In the Buddhist calendar we just started the year 2550, a nice round number although I think 2552 will be even more interesting.  So the Buddhist calendar started 543 years before the Christian calendar.  Some think that Jesus was perhaps influenced by Buddhism and given the trade routes stretching across Asia to the Middle East it sounds plausible that people in that region would be aware of philosophies and religions from further east.

There is the joke about a young monk who is telling an older monk about the teachings of Jesus, to which the older monk replies, “He sounds like a good Buddhist.”

Certainly we’ve seen in the past forty-eight hours that even the veneer of Buddhism isn’t a vaccination against violence, as the death toll from the New Year’s Eve bombings reached three.  It seems inconceivable that we would experience that sort of violence here in a place where even with the worst traffic jams you never hear horns honked in anger, let alone shorts fired by road rage fueled drivers.

But maybe it is a bit naive to think that there is anywhere immune from the twisted acts of desperate and deranged people.

Well, here’s wishing for peace in 2550.

New Year’s Day Part 2

Today was a holiday in Thailand.  I hadn’t realized this beforehand and so when on Monday evening Tawn said he was going to sleep in on Tuesday I thought he was deciding to play hookey from work.  Not the case, though, as nearly everyone else in the Kingdom was doing the same thing.  Traffic was wonderfully light for a second day.

Getting back into the swing of things, I met Khruu Kitiya for Thai lessons.  We spent nearly the entire class in dictation and writing and after two hours my wrist was very tired and my brain was coming unglued.  It is very taught but rewarding when I can read something in Thai and actually understand it.  No time to rest on my laurels, though, as I have a serious amount of work remaining until I can really function effectively.  Need to reach at least a sixth grade level in speaking, reading and writing – and the goal is the end of 2550.

More Baking Adventures

Banana bread was my latest thing to tackle: three small loafs last night and a large loaf tonight to take to school tomorrow for the teachers.  If I understand Khruu Ajarn Yai correctly, tomorrow is a special activity day for the children: they will be learning to cook their food.  She wants me to teach the English terms for them along the way, so it will be a little unstructured.  Thankfully Tod is coming with me and Markus will join, too.

Stay tuned for what could be some mighty interesting coverage of Bangkhonthiinai tomorrow.

Final thoughts:

I think I need to moderate the use of my oven or else ensure that the things I bake are given to others.  There’s a lot of additional calories lurking about that I don’t need to be consuming.

Lots of people in town.  Paul is in from SF visiting Aori, his girlfriend.  Will, an acquaintance from United who is now living here part time, has returned from the holidays and would like to meet up with Tawn and me.  Bill and Kom will be back from Bali soon.  And Jak, a Thai a.netter who has been corresponding with me from time to time, is back in town from London.  So lots of people to see.  Oh, and dinner with Ron and Kari tomorrow as they count down their final days before leaving for the US and, ultimately, Africa for their new missionary assignment.