4 bhikkunis came to visit the temple and they all speak English, which has been nice. Two are from Sri Lanka, one is from Burma, and the other is from New Zealand.
I got a heat rash on my legs from sitting so much while chanting, so I might have to go to a doctor. Between that and the culture shock, I decided to speak to the nice samaneri about my problems. She thought I should speak to Ven. Dhammananda, which was intimidating at first because I did not want to offend her in any way. I talked about how I was not used to the food and culture yet and how I missed home. She told me about how she was away from her family for a long time when she went to India at 17 years old. She said she cried at dinnertime for three months, but that the homesickness gets better. Ven. Dhammananda also told me that she has bread, butter, and jam that I could eat for breakfast. She offered some homeopathy for the heat rash and an extra mattress and massage from a trained samaneri for my hip pain. I felt much better after our talk, especially with the candy she gave me.
Later on, Ven. Dhammananda allowed me to listen to an interview with an American journalist. I took notes and got to learn more about her life and decision for ordination. Afterwards, I talked with the journalist and it was nice to speak English to someone from the East coast.
I wasn't feeling well that evening, so I missed evening chanting and went to bed early.
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