February Photo-a-day

It's a case of better late than never in posting my February photo-a-day pictures - finally we have broadband and I'm able to use Blogger on my computer and can upload photos.
February seems long ago, it was a time of transition between our pampered life as travellers to our new life in rural Bhutan which required quite a lot of adjustment. At times life was a bit hectic to remember to take the photo each day, but by the end of the month I got it together enough to have a complete collection.
Do you have a favourite?



February 1st - Fork
The fork and spoon with the lovely brass plates at the Cypress Restaurant, Thimphu.

 February 2nd - Pattern
So many beautiful patterns to choose from, these were on the prayer wheels in clock-tower square.

February 3rd - Something that begins with E
Eight Eleven - the supermarket

February 4th - Hope
Prayer flags at Dochula Pass spreading messages of hope for all sentient beings on the wind

February 5th - Something you smelled
Entering the dining room at hotel and another sumptuous buffet awaits

February 6th - Soft
These handmade wool flowers caught my eye at the Chazam restaurant we stopped at enroute from
Wangdi to Chumey.

February 7th - Your name
The beautiful welcome sign in the school library

February 8th - Orange
The front door at our local monastery

February 9th - Guilty Pleasure
Have I mentioned I'm a bit addicted to the internet (especially facebook)?

February 10th - 3 O'Clock
 At three o-clock we were walking to the monastery above our house with friends Kyle and Sarah. How amazing is the span of these prayer flags?

February 11th - Entrance
This sign is at the entrance of my school

February 12th - Where you ate lunch
We were invited to share Losar (Bhutanese New Year) lunch with my school Principal and family

February 13th - Walk
Taken on my early morning walk to school

February 14th - Love is

My gift for Valentine's Day from Bob, a heart shaped ladle for our bath tub

February 15th - In my fridge
I've never had a fridge so bare - just the essentials here

February 16th - Perfect

Bhutanese students are so well behaved at assembly, and organise themselves in their places without teacher help, from class PP to 10. No fidgeting, whinging, they are perfect.

February 17th - In your hand
Remy's first experience in the snow, he had so much fun!!!

February 18th - Something you don't like
Litter is everywhere here, a scourge of the modern world

 

 

 

February 19th - I am...
Ready to welcome my students into the classroom

 February 20th - Where you stood
This is the interesting way we enter our school, the bars keep out wandering cows.

February 21st - Full
These pretty tea cups can be found all over Bhutan wherever tea is served, so when it came to buying our own kitchenware I had to go for some of the same pattern - kitch!

February 22nd - Makes you smile
We visited the Nomad Festival and they had a competition to guess the weight of the baby yak - that and the sight of the Bhutanese in their finest dress made me smile.

February 23rd - A word
Himalaya is the word - it is my pursuit of these magestic mountains and the culture of this region that is the reason we find ourselves in Bhutan

February 24th - Clouds
The view of clouds outside my school building

February 25th - On your bedside table
A selection of reading materials on our bedhead (we don't have a bedside table!)

February 26th - Quiet
In contrast to when they are in the classroom, the students are so quiet at lunch time - eating in almost silence with their families in the sun

February 27th - Play
We went to the Tsechu at Buli and this young boy had the important job of playing the cymbal

February 28th - Upside Down
The first thing I saw today that was upside down  - our thermals that keep us warm.


 

International Happiness Day

You've got to love a country that urges the United Nations to add an International Day of Happiness to  the already long list of days to observe around the world.

It was only last week that hushed rumours went round to let us know that the government had announced the official holiday for Wednesday the 20th March on the BBS (Bhutan Broadcasting Service).

The Kuensel (national English newspaper) reported that the Prime Minister hoped Bhutanese citizens would take 'the opportunity to think, reflect, contemplate and meditate on what we need to do to attain happiness.'

I took up the challenge wholeheartedly to pursue happiness for the day, perhaps a very western and unenlightened way of going about things, but we had a thoroughly enjoyable day together as a family.

Food rates highly when it comes to happiness for me. We started with buckwheat pancakes with organic plum jam and local honey and tea at our new dining table. Sunlight streamed in and we gazed out serenely at the himalayas. Pure delicious happiness!

