"I finished my BA in Asian Studies in Australia in 1989. I'd spent so much time studying Asian cultures that I decided I wanted to really experience it so I went backpacking around Southeast Asia. I loved Thailand because the people were so accommodating. The Thais were very keen to teach me Thai, whereas Malaysians, for example wanted to practice their English all the time. I studied meditation for a while in Surat Thani and wanted to learn more. Then, whilst in Bangkok in 1990, I was approached by Phra (Monk) Saravuth. He invited me to come and work for him as a temple boy in Wat Chong Lom. I agreed because I wanted to improve my Thai and continue to study meditation."

So Ian became a resident at Wat Chong Lom, living in a single room kuti, with no furniture except for a simple sleeping mat. Temple boys are a long established tradition in the wats of Bangkok and other major towns and cities. Poor families from rural areas will often send their sons to become temple boys so that they can continue their education.

Accommodation in Bangkok is expensive and, in return for assisting the monks, the temple boys receive free food and lodging. Wats are an integral part of the community and fulfil other important roles in society. Although all the temple boys at Wat Chong Lom are engaged in further education, this is not always the case.

"When local people first saw me with Phra Saravuth, many of them assumed I was a recovering drug addict because that was why other wats would take people in."

Rising at 5 am every morning, Ian's first duty of the day was the alms round. Phra Saravut would collect the food in his alms bag and pass it back to Ian walking behind with two baskets. So much food was offered that they would meet at pre-arranged points with other temple boys to relay it back to Wat Chong Lom.

Once this was done they would return to the wat to ceremoniously offer the food to Phra Saravuth who prayed before and after eating. Once the temple boys had eaten their share, the monk would select what he wanted for lunch — which would be eaten between 11-12am; monks are not allowed to eat after midday. The remaining food was then distributed among the poor and homeless who would come to the wat to request it. In fulfilling this essential function for de-prived areas, Phra Saravuth would have to carefully calculate the quantities given to each person. If too much was given, people would sell the food elsewhere, which is totally against the principle of alms giving.

The giving of alms is a central tenet of Theravada Buddhism. Thai Buddhists pursue the Law Of Karma, the reduction of suffering. Meritorious acts, like the giving of alms, are undertaken so that life, and future lives, may be improved. Thais will often take special offerings into the wat on their birthdays and perform a Sangkatarn ceremony. Indeed, the yellow buckets full of food and other items often seen on sale in shops in Phuket town are specifically for this purpose.

For the rest of day, Ian would carry out various cleaning duties around the wat. Tasks are not immediately allocated to temple boys, but are taken on a practical basis. "I never washed the monks' clothes. The boy who did that couldn't do the alms round because he had to leave early for school every morning." Ian spent much of my time studying Thai with Phra Saravuth and the other monks. "It's a fascinating way to learn the language,especially because there is a different Thai vocabulary used for talking to monks. For example, kin kaow means to eat, but speaking to a monk you would say, chan kaew.

After leaving Wat Chong Lom, Ian began a career as a teacher at an international school in Bangkok. He later moved to Phuket where he taught at Dulwich International College. "I still keep in touch with Phra Saravuth. I visit Wat Chong Lom occasionally, stay in the kuti and go on the alms round," he says. "I now consider him more of a friend than a teacher. I learned a lot about myself at the wat. As a Westerner it was difficult to adapt at first to being less important than someone else. It was a very important experience in my life and changed me in many ways. Being there taught me humility."