tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-65405003730488266292024-03-05T17:27:29.787-08:00Sarah Out and Abhut Sarah Diamondhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11402826054150568070noreply@blogger.comBlogger9125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6540500373048826629.post-25749754464658845212014-10-09T06:11:00.000-07:002014-10-09T07:32:36.376-07:00Day sleeper. A one way ticket yeah.<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Last week we spoke about the meaning of the
word brave in grade 7 English. Brave: to do something that scares us. We were
reading a story about a girl who one might call “brave to the extreme.” I’m
talking fearless of ghosts, walking alone at midnight, and hunting down human
skulls. The usual.</span></div>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHSIdJI4ONMIq3ABoB_nVPZY1kmj3yId0_4MJ_8zEdCZBsG6mOhIlpcIo0roumonlfgQOS3bZPNmee-F7PaYoX2xRYF7zZaxsEkQmc1qMP7R1VFXA_rhbpGHbol1i5yX7PMqNlKwNnlZhp/s1600/10150723_10152443268215572_3055150357436200360_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHSIdJI4ONMIq3ABoB_nVPZY1kmj3yId0_4MJ_8zEdCZBsG6mOhIlpcIo0roumonlfgQOS3bZPNmee-F7PaYoX2xRYF7zZaxsEkQmc1qMP7R1VFXA_rhbpGHbol1i5yX7PMqNlKwNnlZhp/s1600/10150723_10152443268215572_3055150357436200360_n.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">From left: Kimi, me, and Jude with Mr. Carma.<br />
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<span style="font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">I was coming back from an eastern village in
Bhutan recently over our midterm break. I waited outside my friend’s house with
my hand stretched out ready to flag a car down. I jumped for joy (in my head)
when within ten minutes a taxi pulled up and was asking for the equivalent of 5
Canadian dollars to make the 8 hour drive across the country to the capital. I
hopped in the back gleefully. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">By 2 pm in the afternoon we were flying down
what I believe to be the most beautiful stretch of road in all of Bhutan.
Perfectly paved, windy, with a steep mountain valley below and picturesque
views of the Himalayas on either side, I could drive on this stretch for days.
I remembered riding on the back of my friend’s motorcycle down this stretch only
a year before. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This particular ride
clear in my mind, I put in my headphones and enjoyed the views. My thoughts
soon winded down into a deep sleep. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Shortly after, I was jolted awake. The taxi
took a sudden sharp jab at the mountain to our right, now completely
perpendicular to the mountain, car still in full motion. In less than three
seconds, before I could even register what was happening, we were then on the
other side of the road, sheer seconds away from catapulting off the
“picturesque steep mountain cliff to the left.” Within those three seconds, the
passenger in the front seat had managed to both grab the wheel and put on the
breaks as I leaned forward and shrieked a perfectly articulated,
“hoooooolllyyyy SHITTTT!” Almost simultaneously, the car came to a screeching
halt next to one of the only boulders that sat along the stretch of road. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">My family swirled around in my head, as I
shakily got out of the car, safe, still on our main road. I walked towards the
college student who had been sitting beside me. Yearning for the warmth of a
living human being, I pulled his body close and gave him a good hug. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">“We’re safe,” he said. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">We’re safe. </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6w8jrjgI6p5Mpwo5WzmI6FBQZINOPXjkGliParP2RKIvWhUObyqqYpEdjMNyYI2mNVH4KzwC9EIZcRKDe3Ezkkexs3zplvnwyu4SfmDWmQOWkUJzz3w_SCLET4I3j3fsGkUdpIc1bS_sW/s1600/IMG_4007.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6w8jrjgI6p5Mpwo5WzmI6FBQZINOPXjkGliParP2RKIvWhUObyqqYpEdjMNyYI2mNVH4KzwC9EIZcRKDe3Ezkkexs3zplvnwyu4SfmDWmQOWkUJzz3w_SCLET4I3j3fsGkUdpIc1bS_sW/s1600/IMG_4007.JPG" height="239" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">“The driver fell asleep,” exclaimed the hero
of the car, and let out a small chuckle, as if any part of that experience
actually warranted a chuckle.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">But, maybe what else was there to do in this
situation? I shed a smile. It was a direct result of my sudden realization that
humans are so minute in comparison to their surroundings. This was a simple reminder
to myself to wake up and recognize this fragility of the human body. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Life is impermanent. And I had lived that
realization in full force. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">I couldn’t formulate words to say to our hero
passenger, but it came out something like this, “Your reaction time was
incredible.”</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">And then I gave him a pat on the shoulder and
a high-five. A high-five to someone who just freakin’ saved your life after you
practically somersaulted off a steep-ass mountain cliff, also known as the Himalayas?
</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Yes.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">We got back in the car and the passenger in
the front took over driving. Within five minutes the driver who almost drove us
off the cliff was fast asleep. Again.</span></div>
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<br />
This guy should be studied, I thought to myself.<br />
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<span style="font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">“You know, I have an exam next week. And that
exam is no longer scary,” exclaimed the student beside me. I flashed him a
smile and was genuinely sorry he had to leave the car almost five minutes
later. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Shortly after, we reached another taxi stand.
I decided to leave the taxi I was in. I decided this not so much for lack of
confidence in the new driver, but rather to start moving forward from the
horrific memories I had associated with this car. I paid the driver for almost
killing us, wished him a “safe journey (and good sleep)” and hopped into a taxi
van with about five other passengers. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">I laid my head back on the window as the sun
slipped beneath the mountains. I had two more hours of travel, my body still in
shock. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">We pulled up to a roadside stand. The woman
in the front, cradling a baby, bought some freshly roasted corn and passed it
out to all of us in the car. This selflessness is so deeply embedded in the
Bhutanese culture. The combination of this generosity and my shock-induced
complete euphoria to be alive and breathing almost brought me to roaring tears.
</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">I bit through the corn, happy for a
distraction. This may be the only time in my life in which corn is serving as a
meditative experience, I thought to myself. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Less than twenty minutes later, about to
climb the final mountain pass before the capital Thimphu we got to about a 50
car pile up. We slammed the doors and headed to join the crowd outside overlooking
the mountain cliff. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">“Accident Miss, car is down,” A woman reacted
to my puzzled gaze. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">No, I thought. This can’t be the taxi I was
just in. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">I looked down to see another car completely
mangled in the trees about 500 ft down below the main road. This is one of the
widest stretches of road in Bhutan. The cause was either a mechanical failure,
substance-induced, or fatigue, I thought. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">I pictured myself in the car, and tears
started streaming down my face. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Not a firefighter or ambulance was in sight.
What I did see continued to feed my tears: About thirty Bhutanese people,
children, parents, and monks, breaking the already shattered car, attempting to
rescue the screaming driver inside. There were branches being used as tools,
but mostly their bare hands. I could feel the energy rushing between these
people, the common goal of simply busting their asses to rescue this stranger as
quickly as they could, was astonishing. The only bystanders were young
children, people with babies, the elderly and me. The experience lasted about
45 minutes and although there was ample space on the road for cars to continue,
not a car started its engine. Until this driver’s body was out of the car, not
a person would move. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">I could feel common breaths being let out
above the road as we first spotted the bleeding driver being carried up the
cliff on the back of one of the saviors. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">In my emotionally drunken state, the next
thing I saw really made me giggle. Monks swooped around the destroyed car to
collect the driver’s belongings. It was as if they had been called upon by some
higher power to fly in in their red robes and offer their help in any way they
could. They continued to sweep their robes around the car as bystanders on the
road wrapped the injured driver in scarves and any clothing they could find.
They hauled him into the back of one vehicle and off he went to Thimphu
hospital. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">“I need a fucking
hug,” I texted to my friend Jonathan as I got back into the car.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">I admit to having suffered from mild anxiety
and irrational thoughts in the past. Perhaps because of the isolation in
Bhutan, I continue to experience, sometimes intense, waves of them on the odd
occasion. It may cause some late nights here and there, but all I am able to
manage.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">It was logical for me to feel frightened
after my near-death driving experience. It is not, however, rational for me to
fear every car that drives along the road, which has become my habit recently.
And I recognize that, but am having difficulty acting upon it. It occurred to
me one night that if I choose not to drive in any car I could be stuck in
Tshangkha village for the rest of my life. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">I decided last weekend that I wanted to take
a leave day on the Saturday to visit some friends in a southern part of Bhutan
for hiking and a rafting trip. It occurred to me that I could take a week to
walk there or I could suck it up and take a car.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">I spoke to my principal about what he thought
would be the safest method of transport. I first mentioned my near-death
experience to him, as if to justify what might seem like an irrational fear. My
way of traveling has gone about 180 degrees from last year. Previously, I would
take any ride, with any person, any time of day. I’d check out their speed when
approaching me, for about 30seconds, and then more often than not just hop into
the car. Meeting interesting people seemed to outweigh the possibility that
they could actually be dangerous or better yet…. A day sleeper. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">“He fell asleep? What time was it?” the
principal asked. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">“About 2 in the afternoon,” I replied. <br />
<br />
“He should not be sleeping at 2 in the afternoon. Why does someone need to sleep
in the day time?” he asked, somewhat rhetorically. I hoped. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">That’s right, I thought. Falling asleep driving
at night is okay. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">I spent almost the entire night going back
and forth between driving or not driving the following evening. My anxiety was
peaking, and my brain was overactive to the nth degree. My dear friend Jude, a
nearby Canadian professor, would be driving in the morning, but I’d have to
find my own way home. I trusted Jude as a driver, but the ride home freaked me
out<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">I met Jude on the road outside my house at
530am the next morning to send some supplies with her for an upcoming trip to
Toronto. I apologized and shook my head. I couldn’t get into that car.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">“You’re getting in Sar. If you’re like this
in your 20s, what are you gonna do later on?” she said. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">I smiled and instantly jumped downstairs and
grabbed my bags. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Three days later I convinced myself that the
best option for my ride home was the public bus. They nicknamed it the “vomit
comet” and I had refused to take it in the past solely because of this reason
and because it drove approximately 10km per hour. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Today was a different story though. I had no
ticket but gathered on a busy bridge waiting for its arrival with a few other
villagers. Two packed buses drove passed. The third bus driver said he couldn’t
offer me a seat but he was willing to take me the 4 hours to my house. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">I took him up on the offer. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">So there I sat for 5 hours tangled between
wooden crates, anxiously checking out the driver’s eyes to see if he was
drifting off even in the slightest. The passenger in the front passed me potato
chips and other treats as she continuously glanced back and forth as if to
check if I was still there, or perhaps if my limbs were still in the right
order. I shed her a smile and reassured her I was just fine, still battling an
unnecessary amount of inner anxiety. </span></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihlLGXq1XFlF6HuV1-yhizq-MaIMZ8XYPJU2G6M8bYyglWZBbE36uCbK0Gr2FpPpa9FLTiQDPJP5M7CTlIJ4INMRNqRNp58FJhSoBOQRn8BNM2R4Jtkr8Hc454t2tNzHFipeCscQe5p-CX/s1600/IMG_3967.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihlLGXq1XFlF6HuV1-yhizq-MaIMZ8XYPJU2G6M8bYyglWZBbE36uCbK0Gr2FpPpa9FLTiQDPJP5M7CTlIJ4INMRNqRNp58FJhSoBOQRn8BNM2R4Jtkr8Hc454t2tNzHFipeCscQe5p-CX/s1600/IMG_3967.JPG" height="239" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A perk of that weekend trip. Hikes with beautiful Thinleygang students</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">We piled off at a roadside shop for some
lunch. The driver took me under his wing and whisked me into a separate room,
designated for drivers only. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">I helped myself to three different curries
with rice and tea. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">“You don’t pay. They treat drivers,” he said.
