Life in a Buddhist Nunnery

It was evident from the start how special the little girls were at Mahayana nunnery. There were about 40 of them from ages 8-14. They were giggly, joyful, and curious and created mania when altogether. But I always surprised at our how sweet, thoughtful and respectful they were towards us. We were truly lucky to have such a small group of children.  We had an opportunity to play games, do fun activities and challenge them based on their level of English. We created relationships and got to know a lot of children closely.
 
It has been a special experience to get to spend a solid month at the Buddhist nunnery. The environment here is always chaotic, with different little girls in shaved heads and maroon robes run around, skipping, hitting each other, screaming, giggling, and doing their own thing. There is never a dull or organized moment. They are all close and prefer to be in each other’s company at all times. They are incredibly good at entertaining themselves. During my time here, they taught me a game with small stones, how to hang a make-shift swing using twine on bamboo scaffolding, how to dance Nepali style, how to do ones’ hair Nepali style, and how to eat Nepali style (massive portions of rice, 2-3 times daily). I taught them games and songs from my childhood, a little bit of English, how dance Canadian style, and showed them “English” music.
 
I will miss being at the nunnery. There are some very special children here. Ones that are incredibly funny, bright, or caring. There is little more fulfilling than having children look up to you, want to be like you and accept you as their sister and teacher. There, I felt no fear, complete acceptance, never self-conscious and I am constantly reminded to laugh at myself and never take anything too seriously. But consequently, it is heart-breaking to leave them and it feels like I am being unfair to them. But this is the main trade-off of travel and a recurring theme: you meet the most interesting people and have the most novel experiences, but they are always short-lived. Its impermanence is what makes travel so Buddhist in nature.
 
by Beth Nagai