Tea Parties

A year often seems like a long time. If one is waiting for a visitor then it could be too long. If I look back at my years they are recognizable pieces of time but not so large. For many spending a year in Bhutan would be unimaginable, but for me it was tied to teaching for one full school year and so it made sense. Being involved in school creates many opportunities while at the same time limits them due to the constraints of the school schedule. Working with a group of students and faculty as well as living in the community has opened the door to knowing many people much better than a traveler ever could. It has also provided many insights into Bhutanese culture, society, government, and religion. The parts of the country I have visited have been chosen carefully as my time to travel has been limited. I have gotten to know the area around my village of Gaselo on many afternoon walks. The Punakha Valley and its surrounds have provided endless day long excursions which have filled my weekends many of which are a short 1½ days. Even last February with nearly a year ahead of me I tried to make the most of opportunities as I knew my stay in Bhutan was finite.

Nothing spells out the end of a school year like final exams. My “question papers” have been prepared for several weeks and now is the time for students to take exams and for me to start

marking them and working on year grades. Just over a month remains before I depart Bhutan, likely for the last time. It is BCF (Bhutan Canada Foundation) policy to bring teachers to Bhutan for one year. We are considered to be volunteers because we are paid by the Bhutanese government as civil servants. This monthly salary, which amounts to a bit over $300 at current exchange rates, is plenty to meet one’s needs in Bhutan but certainly does not go far in terms of paying bills at home or buying plane tickets. It is also BCF policy to encourage teachers to stay for another year after they have figured out how things work and have become comfortable in their situation which varies greatly for each individual. As I look toward my departure I can so clearly see so many reasons for returning for a second year, primarily to be able to begin a school year with some understanding of how things work and with a few personal relationships in place. In my case, however, the rules under which BCF operates clearly state that a teacher cannot turn 60 while in Bhutan, this age limit has given me the opportunity to be here for this year but no more. Most of the BCF teachers this year are not returning, it is a huge commitment and not everyone can step away from their lives at home for unlimited amounts of time.

Early in the year one of my colleagues, Pema, was traveling to Thimphu regularly to be with his wife when their second child was born. After the arrival of their baby I congratulated Pema on the birth of his second son. He shrugged it off and told me that births are not such a big event in Bhutan but deaths, on the other hand, are celebrated elaborately and the anniversary commemorated with a family gathering for three years. The lesson here is that endings are dear for the Bhutanese. I began to realize this as I witnessed several dinners to celebrate the departure

of various faculty during the year. As the end of this school year draws near there have been many events to celebrate the conclusion of this term. Many of these go under the headings of “tea party” or picnic. Tea and biscuits, that is crackers and cookies, are served along with an hour or two of songs and dances performed by the students. If it is a picnic it lasts longer, sometimes all day, and lunch is served. Everything is organized by the students. Many class groups have these events, they have been together in one class room all year. The boarding school students have a bunk in the

hostel (dorm) and a spot at a table for two in their class rooms and that is their only personal space for the year. The class groups know each other well and become quite close by the end of the year, hence a celebration is called for. All of these farewells have been going on for more than a month and now my classes are taking exams, the end of this school year is nigh.

Broken Tooth

All of us, BCF teachers that is, here in Bhutan this year agree that the ever changing schedule is simply part of the flow of life. Given a choice I suspect most Bhutanese would use schedules as rough guides, certainly not something to be followed directly. The westernization that has accompanied much modernization here brings with it a society of schedules, school schedules, work schedules, business hours, etc. During the year I have come to anticipate changes and surprises in the school schedule by planning very loosely so that there can easily be extra days either of class or no class. The grand finale for scheduling surprises came one recent Thursday when at midday it became apparent that it was going to be my last day in the class room. How can a teacher be surprised about the last day of classes for the year? We were given a schedule for the school year which had been followed as a set of guidelines, the major holidays, national occasions shown on every calendar in the country, were reliable and provided a framework for the school schedule. The mid-year break had moved around quite a bit before it was nailed down, many school events were shifted to accommodate this or that, so I was prepared for surprises. Originally our final exam period was to begin November 16, it was then preponed, yes isn’t that such a practical term, to Wednesday, November 13. I have mentioned Bhutan’s small size and homogenous culture several times, one result is that many things are not discussed because everyone knows already, often everyone but me. Everyone knows, for example, that the day before the final exam period begins is spent arranging the school for exams. Every student is assigned a seat for the exam period. The rooms are set up with two students at each table who are not the same grade level so will never be taking similar exams. This takes a good bit of planning and arranging of tables and chairs. The rooms are then cleaned of all educational materials and locked. Although I had experienced this process at mid term I had forgotten about it. So that took care of Tuesday. Monday was a national holiday, no surprise there. This is one of the holidays where the students do not have classes but we did have the final awards program and lunch that day so everyone was at school for part of the day. Sunday is never a class day. Saturday had been scheduled for the school picnic. Remember, Saturday is a school day in Bhutan. This is one of the events that happens every year, it appears on the school calendar but perhaps only as a reminder to reschedule it where it might fit as the time draws near. This had been discussed during a faculty meeting and I was, for once, aware of the plans. Then on Thursday an emissary from MOE (Ministry of Education) arrived at school with a set of assessment exams to be administered to all Class X  (grade 10) students on Friday. Several teachers were needed to invigilate and I was asked. I teach no Class X but it was important for me to do as I was asked. So, around noon on Thursday I discovered I had just had my last classes as a class room teacher a full eight days ahead of what I had originally had in mind based on my interpretation of the school calendar. For my Class VII and XI students the last day of class was November 8, school is “in session” until December 15. Prior to exams the whole school has many days dedicated to “revision,” or review. All in all a full two months of the school year is dedicated to the annual exam period. At mid term a bit more than one month was dedicated to exams. In the end more than 30% of the school year is given to exams, in my mind this is a disservice to the students who are investing a large part of their lives in the pursuit of an education. Much more time could be spent learning and much less time dedicated to exams, but my year here is meant to broaden the perspectives of my students, not to change the system.