</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">I of course made it home safely after the
journey. The driver insisted I shouldn’t pay for the 5 hour trip. I thanked him
kindly, but insisted he accept some money. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Being brave has taken on all new levels. Be
it ghosts or mind-wrenching road trips, bravery takes some guts and in my case,
some mind fights and manipulation. I’m developing a personal goal to tackle yet
another obstacle of living in this magical place. I want to go back to my place of
comfort and, perhaps innocence, that I thrived so well in last year. I want to laugh
my guts out while doing so, because, after all, I am 25 years old living smack
in the Himalayas in the happiest country in the world. So I will bite the
bullet and take on some crazy experiences. And it will be okay.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
</div>
Sarah Diamondhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11402826054150568070noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6540500373048826629.post-66024116699428280042014-08-17T05:58:00.000-07:002014-08-17T09:18:42.375-07:00Texts from Bhutan. <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Inspired by such blogs as "Texts from Last Night" and "When Parents
Text," here's another glance into the magical world of Bhutan. All of
these are true exchanges between foreign teachers working in the field.
Nothing edited. To these teachers, thanks for sharing the laughs on a regular basis. Let's continue to keep each other sane. To those reading, hope you get at least a couple smiles. <br />
<br />
1.
"My friend is surrounding our house with burning food for the ghosts of
dead people. I feel we may die from all the fire around. But I won't
tell her that." <br />
<br />
2. "I think I'm getting intoxicated from bleaching mold in my own house."<br />
<br />
3. "Just put the date of the second world war on the board. My kids asked if I was a survivor."<br />
<br />
4. (The set up.)<br />
"I
showed him pics of our trip. He didn't even get scared off by the one
with your finger up your nose. He's short, dark and handsome, but not
too short. He likes long walks to the lake above Taktse. Seriously,
sweetest guy ever." <br />
<i>"Good. We're practically married..."</i><br />
" ...All you have to do is sleep with him once." <br />
<br />
5. "Just went through the road block. We could see the rocks coming off the cliff infront of us"<br />
<br />
6. (halfway through a cross-country journey):<br />
"fucking gorgeous! my bus driver just bought me two shots of whiskey.. after I bought myself 2 shots :) "<br />
<i>"AMAZING. I hope the driver didn't drink them too."</i><br />
"Yes. yes he did."<br />
<br />
7.
"Today is a day of firsts: shaved my knuckle meat down to the bone on
rusty metal attached to the chapsang door while taking a shit. Had to
wipe up while bleeding profusely. Now for a tetanus shot and stitches:) "<br />
<br />
8. (How items get from Thimphu to my house):<br />
"On Mongar bus. You may have to wave and jump in front of it, as i am in a packed bus in the middle." <br />
<br />
9. "Oh gastroenteritis, why did you have to come on a day when i had really fun lessons planned?"<br />
<br />
10. "I FUCKING love Bhutan"<br />
<br />
11. " 'No, it is not a good idea to pierce your friend's ear with a safety pin' "<br />
<br />
12. "Two grade 6 classes- our conversations went from the holocaust, Judaism, gay marriages, pipeline projects in Canada, to teen pregnancies. What a day! I'll probs have to pack my bags tomorrow..."<br />
<br />
13. "Oh I i did such a walk earlier. Bear in mind the jungle is less than 5 minutes from my door"<br />
<br />
14.
"Just got a hitch hike with a guy who spent ten minutes talking about
the mangled faces of farmers in my village who were attacked by
animals."<br />
<br />
15. "Here AGAIN no power and no water. GRRRRRR"<br />
<br />
16. "I have lived in my place 6 months but now my place is actually clean. This is thanks to my friend ST." <br />
<br />
17.
"Just told my kids it was "Fogust 1st" today and they got it. I think
this has been my most memorable teaching moment. Ever."<br />
<i>"That's seriously impressive. My kids don't even know what August is." </i><br />
<br />
18. "I don't know how to teach. Do you? I'd like a clear explanation thanks. 25 words or less."<br />
<br />
19. "But more important I just saw a lady wearing a shirt that says I'm hear about the blow jobs" <br />
<br />
20. "So yesterday a chillup (foreigner) appeared in my village... i never thought that would happen"<br />
<i>"Did they bring you starbucks too? My housemate bought us a fridge yesterday. I'd say just as good."</i><br />
<br />
21.
"I go home every night and clean mold off the ceiling for half an hour.
Each day I fight off at least 2 leeches. I was caught in a mudslide for
3 hours on saturday. I'm scared to get veggies now becaue of the
rockfall thats made the road into town the most dangerous in all of
Bhutan"<br />
<br />
22. "Did you say you had fleas?"<br />
<i>"Yes. Did I give them to you?"</i><br />
<br />
23. "Holy fucking shit. We almost went off the cliff. A fucking boulder saved us. Jesus fucking christ."<br />
<i>"How many times do I have to tell you. DON'T DIE!!!!!!! Are u ok now?"</i><br />
" Okay. In shock. 'My exam is no longer scary,' said the student sitting beside me."<br />
<br />
24.
"20 car pile up to save a guy trapped in a car that went off cliff.
Watched the whole thing. I need a good fucking hug and a cry." <br />
<br />
25. "Me too. But only after a dream about freestyle shopping in a supermarket."<br />
<br />
26.
"Aaaand I almost got kicked out of assembly for a laughing fit.
Principal warning kids not to steal cucumbers...'first you steal cucs,
then who knoooows what you'll steal?'.... TVs, couches, jewelry. ' "<br />
<br />
27. "I'm solo drinking. Outside. Fog gazing and laughing at my own jokes. "<br />
<br />
28. "Aint that the truth! And if you use the toilet without closing the door a ghost will wipe your bum!"<br />
<br />
29. "Guess who's out of toilet paper and can't walk 4K to get more?" <br />
<br />
30.
"A very poor mum of my student just saw me walk alone in the rain.
Stopped, took out an umbrella from her basket for me. This is why I am
here"<br />
<br />
31. "Just got a ride. I'm in a beat up van that reeks of diesel with a drunk grandpa beside me. Ima be hiiiigh after this ride"<br />
<br />
32.
"No, it's so amusing. And gross. After that, was a warning for students
not to pee in water bottles and leave them places. "<br />
<i>"They definitely should use walls right?" </i><br />
"RIGHT. The problem was, a grade 4 student almost drank it."<br />
<i>"AAAAAAAH"</i><br />
"That's her fault. Who the fuck picks up a yellow liquid and is like, 'damn this water looks good."<br />
<i>"A grade 4 student"</i><br />
<br />
33. "Mam my cock is in your bedroom' said the student playing badminton outside my house"<br />
<br />
34. "Our shop has spinach. We won't starve for a week = that was enough to make me smile." <i>"There, ya see? It's easy. Plus just look out at your valley"</i><br />
<br />
35. "If a good fart solves everything here, i should be able to solve problems in Ukraine and Gaza tomorrow."<br />
<br />
36. " 'miss, i come to canada to make some monks for you all?' "<br />
<br />
37. " 'sun! do not climb down that waterfall! Why do I even say these things to my kids?"<br />
<i> "Yeah, especially since i watched you climb down one in Tashigang"</i><br />
<br />
38."monsoon moment when you think it couldn't possibly rain any harder... and then it does."<br />
<br />
39. "Okay one of my 5s AGAIN tried to jump on the roof of the toilet. Missed. Fractured his arm."<br />
<br />
40. "Leech on NECK while eating lunch. YALAMA."<br />
<i> "Ooooh invertebrate love bite! Get sooooome"</i><br />
<br />
41. "Almost 4 hours later.... still in meeting. And hella craving a damn good falafel."<br />
<i>"I fell awful once. Hurt like hell"</i><br />
<br />
42. "Yeah Bhutan does make my heart a tropical zone pretty regularly"<br />
<br />
43. "So I'm taking the King's brother to lunch in Wamrong, no big deal."<br />
<br />
44.
"Hiking to monasteries in the middle of nowhere is really becoming my
thing. I'm happiest at those times. One delicious sleep coming up."<br />
<br />
45. "I taught in my pyjamas today."<br />
<br />
----- <i>Food cravings can take over some days... --------</i><br />
<br />
46. "I have an INTENSE craving for a big hot dog from a street vendor"<br />
<br />
47. "Wow I actually want pizza so badly now."<br />
<br />
48. "My mum just emailed about amazing fish and chips she had. Why would she do that?"<br />
<br />
49. "All I want right now is sushi"<br />
<br />
50. "plus u know what sucks... finally have all the ingredients for french
toast and stomach's too f'd to eat it. Bread will be moldy when i'm
better." <br />
<br />
51. "A truck selling just mangoes at our school this am. Today is going to be a GOOD day." <br />
<br />
52. "How was your presentation? i'm at a baby shower.. for the principal's new car."<br />
<br />
53. "Picture me at midnight last night. Drunk. And seeing a human sized sewer rat run across my kitchen. I fucking lost it. "<br />
<br />
54. "It's too rainy to farm but i am being served tea in grandma's house barn. And the rats have arrived. And I love Bhutan"<br />
"Just made spinach pancakes with grandma and helped her milk her cow!"<br />
<br />
55. "A kid just asked me if I got a nose job."<br />
<br />
56. "Passed a random Canadian on a bike today. Stared at him in shock, him the same."<br />
<br />
57. "Just cracked an egg. Yolk was stuck to the shell. Plus mold INSIDE THE SHELL."<br />
<i>"Ew. I'm eating eggs."</i><br />
<br />
58. (Staff meeting) "literally as i speak, two women are putting glue on their hands,
letting it dry, and peeling it off. The men in the back are secretly
passing tobacco and pinching each other."<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg78_Cy22ToybqG0I5CpGjDoaU2VCwp5IJP9LKiydjoKysv7KYXcuCE2GAc1FVyFxwIITQzKy9qMo8o79AxyqKYSCzFkjyUbGiK7axNWO19Tdqorb_xvNrCQ92kaRHMPyahsHFPQbHxVgL-/s1600/IMG_3796.JPG" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg78_Cy22ToybqG0I5CpGjDoaU2VCwp5IJP9LKiydjoKysv7KYXcuCE2GAc1FVyFxwIITQzKy9qMo8o79AxyqKYSCzFkjyUbGiK7axNWO19Tdqorb_xvNrCQ92kaRHMPyahsHFPQbHxVgL-/s1600/IMG_3796.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a>59<i>. </i>"If a mantra is chanted in the forest and there's no one there to hear it, does it make a sound?" <br />
<br />
60.
. "A teach was stuck in rockfall for 24 hours. No water, only food he
had were the fruit he brought for teachers. AND HE SAVED THEM FOR US.