Next, more culinary happiness, I set to work to bake my favourite chocolate date brownies in our toaster oven. I think Bill Granger (Australian celebrity chef) would smile to think that his recipe brought us much happiness in far away Bhutan. I wrapped some up to share the joy with the principal and his wife.

We packed a thermos of tea, sandwiches, fruit and of course the brownies and started off down the road heading towards a small monastery on a hill in the distance. A brief stop at the momo shop and we had a bag full of vegetable cheese momos and chilli sauce to add to the picnic.

Remy threatened to disrupt the happiness of the day, whinging about his broken toy phone until I carried him and he feel asleep, quiet but heavy.

We found a way to cross the river and then decided to put Remy down for a nap on a bed of pine needles rather than carry him up the steep hill. We broke open the picnic supplies and sat on the side of the path, looking over the river and across to Chumey. Of course Remy woke up when he smelled all the food.

A villager carrying a basket on her back came towards us and stopped to take in the unlikely scene. Sadly our Dzongkha skills are very lacking when it comes to small talk: she talked to us in Dzongkha (or it could have been another local language for that matter) and we replied in bewildered English. When we were ready to move on we all climbed the hill together and she waited for us while Remy and Xavier walked slowly and carefully on the narrow path.

At the top of the hill, we came to the little monastery that we look at from our window at home. It was deserted, so we climbed over a stile, heading towards some ruined homes that lay beyond.

All the way I had enjoyed taking photos of the early signs of spring, especially the beautiful pale pink peach blossoms. As we descended through the ruined village, the biggest and most beautiful peach blossom tree came into view. Remy and Xavier ran to sit under what Remy thought was a 'fairy-floss tree'.

Meanwhile the lady we had walked with had returned home and then came to find us and invited us for tea. It was a lovely offer, so we climbed another stile into their property, the only one in sight.

It was very special to be invited into their simple wooden home, and we were taken to sit in the altar room on a simple cloth mat.

The lady and her husband busied themselves lighting a fire, fetching water and making tea in another room while we surveyed the room we were in.

Eventually the lady reappeared with a large thermos full of sweet milky tea. Only four cups were filled: as is the custom here the couple did not join us for tea. We offered her some brownies and fruit which she took to her husband in the other room. After we had taken a few sips she determinedly refilled our cups to over flowing. Refusing was impossible, Bob joked that she would have poured it down his neck if he hadn't allowed her to fill it!!

With warm tea in our bellies our host started talking to us in earnest, still we couldn't understand a word, but some universal hand gestures for 'give me some money' made it clear she was hoping her foreign guests would be generous. To seal the deal she showed us some children's boots in need of repair so we gave her some cash. She seemed to hope for more, but as we left everyone was happy again. What a strange exchange!

Anyway, we returned back the way we came, the sun still warm, and the pine forest fragrant. We had fulfilled the agenda for the day perfectly, taking a day away from the chores of life to find happiness in the simple things of life: family, friends, nature and of course food. I'd love it if Australia would consider observing Happiness Day too!!!