One result of all the exam time is a lot of time for teachers. The National Board Exams taken by all Class X and XII students are administered by a visiting team of invigilators drawn from other schools. Some of our teachers travelled to other schools to administer exams. The teachers are paid extra for this and many enjoy the chance to travel a bit and to see and do some different things. For those of us who stay at school the schedule is pretty loose. Last week I ended up with a broken tooth and I found that I must travel to Thimphu for dental care. A bit of medical leave and presto I had a four day weekend and missed no duties at school. I visited friends in Thimphu, did the city thing, had the broken portion of my tooth removed, after looking at an x-ray the doctor told me I needed a root canal. He prescribed a course of antibiotics and made an appointment for the following Friday. The doctor is Indian, spoke English well, explained the situation to me, I will see how it all goes. It will mean a lot of trips over Dochu La, the high pass between here and Thimphu. This time of years bodes clear skies and spectacular views accompanied by 2-3hrs of bumpy, crowded time in cars.

Friday night was spent in Punakha with a fellow BCF teacher. The following midmorning we left for Sewala Buddhist Institute, something around 9 miles and many thousand feet above Punakha. The trail led up onto a ridge which we followed most of the way. The hiking was spectacular, the

views amazing in all directions and the terrain amenable to wonderful walking, the cool fall air was a bonus as well. Part way up we came upon a small ridge top temple, Jili Lakhan, or “cat temple.” And old monk showed us around, his paintings adorned the walls, worn spots on the floor spoke of countless prostrations. It was an enchanting place indeed and we spent a wonderful hour. As the hours passed we began to glimpse our goal which always looked to be quite far away. But steady walking covers distance and we arrived at Sewala around 4:00 in the afternoon. We sat on a bench with high

peaks on two sides and an overview of our entire hike, monks met us with glasses of chilled fruit juice, an auspicious arrival for us to say the least. These places, perched on high ridges all over Bhutan, can be surprisingly large. Most now have access via very rough, rudimentary roads. Here at Sewala there are four temples, the oldest established almost 300 years ago. The monks number 108 which includes 30 younger monks in the Lobdra or lower school and 50 in the upper classes. We were visiting on a weekend and many monks were playing kuru, watching TV (only on weekends), and looking forward to Sunday volleyball.

The hike had been long and the destination was to be cherished, perhaps this place called for more than a brief stop. I suggested that sunrise might be a worthwhile experience. That idea carried and we inquired, a rather

plush guest house was available, several monks showed us around, kept us company, cooked for us, and prepared two very cushy beds heaped with blankets and quilts. The sun set in a clear sky, as the alpenglow on the peaks shone against the darkening deep blue sky a full moon lit the night sky. My night’s sleep was everything one might expect at a serene Buddhist learning center tucked high in the Himalayan foothills. We rose before dawn to walk to the Temple at the top of the hill to see the sun clear the ridge of mountains in front of us. The dawn light was enchanting and

included views into the Po Chu and Mo Chu valleys as they merged to become the Punatshang Chu. Low clouds were scattered along the bottoms of the valleys accentuating the shape and flow of the terrain. Just enough cloud on the eastern horizon to give a vivid layer of sunrise color highlighting the mountainous skyline.