THAT is buddhism."<br />
<i>"Is that too buddhist for you?"</i></div>
Sarah Diamondhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11402826054150568070noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6540500373048826629.post-22286450681645797992014-06-08T03:44:00.000-07:002014-06-08T04:21:59.687-07:00The Mad Woman Cured of Her Diseases<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<!--StartFragment-->
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjB6R-I6QlUV6ZSwGzjuw0wk9-_ksOBSOs0_entTYoK0PkU_jkBBmMHMifeN97o3ospDV0WdBLRr5v3KXKJASUI8eE_OZUM0nEtkj7yFhMbTTYwDbNZxZGV_pTo8YK1Pw0LTOAp4hXfKH0c/s1600/IMG_2139.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjB6R-I6QlUV6ZSwGzjuw0wk9-_ksOBSOs0_entTYoK0PkU_jkBBmMHMifeN97o3ospDV0WdBLRr5v3KXKJASUI8eE_OZUM0nEtkj7yFhMbTTYwDbNZxZGV_pTo8YK1Pw0LTOAp4hXfKH0c/s1600/IMG_2139.JPG" height="217" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Class 4 beauties.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">“MADAAMMM your voice is not the same!”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">“Madam needs to go to a nose workshop!”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">“Madam needs to just chop of her nose.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraph" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">- - <!--[endif]-->exclaimed
three of my students excitedly when I opened my mouth in class last week. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">I have come to the conclusion that the <i>only</i> place worse to be sick in than Bhutan is in the depths of the
Himalayan jungle. <i>Outside</i>. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">I say this
of course as a completely over-priviledged and selfish princess. However, there
is truly no other time when I question my decision for moving across the world
to what I sometimes refer to as, “the middle of nowhere,” than when I am sick. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">I lay in bed on Saturday night as close as I could get to being
completely immobile without actually being <i>completely
immobile. </i>I stared at my concrete ceiling, huddled in my -10 sleeping bag,
clad head to toe in long underwear, fleece and covered by a wool toque. I was
picturing myself in a hot shower back home. After this I would slip into my
pyjamas and huddle on the couch with my mommy as I sip tea and obnoxiously
slurp homemade chicken soup. Then I would get under my huge duvet and retire
for the night. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">I continued to stare at my concrete ceiling propped up on
two pillows to help my cold- a good mommy tip. I had three options that could
potentially help my situation. I could get out of bed, fill up my water heater,
wait half an hour until it boiled, and then wash and absorb the steam. I could
remain in bed and attempt to sleep. Or I could satisfy my craving for soup by
mixing up the following ingredients (the only ingredients) that sat in the
cardboard box in my kitchen:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
</div>
<ul style="text-align: left;">
<li><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; text-indent: -18pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; text-indent: -18pt;">rice</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; text-indent: -18pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; text-indent: -18pt;">potatoes</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; text-indent: -18pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; text-indent: -18pt;">onions</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; text-indent: -18pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; text-indent: -18pt;">tomatoes</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; text-indent: -18pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; text-indent: -18pt;">asparagus</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; text-indent: -18pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; text-indent: -18pt;">cabbage</span></li>
</ul>
<!--[if !supportLists]--><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitl2SQqYaZtt-eCYwgtCmjzpMTgHKDCUkILbG5STa0qCv8N7siOH6JQbsocDecnpoaR1BZnl4ivO6ELzYvI9eiJsGKpaP-XV01ost75YbmLy_i5v51v9Xai0eedjWyiAXocWCV4hVy7qsG/s1600/IMG_1308.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitl2SQqYaZtt-eCYwgtCmjzpMTgHKDCUkILbG5STa0qCv8N7siOH6JQbsocDecnpoaR1BZnl4ivO6ELzYvI9eiJsGKpaP-XV01ost75YbmLy_i5v51v9Xai0eedjWyiAXocWCV4hVy7qsG/s1600/IMG_1308.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Close friends from last year.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">I went for option number two. I tossed and I turned. I
listened to the moths pitter patter on the piles of marking I had on my desk. I
listened to them pitter patter on the window behind my wool head. I felt them
pitter patter on my forehead. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">I lay wide awake for about an hour, desperate for sleep. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">And then the horns started. The monks and Lamas upstairs, in
preparation for their house warming party, which I thought would start the next
day, began to play their horns. The noise drifted from the upstairs apartment
right into my ears. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">----- <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">There are approximately 25 foreign teachers in Bhutan as
part of the Bhutan Canada Foundation, ranging from places as close to Bhutan as
Singapore and Australia, to as far away as Canada and the United States. We
begin the year forming deep friendships for two weeks in the capital and then
we are dropped off one by one to our remote locations, hoping we see eachother
ever again. Many of my friends are 20 hours away drive on rough roads. Our
friendships are bounded by one major similarity- we are all experiencing Bhutan
together for the first time. When things get rough, or really really good, we
let each other know. We are all in cell phone range but I am one of few with
internet access. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">-----<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">The horns continued to blast. I texted an American teacher,
to her response:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">“Only once you’ve lived in Bhutan, can you find yourself in
a situation that you want to yell at monks.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">The text I sent before actually said something about
stabbing monks, but I feel including this is too inappropriate for my Buddhist
friends who are reading this right now. I have never stabbed a monk or even
thought these morbid things <i>really</i> but my
sick, weak, and fatigued body was finding myself growing more and more
frustrated that evening. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Have I seriously grown into being this <i>selfish</i> that I want
to blame a monk for my current unhappiness?<br />
<!--[if !supportLineBreakNewLine]--></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">
<!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><i>“Just let the horns float into your ears and calm your mind.
Calm your soul. Give you strength to last the night,” I said to myself. </i><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Fuck that, Sarah. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">I slipped <i>under </i>my
two pillows and deep into my sleeping bag. I tried to get as far away from the
horns as I could. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">A loud knock awoke me at the door accompanied by “Misssssss
saaaaaaarahhhhhh” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Ohhh myyyyy goodness they have heard my thoughts. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">I opened the door to find my housemate. She explained that
the monks would be coming through the house with fire, and throwing rocks, to
scare away the demons. The ritual is known in Dzongkha as “Gatey” and is
typically performed to cleanse a house, especially after someone has died or
has been really sick. In this case, it was being done to ensure that no bad spirits remain in the house after this special occasion.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><i>Was I the demon?</i><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">I lay in bed thinking to myself, “At an unknown time in the
next hour, monks are going to run through my house with fire and throw rocks. This
is the third time it has happened this year. Which means this activity has
actually become semi-normal for me.” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">I screamed from my bed, “Gyem Lham is it sacrilegious for me
to shut my door and sleep through this puja?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">“What?!” cried my housemate. <br />
<br />
“Can I lock my door so the monks don’t enter my room?”<br />
<br />
Silence. <br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">
“I mean, I am looking forward to seeing the monks!” I said. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">I got out of bed and joined my housemate and her boyfriend.
Fortunately, the bells sounded outside my window and the monks came right in no
less than 5 minutes later. They chanted their mantras, visited each room in our
house, threw small stones in each corner. They hit me with rocks and said,
“don’t mind miss,” carried their torch and headed out as a couple of my
students giggled behind. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Approximately 30 seconds later I took my wonder drug, also
known as Nyquil, and passed out. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">At 5 am the bells sounded again. I cranked my aching neck to
turn around behind me. Blue skies enveloped the mountainous landscape that I
call my backyard. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">I went back into sleep. At 7am a knock pounded on my bedroom
door. My house owner kindly stormed right into my room, “breakfast misssssss!”
he bellowed out. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">For lack of better words, my body felt like total shit. I
told my housemate that I would have to take today off. I would try to join in
the festivities later but for now my aching body needed rest. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOdB4zIUgsKa4q7P6ZSFE0jgD0cEwU5YR2XhZqID1hxqIW3SchyduHfK8Re5e7o7R-fY73IZc4s5VFLicwWRc_59zQvkU_xCiXeq1CmtyrFWlYuQP0FFcGgv4fL4RgliOU0f8VUarDt8Ij/s1600/1797511_10202143160494644_3851175410314824862_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOdB4zIUgsKa4q7P6ZSFE0jgD0cEwU5YR2XhZqID1hxqIW3SchyduHfK8Re5e7o7R-fY73IZc4s5VFLicwWRc_59zQvkU_xCiXeq1CmtyrFWlYuQP0FFcGgv4fL4RgliOU0f8VUarDt8Ij/s1600/1797511_10202143160494644_3851175410314824862_n.jpg" height="238" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Best dressed award. </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Again, I lay in bed staring at the ceiling. Too sick to fall
asleep or read a book I listened as village people crowded the cement outside
my bedroom. They sat down on woven carpets and held out their mugs to receive
tea and biscuits. Many faces I didn’t recognize. They must have hiked the two
hours up the mountain from Tangsibji, the village below mine, to join in this
celebration. Our house had been built two years before but the house-owners
decided this weekend they would celebrate its construction. Our house was
decorated in its finest for its big birthday. Colourful yellow, red, and blue
flags hung from the roof. Colourful scarves draped down from the corners. I
suddenly felt underdressed in comparison to my house-turned-temporary monastery.
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">An overwhelming sense of guilt suddenly came over me. This
was not only an incredibly special celebration but also a deeply spiritual and
religious celebration. I feared what people would say if I was not present. I
decided to suck it up, throw on my kira, the national dress for women, and head
upstairs.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Our house is made up of 6 apartments. People were crowded in
every one, sitting on the floor, drinking tea, and eating handfuls of buscuits.
I saw the teachers in my friend’s apartment and joined them. <br />
<br />
“Sarah something is wrong with you,” said my friend bluntly. “What is going on.