Three Invitations

I have had a really awesome opportunity to experience Bhutanese hospitality and culture in the past week.
Bhutanese gather to show support to each other at times of sickness as well as celebrate the special moments in life.
The first invitation was to a teacher's home to show support for his wife who has been ill. A notice went round school through the day that we would all meet after last class to go together. As the family home was too far to walk, the teachers with cars took the rest of us for the drive. It was a welcome opportunity for me to see a bit beyond the main street of Chumey. As we drove we passed a little temple on a hill that we can see from our lounge room window. It is deceptively far away, but I know the way to get there now.
We gathered at the home and waited until all the teachers had arrived before climbing the stairs, taking off our shoes and entering the large farmhouse. Women were ushered to the altar room, lavishly painted and decorated with buddhist motifs. We sat on traditional woollen rugs on the floor in a circle and conversation began in earnest in Dzongkha.
Pretty mugs of sweet milky tea were brought out for us (nearly 20 women), and biscuits and savoury crisps (a bit like cornflakes). A couple of toddlers were the centre of attention and were passed around the circle and their every move cooed over just as it would be at home.
I was surprised that when the tea was finished bottles of the ubiquitous Druk 11,000 were brought out. As is the custom a bit of gentle refusal went on until finally the first glass was poured for me, the honoured guest. Only three other women joined in, apparently it would not have been appropriate for the married women to drink, but the single women were unrestrained. I felt a bit strange to be a married women and drinking but assured them my husband wouldn't mind.
Soon enough we filed out of the room and greeted the woman briefly in the kitchen who has been unwell, everybody offering our best wishes for her recovery.
As we exited we passed the room where the male teachers were entertained and I believe I saw quite a few more bottles of opened Druk in there!!
I travelled home with the young single teachers, and we had loosened up enough with the beer to make conversation interesting! Highlights of the Dzongkha conversation at the house were translated and we talked about Katy Perry, the ever present phallic symbols painted on houses, dating in Bhutan and other girl stuff!! It was lovely to have some girls to talk to!!
Invitation two was for a baby shower of a family from school who are also our landlords and run the biggest shop in Chumey. After having two daughters the family are pleased to welcome a baby son. Each teacher contributed some money for a gift and again we met outside the house until everyone arrived. I was unsure what to wear: at home I know the unspoken general dress code for most social occasions, but here I feel a bit lost. This time surprisingly I seemed to get it right, I wore western pants and jumper and other teachers were dressed casually in either western clothes or the kiras they had worn to school.
Again we were welcomed into the family altar room and sat on benches around the room covered in yathra woven wool rugs that are the Bumthang specialty handicraft.
Tea and snacks were offered and I love the way Bhutanese women tuck in, enjoying the treats and are seemingly not worried about sugar and calories like women at home who exercise restraint by just having one biscuit from the plate.
I was surprised that after the tea cups were cleared a big pot of chang ke was brought in to be served in dainty glass bowls. This soupy concoction of sweet and sour flavoured fermented rice soup with chunky bits of egg had a hit of ara, the local home made spirit. What a mixture!!
I tried my best to finish my bowl and refused politely many attempts for a refill. We were served ezay, a chilli, onion, coriander salad to be eaten from the hand to accompany the chang ke. I loved the ezay but it was so spicy I could only have a couple of spoonfuls until I reached my limit. I looked on with fascination as the Bhutanese women refilled their bowls and ate with gusto, revelling in the spiciness.
Conversation was hilarious!! Mostly everyone spoke in Dzongkha, but I followed along with interest, taking in the hand gestures and listening for the odd English word to help understanding. My friend Miss Chimi was my official translator so when things got really raucous she stopped and translated for me.
No topic was off limits and everyone was roaring with laughter as buddhist techniques for 'making' a boy or girl baby were shared,  secrets of what men wear or don't wear under their ghos were graphically demonstrated and rude jokes told that maybe lost a bit in translation. I almost didn't need translation for the story about what a couple got up to at the hot springs - the hand gestures and reenactment of technique crossed all language barriers!! Bhutanese women certainly are not as demure as women are expected to be in other countries in the region, and it is so refreshing!!
It is hard to believe we could top that afternoon, but the following day we were invited to a teacher's nephew's birthday party. We didn't know what to expect, and thought it would probably be very different to a children' s party in Australia. We bought a simple gift from the local shop, not a lot of choice, but when we arrived all the guests had impressively large wrapped gifts.
Just as at home guests gathered to sing happy birthday to the birthday boy in what I was told was a new custom. He lit a butter lamp instead of candles and his enormous decorated sponge cake was cut up for us all to share.
Again women were entertained in the main room around the bukhari and men in another room, although at times I joined Bob and the men and it didn't seem to matter. We enjoyed tea and biscuits before a range of alcohol was offerred including the top shelf K5 whiskey brewed in honour of the fifth King, Spanish red wine and of course Druk beer.
Spicy ezay was again the accompaniment for the drinks and just when I thought it must be time to leave after many hours of hospitality, a huge buffet meal was served to the guests. Rice, vegetables, meat, fried cheese and fried bread were in abundance and had kept the host and her family busy during the party.
The main point of difference in all these celebrations is that in Bhutan the host does not sit down to enjoy the celebration with guests but works tirelessly to ensure that the guests' every need is met. If the kids merely mentioned they were thirsty a drink magically appeared moments later.
It will be a tough act for us to follow when it is our turn to reciprocate.
We have been so warmly and openly invited into these celebrations and have thoroughly enjoyed the chance to get to know our new community. Thank you Chumey, and we look forward to share many more happy celebrations with you as the year continues!!

