Chisholms in Chumey!

The long awaited news has arrived: our new home for next year is the village of Chumey in Bumthang.

We are following in the footsteps of current teacher Sabrina who has written an awesome blog this year that I've thoroughly enjoyed and will now enjoy reading over again with renewed interest.



View BCF Map of Bhutan in a larger map

The above map shows where previous and current Bhutan Canada Foundation teachers have lived and Chumey is the furthest to the right. You can zoom out the map to see where it is in relation to other locations in Bhutan.

We were given the opportunity to request certain characteristics in our placement - our top priority was access to medical care for the kids' safety, and it looks like Chumey has a 'Basic Health Unit' that deals with everyday health problems and we are 15kms from the regional Jakar Hospital. Jakar actually has a new domestic airport which links us with Paro (the main gateway to Bhutan) with a 20-30 minute flight (although we will most likely be travelling the 12 hours by road). Also we were hoping for good internet access (seems likely) and availability of a variety of foods. Bumthang is known for its culinary delights including real swiss cheese, apple juice, buckwheat noodles and pancakes and a brewery! At the moment it feels like our placement couldn't be more perfect.

This morning we've been googling to find out more about our new home and have come across the website for the Chumey Nature Resort, the only tourist accommodation option in town. The website has beautiful pictures and describes some very lovely tourist sites that are accessible by foot around town. It looks like Chumey is a gorgeous valley with a river running through - an idyllic himalayan village perhaps. In one photo I saw, snow was sprinkled over the tops of the pine trees in a winter wonderland sort of way - just like a Christmas card!

I'm buzzing with excitement!