August 15, 2010

after many days of trying to figure out what was going on with my internet connection, i finally am back online. many emails and a lot to catch up on. we are at the "past seven week" mark of living in bhutan. since Thimphu only has about 40,000 residents, we have met many people and are navigating pretty well. last week was a big week as His Majesty the King spent several hours at the school we are at. The school and students spent six days preparing for HM's visit. HM graciously spoke to each class for long periods of time. He was in Emma's class for over an hour and then he watched the "advanced judo class" demonstrate their most recent moves. Since Henry is in he advanced judo, both Emma and Henry got to interact with HM personally. His presence is very genuine and caring toward the young people of Bhutan. I hope Emma and Henry appreciate their "opportunity of a lifetime" in meeting HM. (Everyone here refers to His Majesty as "HM").

teaching in bhutan

teaching here has been quite an experience already. the kids are in school and enjoying meeting new friends and being so far ahead in subjects like english and math. emma is taking biology, physics and chemistry-this is different and both kids are taking history (bhutanese history). instead of the students switching classes, the teachers move around from class to class and the students stay in the same room. i am the class teacher for class 11 science. there are "streams"-science, commerce and arts. science is for the highest level kids and arts is the lowest. i teach class 10, 11 science and 12 science. after school, i run the nature club which consists of hiking up the mountain and gardening on the campus. last thursday, we found five different species of mushrooms on our short hike. the students range in age from 14 to 19. it doesn't really matter what age the student is-they are placed in their class level. for example, an 18 year old can be in class 8 if that is the appropriate level for him or her.

all the students wear the required uniforms and appearance is taken very seriously in bhutan. hair must be neat and not "jazzy", shoes must be polished and rabneys and kachus must be used during assembly.

most of the students are very pleasant and share the same strife that high schoolers in the US face-oppression and misunderstanding from adults. but the students here are much more respectful and helpful. they get in trouble for many things-this makes me cringe several times a day. of-course, i just want to teach and i'm not that concerned with hair that is too "jazzy" or mud that is on shoes.

finding gems in bhutan

part of living in a new place is finding the "gems" that help life become more comfortable and grounded. by grounded i mean the feeling of belonging and having a sense of roots wherever you are. there was a moment riding in the back of an ancient toyota going through town to have my work permit interview when the town seemed different. the feeling was of a sudden notion that i was no longer a tourist but an actual inhabitant of the town (city) of thimphu. the tingle was from the energy emitted due to the fact that i would be living here for a year and that i could actually develop those ritualistic places and connections that i long for. this is where the gems come in to play. one gem is "seasons," the local pizzeria/italian restaurant that wikipedia raves about as well as locals and tourist company operators. one guide said that a tourist requested that he drive her to thimphu from paro (one hour away) every evening so that she could eat dinner at seasons. the kids and i finally went there and i have to say that the pizza is truly delicious and the pasta easily compares with dishes served in a seattle italian restaurant. if you sit on the outside porch, a friendly kitty will snuggle in your lap for the duration of your time there. my favorite is the cheeseless pizza. that's one gem. the most recent gem is a place called "dantak." it is out of the city and just east of where the school is. one has a feeling of entering a small village-far from a town although you are only about one mile from thimphu. this place is run by the indian army and provides food and limited supplies to the indian army stationed in bhutan. there is a "wet canteen" where you can buy the most fresh and delicious indian food for incredible prices. samosas are 4 rupees (about 10 cents) and a multigrain fresh loaf of bread is 15 rupees. we have eaten a full meal with extras and take homes for 91 rupees (for 4 people)-unheard of anywhere in thimphu. and the bread is the best i've had since being in asia. at the little grocery, you can buy large bags of dal beans, spices, fresh paneer and other things that keep the indian nationals happy. today, we brought home 10 samosas and 20 of the most amazing cookies. our closest gems are "shopper's store" and the general store. i was ecstatic to find bleach this week. our place is pretty clean by bhutanese standards but being a bit of a germaphobe makes me very pleased to use some bleach. nothing like a hint of bleach smell. at shoppers store we can get many japanese food items. for some reason the peanut m&m's make me happy -even though i don't like chocolate that much. the kids like to go shopping for things like one size popcorn that is pre-flavored (pepper, golden sizzle or chili) and japanese candies. the saturday market is pretty good although we didn't go this weekend. last weekend we bought a large bag of freshly picked chanterelle mushrooms for 120 Nu ( about $2.50). we made pasta and sauteed the mushrooms for the other american teachers. it was quite a night talking about the students and comparing educational standards to what we are used to in the states. i'm sure we will find other gems. emma found the pirated video shop yesterday. it's very funny teaching students who have all seen the movies that were just released in the US when there is no western movie theatre in the entire country. apparently, everyone keeps up on the movies through pirated movies. the other gems are people who help us find new places and things-shops where we can get supplies and foods.