Seeing the positives

Today was my first turn at being Teacher on Duty. I felt a bit anxious about it actually, but it wasn't so bad, and it turns out the two hours I had supervising students study gave me a rare chance for quiet to gather my thoughts.

The TOD day begins at 6.30am. When I walked down to school in the early dawn light, all was quiet. Smoke rose from chimneys as families stoked the fire for tea and breakfast. There was no one to wave to or greet, no cars on the road. Chumey is a sleepy place at the best of times, but early in the morning there were few signs of life.

My duty for the first hour was to supervise class 7 -10 boarding students study. They were already in their classrooms, so for an hour I paced the assembly area, and walked past classes with a menacing look on my face! I don't think I am cut out for the policing aspect of teaching; I much prefer having fun with kids than being a disciplinarian. But still, I don't want the students thinking I am a pushover!

While wandering in the assembly area I read the notice boards. The thought of the day really got me thinking, mainly about what on earth did they mean and what part of the English needed correcting and then wondering if it was just too deep for me! (originally it read Trust the cave, cave is emptyless).

On the UNESCO noticeboard was an interesting poster displaying short interviews with kids from Africa and Bhutan's neighbouring countries (I suspect this may have been the work of Miss Sabrina, last year's volunteer teacher). They described the life of children who have no access to school due to gender, money or language and it really got me thinking.

I must admit in my first month here it has been easy to fall into a negative mindset when evaluating schools in Bhutan. When compared with the education system at home many areas are still in need of development. But when I started to think of these examples of children in other developing countries, I came to see how far Bhutan has come with its education system since its inception in only the 1960's.

Now in Bhutan free education is offered to all, and to ensure all children can get to a school despite geographical remoteness, or lack of transport options, children can choose to be boarders. Many  schools offer boarding which is also free. At my school even students who live at a nearby village 4km away choose to board rather than walk daily. I suspect life at school offers more opportunity to study as well and I heard that often the boarders do better academically than day students.

Girls are fully represented in the school, and it is pleasing to see how in Bhutan women's right to equality in all aspects of life is encouraged from the highest levels. On International Women's Day last week I was given the honour of reading Her Majesty the Queen Mother's address to the school assembly for this occasion.

When it comes to language, students are taught in Dzongkha and English, in order to maintain  Bhutanese culture while still opening opportunities in life with an international language.

There is much Bhutan has got very right and it felt so good to open my mind to this. Through international aid Bhutan has built new schools in communities across the country and over time has built up a workforce of teachers who are Bhutanese nationals (after relying on Indian teachers initially). Many teachers also avail themselves of scholarships for masters degrees in foreign countries which will improve the professionalism of the teachers through exposure to new ideas and school systems.

The national curriculum materials that I have been using have been developed in collaboration between local and foreign teachers, ensuring that the curriculum meets international standards but remains true to Bhutan, for example all the set texts we use in class two are Bhutanese stories with illustrations of local people in national dress.

With a new way of looking at things I see that Bhutan is far ahead of neighbouring countries with its implementation of a modern education system for all, and though much can be improved, Bhutan has much to be proud of! And so my first hour of supervision slipped by quickly!!

My duties also included supervising breakfast and lunch for the boarding students. I was also encouraged to eat with the students and comment on the food in the log book. Breakfast was a huge bowl of rice with a few flecks of carrot. I saw some girls add liberal scoops of chilli paste to liven it up. A very well mannered boy came up to me and offered me a cup of hot suja (butter tea), which I quite like (not as thick and oily as in Ladakh).

Lunch was a huge bowl of rice with a small scoop of beans, cabbage and soy protein balls. Although it was tasty I was pleased to know I could come home to a home cooked meal for dinner. Incidentally, I brought Xavier home at 4 pm and Bob had hot banana and apple pikelets ready for an afternoon snack and they were delicious, he is coming a long way!

My TOD duty was competed after one more hour of study supervision from 5-6 pm. The kids were rowdier and I needed to give some stern admonishments as well as menacing stares to keep them in line!