December has been a busy month on all fronts; after the novice ordination, there was the robe dying, robe-wearing instruction, etc. Then we started an off-line Pali class, which has been fruitful – for me at least, learning a bit more about how to teach Pali… not sure if this batch of students (Phalanyani and Nagasena) are learning anything, though.
A piece of glass got stuck in my foot in November, and even today I’m not sure it’s out; had the doctor cut it up and tell me there was no glass, so I let her bandage me up and send me home. Didn’t take the antibiotics she recommended, though, and it got quite infected for the two days I thought it was healing. Then a fever came, etc. and I was told fever=infection. Opened it up, sure enough, foot was turning blue 🙂 Yes, it’s funny… monk thing. Bhante Anoma broke his wrist in November and it still hasn’t healed… I thought that was funny too. bhārā have pañcakkhandhā, bhārahāro ca puggalo.
Construction progress continues at a very good pace now that the rain has abated (it never really ends, per se). Two projects on the go – the second slab roof and the bodhi tree stairs; a third project on deck – the roof of the two rooms above mine. A man went up and tried to fix the leak in the upstairs cave; reports are that it leaks much less now… still leaks though.
Still no new rooms; waiting for an electrician and some new door and window frames to complete the two lower rooms, then it’s only a few days to plaster the walls, and begin on the individual bathrooms.
Sutta study and monk radio might take a break as they will fall around Christmas and New Year (not that it means much from our end…). We’ll plan to start up again first weekend in January.