plan on traveling to Laos you can drop by Vientiane’s Monk Chat next week May 3rd. Drop by and support the program. It looks pretty cool. Also say hello to my former TA Tiffany for me.
Vientiane’s Monk Chat is a community outreach program created by Tiffany Hacker, a US Fulbright grantee researching Buddhism in Laos together with the Sangha College at Vat Ongteu. After speaking to many monks and novices in the Vientiane area, we realized that many speak English well or have the ability to improve with some practice/interaction with native speakers. However, as we know there is often little opportunity for monks and novices to engage with native speakers due to the rigorous and disciplined nature of Sangha (monastic) education.
The Monk Chat program at Vat Ongteu provides a space in Laos where monks and foreigners can exchange in dialogue about their culture and religion. The goal of our program is three-fold:
1.) We hope for the monks to improve their English language skills through conversational practice;
2.) To provide a space where foreigners can engage in a unique form of Lao cultural tourism;
3.) We also aim to promote an educational inter-religious exchange between Buddhist monks and other local faith-based groups such as Christians, Muslims, Bahai and any others groups that would like to create a dialogue based on cultural understanding and an acceptance of religious diversity.
On Sunday, March 1, 2009 we launched our first Monk Chat session and it was a great success. Over 100 monks, novices and foreigners from over ten nations attended to engage in cross-cultural dialogue. In the future we will integrate the Monk Chat program into the Sangha College’s English education curricula and hold sessions once a month.
WHEN: FIRST Sunday of EVERY MONTH!
WHERE: Vat Ongteu, Vientiane Laos Sangha College Garden, Rue Setthatirath (Joma Street in Town) Vientiane, Laos
