Not Buddhist, either, but that's okay, I wasn't seeking either from the silent meditation retreat. I certainly learned a lot about Buddhism, but I haven't exactly made any drastic life changes as a result of this new information. I also learned a lot about meditation, and that is something I'm hoping to stick with--I am trying to meditate for half an hour every morning.

There really isn't a good way to describe the experience of the retreat to people who've never done anything like it, except from a very factual point of view--every day I was sleeping on a concrete slab covered by a straw mat, getting up at 4 am, meditating for 4 or 5 hours every day, eating two meals that consisted of way too much rice (and curry, vegetables, tofu, etc.), and so on. Not talking was perhaps the best part of the experience. It was easier and more enjoyable than I expected and I learned a lot about myself.

Unfortunately I don't have time to get into it much more right now--I'm off to the train station to meet my parents! I'm really looking forward to traveling with them for the next week, from Bangkok to Cambodia (Angkor Wat and Phnom Penh) and then to Saigon/Ho Chi Minh City, where we'll be meeting up with my boyfriend. It'll be nice to have someone else make the decisions for a while, and nice to be guaranteed dining companions every day!