The Wat Nanachat Sangha preparing for "Pabbajja" - the "Going Forth" into becoming a Buddhist novice (Samanera). In the mother monastery Wat Nong Pah Pong this occasion is considered a rather intimate duty of the sangha, accepting and blessing a new community member. Thus the monks usually assemble early in the morning at 3:30 am, avoiding the traditional lay-celebrations, where many times the local villagers crowd the monastery in order to express their joy about a young man going forth with parades, music and dancing performances over many hours. For the foreign monks from countries from all over the world there usually wouldn't be many relatives or friends around and the good-bye from the world often already took place months ago when people initially left their homes and jobs for their new spiritual search heading for asia.