You look like mad woman.”<br />
<br />
“Mad woman, eh?” I thought. I guess I could’ve at least tamed the fro sitting
atop my head.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">I sat down. Content to be here, but feeling my body slowly
crumbling into the floor. Students, acting as servers for the day, hurried over
to me with a mug followed by suja- traditional butter tea (exactly as the title
sounds). This particular cup was very smooth and perfectly satisfied my first
meal of the day. I opened my hands to receive gifts from the students- pieces
of fruit, cucumber, sweets, doma, and a 5 ngultrum bill. All of these were a
thank you and appreciation for coming. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Approximately 5 minutes later, overwhelmed by the people and
activity, the mad woman was back in bed. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">By Thursday of that week my principal politely told me that
I looked “horrible” and sounded “not normal.” He recommended I visit the
hospital. We have a basic health unit in our village, but for any thorough
examinations you must hitch a ride 45 minutes to Trongsa town and visit the
hospital. As this day was National Environmental Day, and you could therefore
not drive, I informed my students that I would be missing their classes on the
Friday. <br />
<br />
“Madam I hope the hospital helps you get rid of all of your diseases. Good
luck,” exclaimed my grade 6 student as I headed out the door. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">I waited on the main highway above my house for a ride. I
ran into a good friend Sonam. His wife had just left this year for New York
City for a month and I continued to see the emotion in his face each time I
asked how she was doing. Today I changed the subject to his new bicycle he had
beside him. We caught up for some time until another woman joined us, hoping to
give her datsi, fresh cheese from her cows, to Sonam and send them off to
Thimphu on the bus. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">A beat-up old van rattled towards us. I waved my hand and
tried to look like the most charming mad woman. The van slowed down and the
driver stuck out his head.<br />
<br />
“Kuzoo Zangpola Sir! Trongsa?” I asked<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">“Yes. But maybe this car is no good for you. Very dirty. You
want lift?” He replied.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">“Yes please! Kadinchela,” I exclaimed.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">I waved goodbye to Sonam and his friend and hopped in the
back along with a younger woman and an older farmer in the front. Both smiled
kindly. We drove for some time, before the driver said, “you don’t remember
me?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">………<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">“Hahha, sir you do look familiar! But I am sorry. Are you
from Tshangkha?” I said.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">“Ahhh yes yes yes yes. Livestock sir. We meet on road
often.” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Apparently. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">“So no school today?” he asked.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">“Oh we do have school. Very busy preparing for exams. I need
to visit the hospital though.” I croaked. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">“So we will go hospital first and then I have to go to
Dzong,” He said.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">“Ahh that’s very kind of you I said. But I can climb up to
the hospital. I’ll be okay,” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">“Ha! Not for you,” he chuckled. “My leg is not working! I am
going to the hospital.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">“Haha aaaalways thinking about myself. Oh no! It’s never
good when your leg is not working. Good idea to fix it,” I said. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">We picked up one more passanger, a hazelnut farmer, before
we left our region and headed around the steep mountain curves to Trongsa. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWLr29ttesQN4WZ76w0yzaxDvqlNxyudUFz8eSwbMTpxxXJA0xD1Ze8rFrJhsDsIo0WuATd1pwyp5z55-Py7mgtFKpBh4dVzwfMZJDjOR85DUt11Mb1gZGDb-evL8jo_71c_AyG7yj-klu/s1600/IMG_3112.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWLr29ttesQN4WZ76w0yzaxDvqlNxyudUFz8eSwbMTpxxXJA0xD1Ze8rFrJhsDsIo0WuATd1pwyp5z55-Py7mgtFKpBh4dVzwfMZJDjOR85DUt11Mb1gZGDb-evL8jo_71c_AyG7yj-klu/s1600/IMG_3112.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Yesterday a good friend spent the afternoon making <br />
me Bhutanese dumplings (momos) to cheer me up!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Trongsa hospital, of all of the places I have experienced in
my area, has the <i>best </i>view. It sits
above the town overlooking the entire valley. If I was a bird, which I am not,
it would be my ultimate playground.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">After giving my name to the receptionist I bounced to
“office number 2,” excited to be cured of all my “diseases.” I sat down outside
the office until a familiar monk came up to me and we began chatting.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">“I still remember that picture we took together. I come
visit your house some time?” He said.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Who <i>is </i>this
charming monk? Perhaps I do really have more diseases than I thought. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">We continued to talk and he mentioned a good friend of mine,
Jude, a Canadian professor at the college where he works. Yes! Jeez, I spent an
entire holiday with this monk and his family! We had picnics outside his house,
and indeed we did have a photoshoot. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">I asked Drumsey about his family and his paintings. I told
him that I was trying to put together a mural with my students and asked if he
could offer some help. He was delighted and insisted we meet for tea to discuss
further. Then he gave me a good tap on the back of my head, similar to what my
father does, and skipped off in his draping red robes. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">I walked into the office in my cardigan. The doctor checked
me out and hurried me to get a blood test, fearing for tuberculosis. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">I sat down in the chair, held out my arm waiting for a
needle, thinking for 30s if it was hygienic. Zap! In went the needle as I
turned to the nurse beside, googling “wiki how.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">How much confidence do I really have in these doctors?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Inside the x ray office, I threw on a gown and stood with my
arms up as the technician pushed me against a metal plate. <br />
<br />
“Just relax,” said the technician. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Just relax, I thought. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #2a313d;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">I waited
outside the x-ray office at the hospital until the technician came out with an
image of my lungs and said, "need light, go dry outside." <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #2a313d;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">So, I
stood outside with my lungs blowing in the wind until yet another elder patient
came up to me with <i>his</i> lungs.<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEip8MdVeHqrnEn2fcORb3W6b5z-DcQyhHIftMl3yllpGj4DzexIoaDMlz2YPm6SavKfGvs0oN92L5Q-Jhb8czSO4hkeDRZSztd3kjHtpnPlytUNbXAe7NkftICyJWujWGbWwYbJiRsqGNqj/s1600/IMG_3645.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEip8MdVeHqrnEn2fcORb3W6b5z-DcQyhHIftMl3yllpGj4DzexIoaDMlz2YPm6SavKfGvs0oN92L5Q-Jhb8czSO4hkeDRZSztd3kjHtpnPlytUNbXAe7NkftICyJWujWGbWwYbJiRsqGNqj/s1600/IMG_3645.JPG" height="239" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Told you the view was okay.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #2a313d;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">"I
like your lungs,” I said with a thumbs up. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #2a313d;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">He
flashed me a smile. I asked him if he thought my lungs looked alright, or if I
was sick. He gave me the traditional bhutanese headtilt, which I translated to,
"they look super healthy!" <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #2a313d;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">So we
both stood with our lung images blowing over the mountain top gazing at the
cliff drop below us and the flowing river. The rice fields dotted along the
steep mountains were beginning to wake up after a long winter. Soon their
colour would be a rich deep green and flooded by the monsoon rains. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #2a313d;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><i>I wonder
if birds can get tuberculosis, I thought. </i></span></span><o:p></o:p></div>
<!--EndFragment--></div>
Sarah Diamondhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11402826054150568070noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6540500373048826629.post-46945537110283272342014-05-04T03:23:00.002-07:002014-05-04T03:49:17.213-07:00We can beat this. <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
I remember sitting in a lecture hall in Teacher’s College
only two years back, surrounded by 400 of my friends. The professor displayed a
situation on the board and we were told to think-pair-share- a standard
teaching strategy where students are required to think about the answer
independently, share with their “elbow buddy” and then finally share their
answer with the class. The situation read something like this:<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<i>Your new teaching job is located in a remote part of the
world. You are surrounded by teachers who are constantly beating their students
with sticks and using other forms of corporal punishment to discipline their
students. You know that it is wrong but you want to blend into the culture.
Teachers tell you that if you do not beat the students, you will not be able to
control them.</i><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I remember thinking quickly about how I would tackle that
situation. I decided you have to do whatever you can in your own classroom, use
your own teaching methods, and do not bother with those around you. As a
teacher, you have certain values, and changing these values does not define
being able to “adapt” to a new culture, especially if there is evidence that your
actions are benefitting these students. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhevccr5mIAvESfg2qhsuhNCmlsuNAW79k6IbzWbX7FMXa1fOLXEN3lcIkgn2HNHAuVjo0vmYgB3bj1yklOz7k2Q9pHHfk0l5CmomDFAzjNmtvXRW2dqNijy-russ9h2s5hiMfiJmO_ZZd8/s1600/PICK.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhevccr5mIAvESfg2qhsuhNCmlsuNAW79k6IbzWbX7FMXa1fOLXEN3lcIkgn2HNHAuVjo0vmYgB3bj1yklOz7k2Q9pHHfk0l5CmomDFAzjNmtvXRW2dqNijy-russ9h2s5hiMfiJmO_ZZd8/s1600/PICK.JPG" height="213" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A good pic.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
I received a call from a friend during our first week in our
Bhutanese placement. She was in a rage. I calmly asked her what was wrong and
she proceeded to rant about the discipline happening in her school- children were
being beaten with bamboo sticks, fists, and having their ears pulled. I could
not believe what I was hearing and fortunately could not offer any advice since
none of this was evident at my school. We discussed for a long time and she
ended the conversation saying that she was going to keep track of the teachers
using these methods and try her best to make a change in her school. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
While I agreed that her situation was serious, my initial
reaction was that it’s not our place, as an outsider, to change the entire
system. I was hurt by what was happening, but I was not sure that influencing
others’ actions, culturally, was the right thing to do. Certainly I was not going
to beat in my own classroom, but I was not sure how much influence I could have
on the others. Additionally, because these students grew up on this system, I
did feel that they were more mentally and physically stronger and hence able to
deal with this type of punishment. That being said, no part of me agreed that
corporal punishment was having a positive impact on the students in the
longterm. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
A little while later I stood at the front of our daily
assembly. I have grown to truly enjoy this community experience. It always
begins the same way with our hands in prayer, followed by two students
presenting a speech, some announcements and the anthem. One particular day,
however, this calm, meditative experience was suddenly shattered when our
principal took a fist to a couple students’ heads. I brainstormed what they
could have done- killed someone, stolen money, poisoned a teacher. Of course
none of this seemed possible nor did even these actions warrant the principal’s
behaviour. I turned to the teacher beside me, “oh these two are not paying
attention,” and she started to chuckle. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Neither am I, I thought. For twenty minutes, you must stand
completely erect, hands by your side, facing the front every morning. You have
an itch? Scratch it quickly. Be subtle. The dogs are fighting beside you? Don’t
you dare turn your head. The hardest for me, is trying not to watch the birds
soaring in the valley below. Almost every morning they grace us with their
beautiful performance, but I must hold my attention on the assembly. An
impossible task for the antsy and fidgety type- AKA me. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Over the course of last year, I began to notice the corporal
punishment in the school and my anxiety, the inner conflict of how to react as
an outsider was compounding. It became increasingly clear that the concerns my
friend faced at her school, were very much embedded in our system as well. I want to emphasize that not every teacher at school beats, but many of them do. And many of them beat severely. The
advice I told myself in teachers college no longer seemed that easy. I’d walk
into class to find giant bamboo sticks hidden away in the corner:</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“For beating
Miss!” exclaimed the students excitedly. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i>I continue to throw the sticks out the window to the
applause by the students up until this day. </i><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmcvNwIcdjhCJFFxe3DSun7T2gCCqS4wyTrXLjwhpy9RlPW4FiZq_9Tbohxatvo1OVlniqJK9CYik3f4gPn_akpqJoPRQBZciFysAyUyohRzaPvvpMT-x3GEuMaKvmItI9q9wK36XNWfb9/s1600/IMG_3900.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmcvNwIcdjhCJFFxe3DSun7T2gCCqS4wyTrXLjwhpy9RlPW4FiZq_9Tbohxatvo1OVlniqJK9CYik3f4gPn_akpqJoPRQBZciFysAyUyohRzaPvvpMT-x3GEuMaKvmItI9q9wK36XNWfb9/s1600/IMG_3900.jpg" height="239" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Grade 7 test answer, Namgay Choden. </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
My concern grew as did my confusion about how the students
were really being affected by their punishments. How could a smack by a bamboo
stick across the back of your head warrant a big belly laugh by the students? It
seemed so contradictory to have this reaction in a Buddhist culture which so
much values selflessness and respect and sympathy for others. Certainly seeing
their friends being beaten would make them think twice about their behaviour.
And maybe it does. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The assumption I made halfway through last year was that students
were beaten because their behaviour was what Bhutanese teachers would deem as
“insufficient” and not conducive to creating a positive learning environment.
This did not justify their actions, but I could understand it, without
assimilating into that culture. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
One day last year, I was walking out the door of my grade 6
classroom, to an overwhelming, “Don’t leave Miss!” <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
They couldn’t possibly enjoy English class <i>that </i>much. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The roar from the students continued, “Don’t leave us Miss!”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
A student quickly explained that they would be receiving
their science tests back in the following class. For every wrong answer on
their test, they would be beaten by their teacher. This means, a student who
scores 18 out of 20 would still be beaten. Would still be mentally brainwashed
that they are “not good enough,” “that they don’t understand the concepts,” and
most of all “must do better than the last test.”<br />
<!--[if !supportLineBreakNewLine]--><br />
<!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
What they remember is not that they almost got perfect, but
that they were physically hurt by their teacher. They become fearful and anxious.
