ARCH ACADEMY GLOBAL TRIP 2016 - DAY 8

MAY 8

COOPER:  DAY 8

Plum Village has turned out to be quite the experience! Please excuse the brevity of my post as we have a limited time on the wifi before bed. Today Taylor, Eric, Drew, and I accompanied the kids on a bus ride down the hill to New Hamlet for a formal lunch with the monks and nuns. After one of the nuns delivered an amazing speech, we enjoyed a walking meditation before sitting down to eat. After lunch we enjoyed a Dharma share, which is essentially a group discussion where we talk about how we're feeling. Betsy Rose, a folk singer and longtime colleague of the founder of Plum Village, asked to sit in on our particular discussion. Although she originally planned to spend time with each of the four or so discussion groups, she was so moved by the Arch kid's shares that she actually stayed with our group the whole time. While the day started with the kids bonding over their shared longing for reliable Wi-Fi and cheeseburgers, the afternoon came to a close with all of us smiling wide while helping the famous (in Buddhist circles anyway) folk singer sing John Lennon's "Imagine." At this point all the other groups of adults had gathered to marvel at our circle. I couldn't help but be proud of the fact that this singer would rather strum her guitar with the Arch students than the other groups. To be honest, the collection of adults actually looked a little jealous of our group! Once we were back to our hamlet we had a nice dinner and then a free night. With no planned activities the kids played ping pong, went for mini hikes, and enjoyed talking to the monks. The kids seem to be adjusting well to the simple life. CJ even said he didn't want to watch a movie tomorrow, saying he'd rather spend the time outdoors. Chip keeps cracking everyone up with jokes while Matt keeps the monks on their toes with his knowledge of their studies, while Diana actually joined a drum circle! And as per the course of this week, Wesley and Noah continue to be the quietest and perhaps best at meditating . I swear these kids are more Zen then I'll ever be. Tomorrow is a free day which means no scheduled activities besides breakfast lunch and dinner so that should be fun. Happy Mother's Day!