Several weeks ago I was introduced to "A." A friend and I have visited with her a few times over the last couple of months. She kept talking about the Ye Le Paya (pronounced "yay lay") and she really wanted to show it to us. So one day we hopped in a car and rode to the edge of our city to see the pagoda.
When we arrived, it was pouring rain. And look at the boats you get to ride on your way to the pagoda! The guy who drove us (A's friend) was so terrified of riding a boat across the choppy water. He stayed in the car. I wasn't really afraid, but it did occur to me that it might be problematic if our boat turned over. The waves were pretty rough!
Actually, since I am a foreigner, we were required to ride in the fancy boats made just for tourists. So we didn't get drenched on our way there. Don't look too closely at this wonderful picture of me. I had just been in a car for 1.5 hours.
See that rock on the floor? We were told that after they pray, they pick up the rock. If it feels heavy, your prayer hasn't been answered yet. But if it feels light, it has been answered.
This is A. This trip led to some great conversations with her on the car ride home.
That green guy is the "monster" who guards the pagoda. Doesn't it look like he got thirsty and started drinking the soda? :)
I think it was a fun outing. I got a lot of cultural insights, and the setting provided many opportunities to talk about things that are important!
No comments:
Post a Comment