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The equation is obvious: study for your test, work hard, and
you will not be beaten. This is <i>easy. </i>The
teacher no longer has to <i>try. </i>They
don’t have to focus energy on creating a positive learning environment where
their students can learn and question their learning. They can simply motivate
through <i>fear. </i><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I can recognize this, but I cannot explain it effectively to
Bhutanese teachers. Nor do I truly feel that as an outsider, it would be
appropriate. Corporal punishment is so much embedded in the system that any
change seems unreasonable and far too ambitious for them. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizT0giatfVNvbuRaoVMCEON9RXElMJymtTXMjjyL2GMeycQyIchxklVL-nAKRQZ2i_LF3xxsSbDe5n9LQK37JFxHcs-fGkj859Vri1cVo6TW0xT3iBJG-queO4_OIY8XkrG_TTgUpWaAK5/s1600/IMG_3866.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizT0giatfVNvbuRaoVMCEON9RXElMJymtTXMjjyL2GMeycQyIchxklVL-nAKRQZ2i_LF3xxsSbDe5n9LQK37JFxHcs-fGkj859Vri1cVo6TW0xT3iBJG-queO4_OIY8XkrG_TTgUpWaAK5/s1600/IMG_3866.JPG" height="239" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Turning our classroom into the solar system. </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
I was fortunate to attend a workshop last year on “Educating
for Gross National Happiness.” I was beaming for most of the weekend with the
progressive ideas presented by the teachers, the new ways of teaching, which
emphasize cooperative and interactive learning. It was exciting and incredibly
motivating to be surrounded by engaged and active teachers. But my mind
continued to be drawn to the corporal punishment I had witnessed at school. Why
don’t we work on weeding that out of our system, before we can even discuss the
values of “gross national happiness?” These progressive ideas contradict the
fear that the students are so much experiencing every single day in almost
every single class. There was a giant paradox in trying to implement these
ideas in a system that is already so laden with authoritative practices. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I conducted a presentation on positive discipline techniques
upon arrival back at school from the workshop. I gave the teachers concrete
ways that they could implement these practices in their classrooms with the
resources we have available. We discussed the decision by the Bhutanese Ministry of
Education in 1997, which stated corporal punishment should not be used in
schools. We discussed the 2008 resolution to ban corporal punishment. I
emphasized the importance of positive discipline and admitted that it will take
many years before these practices can be implemented effectively. Students will
take time to adapt and change their behaviour in response to that system. Most
of all, I made a significant effort to be understanding and not condescending
in how I presented the material. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The response by the teachers was concerning. Many responded
with lines such as, “but you don’t understand miss, this is how it has always
been. This is how we do things here.” <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Yes, that is true. But why not <i>begin</i> to make small changes
and start somewhere? <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I committed myself after this presentation and the workshop
to doing exactly this. I decided to simply focus on what I was doing in my own
classroom and not let the thoughts of other teachers get to me. Most of all, not to become <i>weak</i> mentally in my own classroom due to
the contrast in the teaching philosophies of those around me. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The day after my presentation, I was surprised to see two of
my students prostrating to our “goddess of wisdom” statue outside the school
for an entire 45 minute period. I asked them why they felt the need to do that.
Instead of being beaten the students were told to prostrate- to now associate
religion as a form of discipline. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Progress, I thought. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
My biggest challenge last year was with my rowdy, to say the
least, grade 4 class. Students who would jump through the window, cut
eachothers’ hair, swallow pen ink, and sucker punch their elbow buddy. These
students in particular were so conditioned to a system of corporal punishment
that any stray from that was simply an outlet for them to act out- mostly in a
negative way. Positive discipline techniques, where students were rewarded for
positive behaviour, where students recognized what they did wrong, were way
beyond their limit. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
But we worked at it. And we had lots of stickers. And
students rewarded eachother with a big “thuuuumbs up” when someone did something
positive in class. And we had circle discussions on ways to “make our class
nicer, to be kinder to eachother.” And we created classroom rules. And we wrote
constructive letters to improve our behaviour the next day. And I sent students
on short runs during class to get rid of their energy so they could focus in
class. And Miss Sarah continued to pull out her hair after class, because the
progress was so small. But we continued to work. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Until one day I walked in with a giant meter stick to
measure the board at the back and the students grew silent. They were
conditioned to see a stick and think “<i>beating</i>.”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
This would be <i>easy </i>I
thought. I don’t have to even <i>beat </i>I
just have to put this stick on my desk. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
But that’s not why I was here. I came to do what I could in
my own class, to bring in new ways, and try to build a community, build a <i>family </i>in my class to steer away from
this corporal punishment. To give these students the opportunity to recognize <i>why </i>what they did was wrong and do <i>better</i> the next day. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I continue with this battle. I am not an experienced
teacher, but I am motivated and I am creative. I can come up with strategies
the morning of, but implementing them in this rigid, corporal punishment system
is my challenge. <o:p></o:p></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjy9uAKoFVeJTvSyuuQB2XdpF7YWfhDgqZaC7QqOEhkaonx22XSFc6DtngLV3dJrEtsaxnQGZEUcHkYKF_4mgR9mrrnXkmXHOBTZd5emq1ZGBmn4X8Rm2bg4D256IzYio3vXZTy2oB9XTEq/s1600/IMG_3901.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjy9uAKoFVeJTvSyuuQB2XdpF7YWfhDgqZaC7QqOEhkaonx22XSFc6DtngLV3dJrEtsaxnQGZEUcHkYKF_4mgR9mrrnXkmXHOBTZd5emq1ZGBmn4X8Rm2bg4D256IzYio3vXZTy2oB9XTEq/s1600/IMG_3901.jpg" height="239" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Grade 7 Test answer, Tshering Dendup. </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Last week I walked up to a class with a class 8 student who
works on my school newspaper. He’s a rowdy boy, but he is one of the more
well-read and open-minded students I have met. I have grown to really admire
him. He asked me on our walk which class I was going to and if these students
were “naughty.”<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“In fact, they do seem to be a bit more naughty than last
year. But I think it’s because there are 40 of them now in that tiny little
room,” I responded. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Miss is beating?” I was shocked at his question. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Oh no. Not me. Do you think beating is good, Jigme?” I
asked.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“I think sometimes. Sometimes students have to be beat. But
other students can learn when teacher advises them. But advice doesn’t always
work.”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I thought for a moment. I think Jigme nailed the current
challenges of this. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
And so I continue to have to hope. I continue to gain
strength in my own classroom, to recognize the growth in how the students respond
to positive discipline. Most of all, to make my students realize their growth.
I work against every grain to make my students comfortable enough that they can
express their thoughts and speak without that constant fear and anxiety of that
damn stick. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I walked into my 7B class the other day. I whispered to
them, “I have a secret for you.”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“What!” whispered the class.</div>
<o:p></o:p><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“I care about each and every one of you,” I whispered. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“That’s not a secret miss. We <i>know</i> that,” said Choney in the
back. <o:p></o:p></div>
<!--EndFragment--></div>
Sarah Diamondhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11402826054150568070noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6540500373048826629.post-29466836346354784292014-03-30T05:23:00.000-07:002014-03-30T05:56:25.135-07:00"Next year is an auspicious year to tear down houses."<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<br />
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I heard a loud knock on the door. It was 6:30 am on a school
day last October. I had woken up a mere 5 minutes before. My hair was a bird’s
nest of fun. My Bhutanese housemate was passed out on her stomach in bed as I
crept through her room to get to the door.<o:p></o:p></div>
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I opened the door to see my landlord standing in our garden. <br />
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“Good mooooorning Miss Sarah!” he was almost singing. <o:p></o:p></div>
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“Goood mooooorning Sir!! Great to see you!” <o:p></o:p></div>
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(Who was I kidding?)<o:p></o:p></div>
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“Next year is an auspicious year to tear down houses. If I
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<br /></div>
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“And where should I live?” I asked. Is next year also an auspicious
year to be homeless? <o:p></o:p></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVr3WiSlbbpAUtR6yl0gtJODds1lWzQ9VEME4_PnA1ZGBE7xHJ1RrJJfssCIyWbOsf6qJeDIOLxGbwG4a9qLK-8FTmXIqnG3yQGZZFBQSu6tWpxuzXUKFLmEkiQe_tiejoFG-ePUYsPgQR/s1600/IMG_2225.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVr3WiSlbbpAUtR6yl0gtJODds1lWzQ9VEME4_PnA1ZGBE7xHJ1RrJJfssCIyWbOsf6qJeDIOLxGbwG4a9qLK-8FTmXIqnG3yQGZZFBQSu6tWpxuzXUKFLmEkiQe_tiejoFG-ePUYsPgQR/s1600/IMG_2225.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My new bathroom!</td></tr>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhTAOTdWv6RwZfDsI1xhC_s2WTgeoA0IFGM_TTunJou8YNLHdEaz0BbCXxTDWs9uAVdNgpojgmXUYSblyVDe9iaPVQPSDac003lDjNoUttls66lihDV3J8Zx_Uwp346KqVyweQD_Rc_071/s1600/IMG_2215.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhTAOTdWv6RwZfDsI1xhC_s2WTgeoA0IFGM_TTunJou8YNLHdEaz0BbCXxTDWs9uAVdNgpojgmXUYSblyVDe9iaPVQPSDac003lDjNoUttls66lihDV3J8Zx_Uwp346KqVyweQD_Rc_071/s1600/IMG_2215.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bedroom in my new house.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Houses in my area dotted the mountainous landscape but were
few in number and already housed a combination of shop owners, schoolteachers,
and staff employed in the national park directly across from my school. I could
look out my window and see almost all of the houses. And could name all of the
people who occupied them. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Do not worry Miss! I will build you a temporary shack to
live in.”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“So don’t worry Sarah,” I thought. I reflected on the last 8
months I had spent scraping mold off the ceiling of this house in monsoon
season, mopping up the floor every time it rained because half of our roof was
merely a pile of thin wood planks, and going to sleep to rat concerts every night. I would do laundry every Sunday to find almost all of my clothes
eaten by rats so later tightly sealed buckets filled our house, protecting our
clothes from those sneaky little rodents. We only had indoor plumbing in our
bathroom, so all kitchen chores were completed outside in our outdoor tap.
