Amida Order

Susthama in Vietnam

The day starts early however the rythm of life here is gentle and fun for me and the children aged 6 and younger. We are taken care of by the other older children and nuns so that we don't really have to worry about much. We wake up at 3.45 have service and then a work period then breakfast then another work period all before 7 am. It seems the children and other nuns are not expected to join in for the early morning service but this is only my observation from being here for three days. The children usually wake up by themselves and then slowly join us in the dining room for breakfast which is at 5.30am. They are very sweet and if they are too tired to eat by themselves then one or two of the older ones will feed them. I have been asked to teach english to some of the nuns and monks which is a great challenge because they are complete beginners. So far, we have covered half the alphabet and a couple of action songs. When I'm not teaching English I'm either taking part in their service, eating delicious Vietnamese food or playing with the kids and trying to learn Vietnamese. The place is wonderful, at the moment the cicadas are screaming almost as if they are competing against the sound of the young nuns (teenagers) reciting sutras. Love - Susthama

Vietnam

Sr. Susthama has arrived happily at Nirvana Pagoda, Vietnam, where she will be staying as a monastic and teaching children English for the next four weeks.