After enjoying the sunrise we returned to breakfast and a bit more conversation. Shortly after eating we visited the temple to make a donation to honor our good fortune and headed

down the trail. We made a stop at one point to clean up a beautiful overlook, add some prayer flags, and discover a garden of beautiful pink orchids on the trunk of the tree we tied flags to. The descent was as beautiful as the climb, lunch at Jili Lakhan, and a return to Punakha around 1:00pm. I headed to Bajo to do my usual Sunday shopping, ran into a fellow teacher from Gaselo, and ended up at a kuru match next to the river we had looked down upon over breakfast. The evening sky was a myriad of cotton balls turning dark on one side and sunset reds on the other. As usual, some

waiting around in Bajo while rides sorted themselves out, but finally as a snug four in the backseat we wound our way toward Gaselo drowsing along the way. My groceries had ended up in another car, but that driver is my neighbor and delivered them and said he had dinner waiting for him and that I should join him. It is saag (leafy greens like spinach) season and I enjoyed the 4^th saag curry in three days. All were fresh, tasty, and a little different. Eating fresh and seasonally is something that is so easy to lose touch with in the mega supermarkets of the west.

So, the extended exam period and the proclivity for things to work out in ways that are both unforeseen and unplanned, have enabled me to have a wonderful excursion prompted by a broken tooth.

How big are they?

Bhutan is often considered to be a good candidate for Shangri La, the mystical utopia hidden in the Himalaya introduced to the imaginations of many westerners via Lost Horizon, book or movie. The word La in Tibetan as well as Dzognka refers to mountain pass. So Shangri La would be the pass named Shangri. In Colorado we have Loveland Pass, Rabbit Ears Pass, etc. Here in Bhutan they have Dochu La, Pele La, Nuksum La, etc. In Colorado many of the passes cross the

Rockies and the continental divide. Here in Bhutan the roads often wind their way up for many thousands of vertical feet to cross passes over minor ridges coming down from the Himalaya. The big mountains are hidden behind a veil of cloud much of the time and always unseen from many of the deep, steep sided valleys where many people live. A view of these mountains is a treat and far from a common sight in much of Bhutan. As the seasons change I am hoping to get some memorable vistas as the clear days of winter become the norm.

This past week an actual holiday appeared and by using only ½ day of precious casual leave I ended up with a full three day weekend. Ignorance of the programs involved with holidays often results in working a Saturday or Sunday with little warning, however this time the surprise was indeed pleasant. I left Gaselo Thursday afternoon to stretch the time as much as possible. I often walk from my house down to the main road along the river. It is a full hour, a steady, steep downhill walk through ever changing farmland belonging to the houses scattered along the steep sides of the valley. I have grown quite fond of the descent, it allows me to leave whenever I like, I know how long it will take, and it is always a bit of an adventure. The long descent is tolerated by my knees pretty well if I pack light and use my poles. Friday was spent traveling to Thimphu, 2 ½ hours on the road once a taxi has been arranged with a full load of passengers, and enjoying a bit of time in the “big city.” The treats include the best coffee in Bhutan which is a moderate cup of coffee by most standards, city wide 3G, wireless in the coffee place, the hustle of a burgeoning city of a 100,000, and a choice of shopping a step or two above that available to us in Bajo.

Friday evening six of us gathered at a Thai restaurant to enjoy the company and some flavors we don’t generally get in Bhutanese food. After dinner we headed to the home of two in our group in Chamgang. We planned to hike Talakha Peak on Saturday. The weather forecast had been less than great but the day dawned with enough blue sky showing around the clouds to be encouraging. The village of Chamgang sits at about 9,000 feet, our goal was a peak at about 14,000 feet. Anyone who hikes much knows that gaining 5,000 vertical feet in a day is a big day. The early part of the walk is through old forest with the occasional tree that is so huge it makes you stop and ponder for a moment. We climbed steeply for a couple of hours passing the winter

home of a yak herder, they have come down from the high country. After a bit we crested a long ridge along the top of which the walk was less severe and strikingly beautiful with an occasional larch tree lending some fall color. The most ancient looking rhododendron trees I have seen were along the way as well. As we began climbing in earnest again the trees became shorter and final at about 12,500 feet we at timberline. The true high altitude alpine tundra begins around 13,000 feet, a lot higher than we are used to in Colorado. In the lower 48 the “14ers” are the rooftop of this part of the continent. Peaks top out at a little over 14,000 feet in Colorado California, and Washington. Hikers in the U.S. consider these to be the big mountains and when you are on the summit of one it feels like the top of the world. The top of a 14,000 peak here is a high point well above timberline but the 15,000 foot peaks nearby are covered with fresh snow and the big ones over 20,000 feet lurk on the horizon, glacier covered and glistening white all year round, that is when the clouds lift their skirts and allow a glimpse.

The central part of Bhutan is populated between 4,000 and 10,000 feet, the capital, Thimphu, is located at about 7000 feet. Bhutan is farther south than Colorado accounting for the higher timberline and the feel of lower elevations in terms of climates. All this woos one to feel like they are not so high in the mountains since the distant peaks appear so far above. So, all I’m saying is that a climb of 5,000 vertical feet around here can gain a 14,000 foot summit but still be10,000 feet below the summits of the big ones, the Himalaya.