still here!

Holiday Greetings to all! Well, we have been busy with the end of the school year in Bhutan-which finally ended on December 18th. We had a couple of school picnics to say farewell to Class 12 as well as some teachers who will return to the US. The highlights of the last few months have been a combination of new friends, exploring around Thimphu Town (I love saying that) and wrapping up the school year. Henry was "Runner Up" in the Junior section of the 1st Judo Tournament in Bhutan on December 12th. He made the national news and a special segment on BBS (Bhutan Broadcasting Service). His good friend, Ulughbek from Uzbekistan, won the tournament on his birthday so Henry was happy for him. Emma has made a few good friends who take her shopping and around town. We have become comfortable with getting around, driving among cows, people and dogs darting out into streets, and cooking the many types of datses. (Datse means cheese and everything in Bhutan is cooked with datse. There is kewa datse-with potatoes; ema datse-with chiles; shamu datse-with mushrooms and asparagus datse.) Emma gets teased often for having a name that means "chile." And most spell her name "Ema." We recently rented a house outside of Thimphu-about 10 miles west in the Begana valley near the Tango and Cherry Monasteries. The valley is beautiful an we often have cows or horses in our yard. There is a river below that we can hear from the house and the smell of bukaris (wood burning stoves)-the main source of heat. Our water is often frozen in the mornings-especially since winter has arrived. Henry and Emma build bonfires often and our neighbors and friends come to visit. the two neighbor dogs, Gnarly and Bonzo, come every day looking for food and scraps. I think they like us because we know that they are carnivores (most dogs and cats are fed rice). Our home is quiet and peaceful. Our transitions to December 2010 in Asia have been very up and very down. I think this is why I have not posted so much (plus very intermittent internet). Most young people in Thimphu think Henry is Justin Bieber and they just don't know what to think about Emma's blond hair. Most tourists are of retired age so we get stares every day, whether we are walking or driving, by locals seeing young people. I don't mind too much but the kids are sensitive to this. They are fine now but every once in a while they get annoyed. Plus, the Bhutanese are not taught tolerance or much about other cultures so they are not as PC as where we come from in the US. Even though we have had some "downs," Bhutan has a lot to offer. Emma and Henry can walk to town and meet friends, shop and eat safely without any worries. Our new village grows many vegetables that we can use any time. If we get stranded, we know that someone will stop to help us or give us a lift. The water is so pure-straight from a himalayan spring blessed by many buddhist lamas and stories. On the hill across from our home, is a forest where tigers, bear, leopards and grey langurs live-naturally in their own habitat. The air is clean, the veggies are fresh and organic and the life is simple. Friends are plentiful and the cost of living is very manageable-as long as you don't want anything modern or from outside the country. (We finally bought a microwave that cost $150 US but would have been about $40 in the US).

Now that we are in Delhi (we arrived on Mon. Dec. 20th), we can see the pollution and extent of our isolation in Bhutan. Bhutan is definitely modern and has many westernized things, but when we were in a Delhi mall yesterday, the level of modernization hit us. I wouldn't describe the feeling as culture shock-it was just an intense awareness of the clean air, skies without airplanes (can you imagine?), fresh food, and feeling of simpleness. In Delhi, I only need one blanket on the bed. In Bhutan, I have five (the really thick fuzzy blankets) to make me feel comfortable. The Delhi smog is unbelievable. The air is yellow and stings one's face and throat while breathing. I don't remember being bothered so much during past visits, so I'm thinking that we have been spoiled by the pristine himalayan air.

Of-course, Henry's smile after seeing McDonald's was precious and I have to admit the ketchup was good (Bhutan ketchup is okay). Emma was thrilled to be in a mall with actual shops-not the "Daka shops" that we have in Bhutan (clothes from the Bangladesh factories). And we saw an actual movie in a movie theatre with popcorn.