During monsoon season, we filled up buckets to bring inside or used the small
tap in the bathroom and listened to the rain pound on the makeshift tin roof that was
added so our toilet would be "inside." In fact I distinctly remember walking into
my grade 5 class in March and the boy in front row piping up, “Oh miss! You
moved into my house from last year! We moved because our roof blew off!”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I
smiled and continued with the lesson. <br />
<!--[if !supportLineBreakNewLine]--><br />
<!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDTKv0lay90Pe8X_gCPvh8WypGvfwFVkYDWLv-ehw_YdniZ7WT2P7Le8FgPtLjvBQKSsgVL-QwiI7Xt0jCLZgcu0MyCpbAcgX3fFhP7bdaSgXDz6ptxq7p3kHZ42-ZsGFdaIkUsQUut_A2/s1600/IMG_2224.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDTKv0lay90Pe8X_gCPvh8WypGvfwFVkYDWLv-ehw_YdniZ7WT2P7Le8FgPtLjvBQKSsgVL-QwiI7Xt0jCLZgcu0MyCpbAcgX3fFhP7bdaSgXDz6ptxq7p3kHZ42-ZsGFdaIkUsQUut_A2/s1600/IMG_2224.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My toilet!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
For whatever reason, I actually began to find this place
really quite endearing in the spring and summer. It was peaceful, my bedroom
looked right out onto a picturesque Himalayan valley, and my newly adopted
grandmother, or angay, would drop off fresh vegetables to my door every now and
then. Would “a temporary shack” be better or worse?<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I lived with a Bhutanese girl last year who kept me more
sane and became a very close companion. We would spend our evenings huddled
around our heater laughing our guts out, reflecting on the day, and talking of
cultural differences between Canada and Bhutan, with Hindi or Dzongkha music
crooning in the background. She was a couple years younger than I and was used
to a slightly more luxurious life in the Bhutanese capital. When the rat
concerts became less thrilling for her, she would bring her mattress into my room and
sleep right by my bed for protection. I didn't mind her company. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg00zs9GjHZcSHHtAI-JLkWHSnz5xdLCs4ojRz7rUs2ys6zTMgRxoOKfs_whRwkNHhz0aW13zW16WNlAnFGJc4_0WVZA2-kUEZFhULJrOO3hizDMzZLCZnqqJhifEOU-wkeMurKNpGfymah/s1600/IMG_2213.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg00zs9GjHZcSHHtAI-JLkWHSnz5xdLCs4ojRz7rUs2ys6zTMgRxoOKfs_whRwkNHhz0aW13zW16WNlAnFGJc4_0WVZA2-kUEZFhULJrOO3hizDMzZLCZnqqJhifEOU-wkeMurKNpGfymah/s1600/IMG_2213.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cow food! Yumm yumm</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
After picturing what my “temporary shack” could look like, I
“shifted” houses on my final weekend last year in December. Four cooks from
school showed up at my door, strapped my bed to their back with rope, picked up
my few belongings and marched down the road to a concrete house directly across
from my school. I’m now living on the ground floor of a big house in a small
two-bedroom apartment surrounded by teachers, their families, park staff, and a
tiger chaser next door. “Tap tap” the cooks knocked on my bedroom window that
faced the valley below, “boys come visit at night sarah. Tap tap.” I chuckled
it off, slightly questioning if the historical act of “night hunting,” a
terrifying way of finding a spouse, still existed here in my community.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="text-align: center;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="text-align: center;"> -------</span></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdJyhYbEWV23LivP-ZSYLEtPbCHEEAPd_ZSXK2rw61pvpBaHCnvpVXXqfvQWoo0-5hTpd6Fc5NPbkdki7JKgWppCIw_Ot_cLUfawranHUyOpoAEem1AUfWTJClLbuIpg8juvaafk-vr4_R/s1600/IMG_2223.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdJyhYbEWV23LivP-ZSYLEtPbCHEEAPd_ZSXK2rw61pvpBaHCnvpVXXqfvQWoo0-5hTpd6Fc5NPbkdki7JKgWppCIw_Ot_cLUfawranHUyOpoAEem1AUfWTJClLbuIpg8juvaafk-vr4_R/s1600/IMG_2223.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My hot water source. Used for instant coffee, <br />
laundry, showers, and everything in between.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I usually get home from school at about 4:00 after making
the three minute hike down the mountain from the staffroom. I wash dishes piled up
from breakfast and lunch quickly then either make some tea or head
to my friend’s to have tea with her family upstairs. Any remaining food scraps
I put into a bowl and stand outside screaming “Kaaarma.” Karma, my old student,
runs up the mountain, takes the vegetables, and gives them to his mother who
magically turns it into mush for her cows. (my brilliant way of keeping the
cows full so they don’t wake me up with their, “moooooo!!” at midnight from
hunger.) Now I am ready to go for a walk with teachers at school. We walk or
run about 3 km to a local holy water well on the side of the mountain. “If you drink
from here, your voice will be the most beautiful,” said my friend. If you drink
from here, you will get stomach pains for the rest of the week, I thought,
gulping down the water. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj12ovFsVUp8zpkxbCtErn6G83egkac3hOxyFs5ks0vRST4NnFfsnrDSMcy-qMR_8V98urQfPn_AWP4hTje5ly2u1B4A_6MSV3iztbUm-QogvsDUFxlgMo3HCY-fugmQjd7qZEf3P94GCCd/s1600/IMG_2211.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj12ovFsVUp8zpkxbCtErn6G83egkac3hOxyFs5ks0vRST4NnFfsnrDSMcy-qMR_8V98urQfPn_AWP4hTje5ly2u1B4A_6MSV3iztbUm-QogvsDUFxlgMo3HCY-fugmQjd7qZEf3P94GCCd/s1600/IMG_2211.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Look at that <i>cute </i>little kitchen!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Around 6pm I light my gas stove, chop veggies, wash rice to
put in my cute little rice cooker, and prepare a vegetable curry. If I happen
to be out of vegetables, I put on my gumboots, grab my flashlight, and steal
some spinach from tiger chaser’s garden. I usually eat dinner by about 730 either alone
or with my friend who lives upstairs. I’ll bring my rice and we’ll share
curries. Due to my heavy course load this year, I tend to be up until about ten
planning and in bed to read or watch my guilty addiction to Gilmore Girls until
eleven. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgckMrf1f9NP48gk_qUsOs4MslHHWwwxkX-LE_vBtJIzbLzuUDF1cmyC1tzuuRhssehXyU-AawqGMupgocBC5f7F5mmNdYkUjoEe2NPidasLaAA9BLIGqyw9vhF9Wb09MYeFTY_KGarshwT/s1600/IMG_2212.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgckMrf1f9NP48gk_qUsOs4MslHHWwwxkX-LE_vBtJIzbLzuUDF1cmyC1tzuuRhssehXyU-AawqGMupgocBC5f7F5mmNdYkUjoEe2NPidasLaAA9BLIGqyw9vhF9Wb09MYeFTY_KGarshwT/s1600/IMG_2212.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Gas stove. "You should not light. <br />
You <i>will </i>explode the house," said a teacher when he moved me in.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpmlawnty1sjrJf7nMNBo2jJdhulicTRmUdLluJc04-87vNkykNlo7n3ZsPgH-pm01C9bTygm_1c9hhWDxPcHOE5mEvQsV5oo9elv5O5_yg5kWq7YYL8scsu5sR807o9lmU_aPijs00h-E/s1600/IMG_2214.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpmlawnty1sjrJf7nMNBo2jJdhulicTRmUdLluJc04-87vNkykNlo7n3ZsPgH-pm01C9bTygm_1c9hhWDxPcHOE5mEvQsV5oo9elv5O5_yg5kWq7YYL8scsu5sR807o9lmU_aPijs00h-E/s1600/IMG_2214.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My refrigerator! Yumm yumm</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
I wake up naturally with the sun around 6 but doze in my bed
until 6:50 am at which point an electronic british lady exclaims, “it is 6:50,
it is now 6:50 tiiiiime to get up.” I have successfully mastered multi-tasking,
a skill that has taken me at least a decade to accomplish. Here goes my morning
routine. I dash to my bathroom, fill my 3L water heater, and plug it in. If we
do not have electricity, I fill a big pot of water and put it on the stove. While
the water is boiling, I wash one cup of rice with my <i>indoor plumbing</i> and kitchen
sink, and put on the rice cooker. I chop one tomato, onion, spinach, and fry
two eggs. After the rice goes “ding!” I add it to the veggies for my fried rice
breakfast and wait for my water to boil to make my instant Nescafe, praying
every morning, for Starbucks coffee. I
strip down, pour the remaining boiled water in my bucket and mix with cold
water for my bucket (fucket) shower. Water takes about half an hour to boil, so
I usually have enough for about half a bucket of water for my morning shower. I
alternate mornings of soaping my body, or shampooing and conditioning my hair
every morning. On Sundays I can take a full body <i>and</i> hair shower when I have an
hour to heat up water. I get out of my shower, hear the school bell ring,
signifying the start of yard cleaning for the students, giving me exactly
twenty minutes to dress and run out the door, up the mountain, to school. <o:p></o:p></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWr8FCXMZwSBvIzJfkTmQyqfHi0p2YYAHnwGJklt3fITlPlMFTjh0Tbqye6G-jbw42_Tpt4VqreqtYAHWXQNaiHJujJTh_wvM6JgRY24ANdDRDJzwKRySZlVRuqW03oCw4Ikk9iKXTTO0b/s1600/IMG_2233.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWr8FCXMZwSBvIzJfkTmQyqfHi0p2YYAHnwGJklt3fITlPlMFTjh0Tbqye6G-jbw42_Tpt4VqreqtYAHWXQNaiHJujJTh_wvM6JgRY24ANdDRDJzwKRySZlVRuqW03oCw4Ikk9iKXTTO0b/s1600/IMG_2233.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The bucket shower. </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The school week runs from Monday to Saturday at lunch. The
closest vegetable and fruit market is in the nearest town a 45 minute drive
away. <i>So</i>, after lunch on Saturdays, usually consisting of leftover fried rice
from breakfast, I will wait patiently and charmingly on the side of the east-west high way
outside my house for a nice driver to pick me up and drop me off in town. It
can take anywhere from 10 minutes to 1 hour. Sometimes I try to look desperate
and starving, so drivers will be more likely to pick up this foreigner in
desperate need of apples and cauliflower. Because I do not have a fridge, I
have to go about once a week for produce. For my sanity, I pick up a little
chocolate and disgustingly sweet Indian wine in town too.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioNb4adYDXRH8SiNQ4QcsmFVioJ9SkFq2pnP96zADluVI7Tk9sTDa_TPiAF3e_Pg_rKhc7b1vsKd5GykyVnPgsi2RkU7frvwSBn1JKG_aW68Ehh6-0SuW2oTodwi_OLRvqX4ztHaS1n6VK/s1600/IMG_2227.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioNb4adYDXRH8SiNQ4QcsmFVioJ9SkFq2pnP96zADluVI7Tk9sTDa_TPiAF3e_Pg_rKhc7b1vsKd5GykyVnPgsi2RkU7frvwSBn1JKG_aW68Ehh6-0SuW2oTodwi_OLRvqX4ztHaS1n6VK/s1600/IMG_2227.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Living room in my new house.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Sundays are usually spent enjoying sleeping in. I <i>really
</i>like coffee. In Bhutan, I mostly enjoy the <i>act</i> of drinking the coffee, versus
the actual coffee itself. I like taking my time to sip my coffee. Sunday mornings
give me the time to do this and enjoy fresh French toast, with the bread I get
from town the day before. A plate of French toast has also proven to be a good
bribery method for my neighbour to burn all my garbage, since I tend to light
the garbage, and then get distracted. It would be just <i>terrible</i> if the foreign
teacher caused a massive forest fire wouldn’t it? By noon I usually complete my
laundry for the week. I soak it in soap in my bucket for about an hour, rub it
to bits on the rock outside my house, squuuuueeeeze out the soap, and hang to
dry as I contemplate that wool was the stupidest material I could have possibly
brought to Bhutan. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8RhZQjiq_JCtDx7yx1oUujRUu5G8LH7qBnZ738xABh5LiCjgzLyu1_RAC9xpOU1Y-5RQ6yAZ3aR8OqP-xjSnkV4xfJq44351KXoY1SzuGc9J4Y6J-0brChJ7XtSmXLi0nosoyDbXNDxFF/s1600/IMG_2238.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8RhZQjiq_JCtDx7yx1oUujRUu5G8LH7qBnZ738xABh5LiCjgzLyu1_RAC9xpOU1Y-5RQ6yAZ3aR8OqP-xjSnkV4xfJq44351KXoY1SzuGc9J4Y6J-0brChJ7XtSmXLi0nosoyDbXNDxFF/s1600/IMG_2238.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cooking curry most likely. </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCv_7SFPPmYJ3dYJ126d5ExX4T54b5mLfPxbutosL1Vq59v5CCcFoxBW8OaPEI-muDh90x7TaAggW8UcQpvVv7Hm8H6-ArXXuVPcD6orozxwGJAgInOGANTX72AFeQE4ado6p90_pG4_NZ/s1600/IMG_2241.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCv_7SFPPmYJ3dYJ126d5ExX4T54b5mLfPxbutosL1Vq59v5CCcFoxBW8OaPEI-muDh90x7TaAggW8UcQpvVv7Hm8H6-ArXXuVPcD6orozxwGJAgInOGANTX72AFeQE4ado6p90_pG4_NZ/s1600/IMG_2241.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My one heat source. If there's no power, you freeze.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiP_R9v2zxVnEcdwGD0AQGOEnnbyLwQy8Yl0_Nelx5ZHSqY-P3Y03plgbGRmyz6jgU-aEEst3evbI7S5oI5hvsN4eB-RAiyB_y5jAh_60Jk1LLCED2AuDnR8Vnph2kmWGynYWPgrzpdExJ5/s1600/IMG_2199.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiP_R9v2zxVnEcdwGD0AQGOEnnbyLwQy8Yl0_Nelx5ZHSqY-P3Y03plgbGRmyz6jgU-aEEst3evbI7S5oI5hvsN4eB-RAiyB_y5jAh_60Jk1LLCED2AuDnR8Vnph2kmWGynYWPgrzpdExJ5/s1600/IMG_2199.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
