Yesterday I started my other two classes, Buddhism and Art. I think both are going to be immensely interesting in very different ways. First, the full class name for Buddhism is Buddhism in Thai Society, so I have already learned about how Theravada Buddhism is practiced in Thailand (as opposed to the sect practiced in say, Tibet) and that each Buddhist country has its own sets of religious leaders for the national community, and a head monk that is more or less "the king of monks" with an advising council. We are going to be visiting many, many temples and examining several aspects of Thai Buddhism. Way cool.
I am so excited for my art class already! We only meet once a week for three hours but yesterday during class we managed to fit in a field trip to an art supply store and the local market. My professor, Ajan Chacha (remember her from making merit?), is so much fun and is encouraging of artists of all skill levels (phew!). I have yet to get my hands on an official copy of the supply list, but I already brought in quite the haul from the art store.
The main purpose of the sketch book is to serve as an artistic dream journal, as Ajan wants us to draw our dreams as soon as we wake up in the morning. She said it could be as little as a line, but it should reflect some aspect of the dream (emotion, imagery, etc.). I guess my subconsciousness knew I would have to draw in the morning because I had five different dreams last night! Maybe by the end of the semester I won't be so self-conscious of my (lack of) art skills and I'll post some of my work. Right now it's just fun to use the pencils and oil pastels and get used to making art.
Like I said, we also visited a huge market with lots of fabrics, beads, and other craft supplies. The whole point is to be creative and use whatever media we are most comfortable with. We visited the hill tribe section of the market for inspiration, too. The weave fabrics with such vibrant colors and patterns to make into clothes and bags; I have a few art ideas already!
The day was also a big success because I finally found my way to the campus shop with two friends to buy my CMU belt buckle. I was so proud I had to model it for you! The pants aren't part of the uniform, by the way, they are my newest acquisition from the walking street market. They are so comfy, and lightweight in the humid heat. Elephants are a HUGE (semi-pun intended!) deal here in Thailand, everything seems to have an elephant theme.
That's all for now, folks! I have one more picture for, my favorite from Thailand so far. This is a group of my friends right before our very first class, enjoying treats from the coffee stand at our campus building. We'll see if we are still as enthusiastic when the homework starts to pile up!
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