Monks d'Orange

A sketch I made in journal on the second day I was in town. The monks often carry an umbrella to give themselves shade from the hot midday sun. The novice monks wear day-glo orange robes with one bare shoulder (except at 4 am when they are freezing cold accepting alms), the adult monks wear day-glo orange robes that cover both shoulders, and the distinguishing feature of the three senior monks in town is that they are old, hobbled men. The effect is that the town is crawling with monks in orange and the tourists that photograph them.

At first, I had the same impression as other tourists that the novice monks were venerable members of society to be treated with respect. Well, yes, but... The majority of the novice monks come from very poor families, often Hmong families from the mountains, that live subsistence lives. Joining the monastery as a novice monk is often the only way a young man can get an education (while also getting free accommodations and two meals a day). So the novice monks become a boarding school of sorts...