Laundry day!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
There’s something ever so satisfying about putting effort
into everyday basic activities that I take for absolute granted back home. I
love that I <i>make</i> my shower and literally <i>wash </i>my laundry. I love that I know which garden everything in my kitchen comes from. I go to sleep on Sundays feeling satisfied. Thinking back to my life I know all too well and that I left back home, and how I’ve adapted to this completely foreign simplistic new life in ways I never thought imaginable, bring a smile to my face. Some days I do long for my fancy espressos and hot showers, but this is how I have chosen to live. I strongly believe that anyone can live anywhere. And that’s pretty cool to be able to slide right into another life just like that last piece of a puzzle. And so here I sit on my mat outside my house, gazing out into the himalayas, watching my bucket laundry dry, as I slip into this alternate, beautifully seductive world. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<i></i></div>
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<br />
<o:p></o:p><br />
<!--EndFragment--><br />
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</div>
</div>
Sarah Diamondhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11402826054150568070noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6540500373048826629.post-63675274911389813042014-03-18T07:54:00.000-07:002014-03-18T18:21:29.461-07:00Ms. Gold wants her sushi, please.<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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I walked into my grade 7B class. This is a class all of
newcomer students from surrounding remote villages. 40 students to be exact. “Gooooooood
morning Miss!” they belted out as they stood up. <br />
<br />
“How are we feeling today?!” I asked. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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When asked this question, Bhutanese students and teachers
alike always respond with the standard “I. AM. FINE. MISS.” Last week we
discussed alternative adjectives they could use and if they weren’t feeling comfortable,
they could simply give me a thumbs-up (yeah I’m feeling great!), thumbs to the
side (meh, things could be better) or thumbs down (GET ME OUT OF THIS SCHOOL.).
<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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So I walked in the other day to shouts of “AWESOME!” and “SO
EXCITED MISS” and “ISHHHHHH.” (Which was a great addition to “thumbs to the
side”). <o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHovNCIbT6pAOdWE02SII7JoTEmXlvY8JoFaHxUkbxsDtX_abKZ3yLKNIMDCDjlXA0iMYgESlmQ-UV-e7mOQ0T87uaWjQCrhHvPKFm6pF2UQCAu8oNXf7i-3Ryr8tZSholmYli2QOIrvlM/s1600/IMG_1797.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHovNCIbT6pAOdWE02SII7JoTEmXlvY8JoFaHxUkbxsDtX_abKZ3yLKNIMDCDjlXA0iMYgESlmQ-UV-e7mOQ0T87uaWjQCrhHvPKFm6pF2UQCAu8oNXf7i-3Ryr8tZSholmYli2QOIrvlM/s1600/IMG_1797.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a>I have fallen a bit too in love with this particular class.
They are bursting with good, positive energy, and seem to be overjoyed
constantly about a foreign teacher, “chillup” in their class. Something happens
between class 6 and 8 where girls in Bhutan suddenly go quiet. I find it incredibly
concerning. I perceive these students, especially the girls, sitting in class
so shy and anxious to open their mouths, praying they are thinking the right
answer that they become (on the surface) shut out from everyone surrounding
them. I partially believe it is an effect of the rigid education system here
that all too often inhibits class discussion and encourages only right answers,
without learning from mistakes. I consistently tell my girls to continue being
opinionated, to think critically about the material being presented, and most of
all to laugh and <i>enjoy. </i>I find myself
doing this especially in this class. I pray they will continue to be as
outspoken and opinionated and genuinely funny. I hope they never change. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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I put March 11 on the board. A girl at the back quickly
insisted that it was march 10, it couldn’t possibly be March 10. “I agree” said
a boy beside her. Soon enough the whole 40 person class decided it HAD to be
March 10. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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“Nope, I really think it’s March 11 everyone. I will check
the computer,” I said, now really questioning the date. Sure enough….<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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“I think I should get a prize. I just won against 40 of
you!” I said, pretty impressed with myself. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The class burst into a huge applause. I took a few bows at
the front of the classroom. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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A boy at the back suddenly turned to the girl beside him, “so
what happened to March 10?”<o:p></o:p></div>
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to the girl's response, “I ATE it.”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
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I didn't even know what that <i>meant </i>but I could not control
my laughter neither could the rest of the class. Neither could the girl who
said it. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDXyM3KFo7y2UWy2mzDQX4Yvj2bqNrfUckYS4uLii-hSQgeCvvcyIH-BnCUk42glQDKHykKkucE-QfKRz_7qGqfIUJbuMElvMDEKdCo0EpubqQD1Vq19FYrTja3p7Popw9Hn5Nm4wz33g1/s1600/IMG_1490.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDXyM3KFo7y2UWy2mzDQX4Yvj2bqNrfUckYS4uLii-hSQgeCvvcyIH-BnCUk42glQDKHykKkucE-QfKRz_7qGqfIUJbuMElvMDEKdCo0EpubqQD1Vq19FYrTja3p7Popw9Hn5Nm4wz33g1/s1600/IMG_1490.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a>“What does March 10 <i>taste</i> like? Does it taste really good?”
I asked. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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A few minutes later we reviewed the definition of a metaphor
versus a simile. Students were asked to come up with a list of interesting
nouns in a minute. They were then asked to share these with their partner and compare
them using “like” or “as” with an explanation. The following are a few of their answers:<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Miss Sarah is like a parrot! Because she talks so much english
like parrot!”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #2a313d; mso-fareast-language: JA;">"Miss
Sarah Gold is like {insert hindi cartoon character}":<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #2a313d; mso-fareast-language: JA;">"Sonam,
what is my name?"<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #2a313d; mso-fareast-language: JA;">"Your
name is Miss Sarah Diamond. We thought gold was more fancy. Same like Diamond
though. It's our own words."<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #2a313d; mso-fareast-language: JA;">"Oh
i like that! that's great! now explain why i am a cartoon character."<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #2a313d; mso-fareast-language: JA;">"Miss
sarah diamond you are sooooooo crazy. always moving arms. like {insert hindi
cartoon character}"</span><o:p></o:p></div>
<div style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border: none; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid windowtext .75pt; mso-element: para-border-div; padding: 0cm 0cm 1.0pt 0cm;">
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; padding: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<o:p>--------</o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid windowtext .75pt; mso-padding-alt: 0cm 0cm 1.0pt 0cm; padding: 0cm;">
<o:p><br /></o:p></div>
</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjtTA3ncGxrcS8wOXWv4ZT7TUntffgaOnpZC4SSVxzyX7rDp_hESxq-noAziQOg4FaLmDF-kEoAW8mOx3zacNR76qvAhtLxswPP_tUozj_-nsHoo2Ea874Rry_1UkBFmTkMxaaA7ZP42To/s1600/IMG_1775.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjtTA3ncGxrcS8wOXWv4ZT7TUntffgaOnpZC4SSVxzyX7rDp_hESxq-noAziQOg4FaLmDF-kEoAW8mOx3zacNR76qvAhtLxswPP_tUozj_-nsHoo2Ea874Rry_1UkBFmTkMxaaA7ZP42To/s1600/IMG_1775.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a>Weekends in Bhutan last from about Saturday at noon (if
you’re lucky) to Sunday. Yesterday we had a staff meeting for about 3 hours,
which the principal was good about speaking in English for the first ten minutes of.
I am as incompetent as my students think in picking up the local language. Over
a year here and all that makes up my Dzongkha vocabulary is, “good morning,
good evening, how are you? Elephant, frog, and leech.” If I meet a leech on the
road, we’d have a pretty good conversation, but that’s about it. But what’s
absolutely <i>fabulous </i>about Dzongkha is
that those who speak it drop English words left, right, and centre. I call it
“Dzonglish.” I would imagine this has developed from the influx of tourists
since the 1960s. This makes me able to follow about 3% of conversations. This
particular staff meeting was about improving English standards (writing,
speaking, listening, and reading) in our school, which I felt very strongly
about and had recognized needs across all of these areas through last year. But
the meeting was all in Dzongkha. I couldn’t believe it, but I also felt that
blurting out, “why don’t we begin improving English by speaking in English?”
would be ever so slightly harsh. After contributing some new project ideas to
the discussion where I thought appropriate, I found my mind wandering to sushi.
We had been sitting in the staffroom for about three hours over lunch, without
lunch, and for the life of me I couldn’t think of anything but <i>sushi</i>. Even at
the most inopportune times when teachers were discussing malnourishment in the
school and the cuts to funding by the World Food Program, my completely
self-absorbed, selfish mind could just picture sushi. I <i>had </i>to have it. At least I was probably smiling the whole meeting. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I’ve become good friends with a young man who lives in my
same housing complex. I was initially drawn to him because his hair was more
than one centimeter in length, which is longer than any other man I had seen in
Bhutan. Not only was it more than one centimeter, it was actually passed his
shoulders! A rebel no doubt. Since then, he has cut it, but he continues to
wear his own hand knitted hats and those his grandmother makes for him, so I
have to ask him every now and then to remove his hat to see how much hair he is
really hiding under there. Dorji speaks very limited English but I find his
hippie character very endearing. Nothing romantic between us, just a good
friend. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I saw him after the staff meeting and asked if he would like
to join me for a walk to our local monestary. I’d never really asked him about
his life. For whatever reason I wasn’t interested and I simply just enjoyed walking,
playing cards, and laughing about whatever in his company. Yesterday, however,
I was suddenly genuinely curious. It took us about twenty minutes, but
eventually he said that he had left school at class 1 to become a cowboy. “Damn,
you could rock a cowboy hat.” I thought. Of course, what he meant was that as
an only child he had to help his parents look after the family’s cows. He did
this until he was 15 at which point he moved from remote southern Bhutan to the
country’s capital and was accepted as a class 10 student, because of his age. This
part seemed fuzzy, since in the remote areas age is not a factor in getting
into school late. If you are 14 and have only completed class 2, you will be 14
in class 3- end of story. The students in my classes don’t seem to notice the
age differences, which is a beautiful thought compared to how students would
treat teenagers in elementary schools back home. It really warms my heart.
