortly started monk training (as they explained), but it is strictly forbidden for Buddhist monks in Laos to even touch women, so shaking hands goodbye (in the Laos culture, at least) was a step far beyond the lip service they had been dishing out all afternoon. A few school girls in uniform glanced and were were given dirty looks, probably for seducing them. But whatever.
One of the Brothers (not the esteemed Mr. Dala, whom I am referring to now and think may actually be looking for a future with Tam) was a little more tame and I truly believe he did want to be friends. The other one, however... still not sure what to think. It's just funny we got an email from him after so long. I am a little suspicious of him, but it's also not like we're going to see them anytime soon. I guess it's just strange I let the bright orange robes throw me, not expecting such characters :P
posted by Brenda Ann Elizabeth McKinney @ 7:48 PM
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