Tuesday, December 13, 2011

The Sihk Temple

Wednesday morning arrived and I was finally off to the airport… it was long 5 weeks without seeing Marc. We hugged for a long time at the airport. a long time... We spent the next few cool and rainy days around Vancouver before deciding to head out, go through Nelson and then north, home bound. Before we left though we met up with Anthony and Brandon, a friend of Marc's, at Nelson the Seagull Cafe. I couldn't leave without seeing Anthony again :) I may not get a chance to see him before he goes back to France in the spring. He will find a place in Van to live, look for work and play bike polo before his visa expires in the spring. 

Later we decided to join Brandon for a free meal at the Sihk temple. Strict rules, it was a little scary. But the food was delicious. Basically, the people of the community serve leftover food from weddings and other events to other people of the community because they do not believe in their people going hungry. So they open up the temple as a soup kitchen and feed the people. There were sinks for both male and females to wash their hands before they ate, and it is important to use the correct sink. When meal time we lined up for a full tray of food. Way to much food for me to eat. And of course, it is rude not to eat it all. But we were warned by Brandon of the british military man turned live in hindu soup nazi? with cold blue eyes he watched as we tried to finish our food. He gets pretty mad at those who don't finish… But yelled at us instead for talking. because, and I quote, " you come here to eat! not talk!" But in reality it wasn't the talking that kept me the last one there, it was the trying to finish the tray of food. I guess you can't win. But I was grateful for the delicious food. And what an experience! 

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