However, as Matt and I were in the process of making dinner, Daniel, a kid in Matt's hall, came in to invite us to a Japanese restaurant. He told us he had made reservations for 15, but with only seven confirmed people, so he was looking for more guests.
I felt guilty saying yes, as I just bought tickets to and from Ireland for St. Patrick's Day (!!!!), but we felt worse saying no. Daniel always invites us out and we're always too knackered to take him up on his offers! So last night, we agreed to go. I called Kim, seeing as she lived in Japan for eight years I assumed she'd want to go. We all met at Kitchener at 8:30 and took a bus over to Bonsai.
The tiny restaurant could hardly fit our entire group of 14, but we managed to squeeze in. I sat at one end by Joanna (a girl who has lived in the UK and the States), Rebecca (an American), Kim, Matt, and Daniel. On the other end were Vijay (an Indian Hindu monk), Pablo (our Spanish pal), Elian, and a couple of other people I can't name. I had miso soup and a tuna roll for 4.70, which is not bad at ALL. I was very pleased with the prices. And it was delicious!
Daniel and I talked about writing (he is an anthropology student and wants to be a novelist too!), Kim's life in Japan (she taught us what things on the menu meant and asked one of the busgirls what her favorite color is in Japanese), and basically life in Scotland in general. (It's finally begun to set in that I'm in a different country. While walking to class, I tend to notice the short stone walls and gray hued skies that so epitomize the UK, and really have begun to feel secure and excited to experience life here.)
During dinner, Daniel mentioned that Vijay is a monk, here in Scotland to study Sanskrit. I knew this already, but Kim was intrigued, so after dinner we set out to ask him questions. I introduced them and learned that:
- Hindus believe there is one G-d, but we all call him by different names. They do not try to convert people, because as long as you choose a path, you get to go to heaven
- He shaves his head and wears white robes in the monestary, but is allowed to wear street clothes while studying here. His head is still bald though.
- He has lived in a monestary for 4 years. He's 21. At 17 he made the decision to become a monk.
- He had a birth mark on his skull that grew, and shaving his head saved his life because doctors speculated it was being tumorous. They removed it; Kim and I saw this as a sign that he was meant to be a monk, since shaving his head saved his life.
All in all it was a totally pleasant evening. It's so great to be surrounded by people I like and am just getting to know, and I'm sure I will definitely talk to Daniel again about writing! When photos are put up by others (I forgot my camera that night), I will post them here.
-A-