Anyways, after class 10, Dorji left for the mountains in Nepal to be trained as
a sculptor and was then hired at our local monestary as a sculpting teacher. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMee_wgXGUNmjYtckrDb26lH1Cr1HHW8esH8hhrjG3wv8WoeNWPSf2kSGD_Z4fz52tgEgLooQfRt_WUbS3NqksSrIyjFA3kZvLkVk9gYAZb2t0v_YVu3r6yzWwn7NXuojM_zJ7XwT_HWHN/s1600/DSCF0477.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMee_wgXGUNmjYtckrDb26lH1Cr1HHW8esH8hhrjG3wv8WoeNWPSf2kSGD_Z4fz52tgEgLooQfRt_WUbS3NqksSrIyjFA3kZvLkVk9gYAZb2t0v_YVu3r6yzWwn7NXuojM_zJ7XwT_HWHN/s1600/DSCF0477.jpg" height="213" width="320" /></a><o:p> </o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I had been interested to see Dorji’s classroom for a long
time and decided to stop by on our walk. It was about the size of my bedroom
located just below the monestary. Clay sculptures filled the tables with
pictures of Rimpoches and impeccably postured Buddhas. A monk dashed in and
handed me a clump of clay as if to say, “give it a go! Make the knee-tall
Buddha like the one staring us in the eye across the room.” Dorji put the clay
in a bag and hurried me out the door before I could attempt the intricately
carved Buddha. Phew! We walked a short distance and stood on a rock protruding
from the mountain side, overlooking a small village in the valley below.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
This seems to be where walks with friends typically stop.
The simple act of being so immersed in nature while simultaneously being
surrounded by civilization, is a very refreshing feeling. I could see miles of valley
and mountains below me and monks who dotted the tree covered landscape on
either side. Trucks flew by behind me, delivering various goods to the nearest
town, but I was totally at peace. I’ve never found it easy to fully bring myself to
meditation but I consider this act of gazing out into our natural
environment meditation within itself. I let out a deep breath, looked to the
spot on the mountain in the distance that was my home, and headed back. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<!--EndFragment--></div>
Sarah Diamondhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11402826054150568070noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6540500373048826629.post-86026887564337660432014-03-10T05:41:00.002-07:002014-03-10T08:49:30.119-07:00"Don't mind the driver, he keeps sleeping, but I'll keep him awake"<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">View from the Haa Valley, western Bhutan. </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
I hopped onto a makeshift seat in a beat-up old van. This
was the first ride that had come in about one hour of waiting outside Trongsa
town- the closest village (22 km from me, 45 min drive on rough road). You can
easily get a hitchhike from my village into town, where the closest market
exists, but getting out? Hahaha. Beside me sat a woman probably around my age,
a recent high school graduate in the front, and the sleeping driver. The
graduate turned around, “don’t mind him in back, he’s our father. He’s been
drinking since 4 am when we left Mongar. He’ll go to sleep.” (Mongar is approximately an 8 hour drive from Trongsa). I turned my head
to see an older farmer grinning cheek to cheek behind me. I couldn’t help but
stare at this alcohol-induced smile. It was <i>fantastic</i>.
I flashed a smile back then glanced down at a recent text message I had sent to a friend about the ride I
had taken to Trongsa earlier that morning:<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<i>Just got a hitchhike with a guy who ten min in called tourists
“terrorists” and said the nickname of ….’s husband is ‘hitler’. Then he told me
all about the farmers in my village whose faces were mangled from leopard
attacks. And he seemed so damn normal at the start!”<o:p></o:p></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i>Anything</i> would be
better than that initial ride. But maybe not half as interesting. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“So how do you plan on keeping the driver awake?” I asked
the graduate.<br />
<br />
“He looks awake, no? I just tap his shoulder, you’ll be fine. Bahaha.”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
And so we went. At points, I actually thought the car was
going to fall asleep along with the farmer in the back. And the driver. I
glanced to the sheer mountain drop on my left to see how far I would fall if
the car did start snoozing away. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“So you’re a spinster?” asked the graduate.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Haha. “How old do you think I am?” I replied. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“I guess 23.” (not bad.)<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Almost. 25. So that makes me a spinster?” <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“You are 25. You are not married? Yes, you are a spinster. Bahaha”
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I’ll take that. I remembered the car rides last year where I
told men I was married and my six children were back in Canada. Eventually one
of these days, it would come back to me. I’d take the same ride with the same
guy and bam! get caught for all my fibbing. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Window faces. </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The calm bumpy drive quickly turned into an interrogation by
the graduate in the front, who’s charm ended 20 minutes in. “Where you from?
Our city equivalent to your village? Bahahaha. You like teaching? I would hate
to be a teacher. Our students are terrible? Why you live in Tshangkha? You must
miss your family. Bahaha. You travel alone? Do you have friends here? You are
eating Bhutanese food? Do you cook? Bahaha.” If he didn’t laugh so much he
could’ve easily added fourteen more questions in. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“You eat food?”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Yes, I eat food! Do I look hungry?”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“I hear in Australia and Canada you don’t eat food?”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I learned quickly into my first year that “food” translates
into “rice.” But it cracks me up every time, so I go along with it. “Oh my
goooodness I’m staaaaarving, I haven’t had food for days” (as I jokingly keel
over about to faint and die.). The Bhutanese have a great sense of humour and I
think this particular confusion could be our favourite joke at school. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
When the car finally stopped at my house, I shook the graduate’s
hand and gave the family a bunch of broccoli- the only thing I could offer that
wasn’t buried in the depths of my knapsack. The sister of course stuffed it right
in my bag, shaking her head, as if to say, “very kind of you, but unnecessary.”
After putting it on her lap about three more times, I finally handed it to the graduate
who took it excitedly. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Bahahaa” I thought. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
---------<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
This ride took place during our local holiday of Domche. A
festival lasting for four days during which family and friends would gather at
the local Dzong (parliament buildings) to watch mask dancing and enjoy the
music. The purpose of this festival is to rid us of our sins and prepare us for
death (how ironic). After spending almost every long weekend last year
traveling, I made the decision to stay in my village this weekend. Simply put,
I was exhausted from the week. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Grade 6 girls giggling away. </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
School in Bhutan begins about mid-F ebruary but it is not until March when you finally begin to teach.
Teachers were dropping like flies at our school- transferring schools to be
with their loved ones, transferring for better service opportunities, transferring
to get away from the canadian kid…. It had been nothing but total craziness at
our school for the past month as rumours spread that new teachers were coming,
old ones were leaving, some decided they wanted to take off to Australia. We
must have had about three timetable changes in two weeks. Really keeps you on
your toes, “what will I be teaching today?” Having been trained as a science
teacher, thrown into teaching three grades of English last year, I was happy to
see on my schedule that I would be teaching a variety of courses this year- two
classes of grade 7 english, grade 6 english, grade 5 social studies, and HPE
(phys-ed) to class 2 and 4. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I was more than excited to relax for this weekend in
preparation for tackling, if only, my new class 5s the coming year. The course
distribution is done in a sort of auction-like way, where our names are placed
on a board and subjects are called out. It never occurred to me last year when
no one wanted the class 4s that there was a concrete reason for it. I threw my
hand straight up in the air, “I’ll take them!”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I spent last year teaching three grades of english but
focusing almost every ounce of my energy to keep my grade 4s from literally
jumping out the window and off the mountain. Better yet, to keep <i>me </i>from throwing the students (or me) off
the mountain. This was a class full of 35 students from remote villages in
Trongsa, who were more content to cut eachother’s hair, swallow pen ink, fight
with eachother, climb out the window, and scream profanities, rather than
possibly sit in a classroom and listen. Numerous times I would catch myself
yelling, “Sonam! Why are you cutting Tshering’s hair?” or the best, “Tshewang,
why did you go to the toilet on the warden sir’s roof?” Was I really expecting
them to respond with a reason? <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgFKjkkGrP4yjCmNXPKq8uG-MiqJP8BlFwzuQVRDa8HoDWPG2nejgKO7ydiMSmkz4ZfJjpclk_v9t-xd0YsjpZY_x9vOy0HymiDo9jOA-3nvzKJFQCt6LN4o2ASWPknzJaNGVH75_AIb7_/s1600/IMG_3635.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgFKjkkGrP4yjCmNXPKq8uG-MiqJP8BlFwzuQVRDa8HoDWPG2nejgKO7ydiMSmkz4ZfJjpclk_v9t-xd0YsjpZY_x9vOy0HymiDo9jOA-3nvzKJFQCt6LN4o2ASWPknzJaNGVH75_AIb7_/s1600/IMG_3635.JPG" height="238" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The famous class 5s.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
For some insane reason I predicted that after one month
being away from the classroom they would have matured exponentially over the
December break and come back like young adults. I found myself on the very
first day, a couple weeks ago, raising my voice, “shall I throw you alllll off
the mountain today?” to a huge round of laughter and our keen class captain piping up, “miss, this would NOT be a good idea.” I agreed and instead placed a map of the <i>world </i>on the board. “Can
anyone tell me what this is?” A hand shot straight up in the air, as did this
student’s voice, “MAP OF CANADA MISSSSS!!!!!” (Slow and steady, I thought). I
handed out a map of Bhutan several minutes later. “What would be a good title
for this map?” One of the keener, more quiet girls in the class threw her hand
up, “MAP OF SARAH MISSSS!!!” Although they are some of the most endearing
students I’ve ever worked with, I lose my patience quickly in this particular
class. One morning last week, however, they were ridiculously good (which
unfortunately triggers “you were definitely beaten ‘nicely’ by the previous
teacher” in the back ofmy head). I complimented them on their behavior to the
response by one boy, “see Miss Sarah? We have proven ourself!”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
You’re right Pem Dorji, you will not be thrown off the
mountain today.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6yObaFfFEMeFch0CRXJB5kAfjQ_nNmC7GdfSfAyz9hI8jdObLezlc_p4ba_UC5TtmiAOs1rascEtrg_17UnDjRDCctZ1bXZB4CjO9JVhDw-H2Mt0HDOuI3ZDbVQDvmeprb4OLegbkCM7x/s1600/IMG_1853.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6yObaFfFEMeFch0CRXJB5kAfjQ_nNmC7GdfSfAyz9hI8jdObLezlc_p4ba_UC5TtmiAOs1rascEtrg_17UnDjRDCctZ1bXZB4CjO9JVhDw-H2Mt0HDOuI3ZDbVQDvmeprb4OLegbkCM7x/s1600/IMG_1853.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a>I consider myself to be a pretty disciplined teacher most of
the time. I try to keep my cool. I’ve never <i>actually
</i>thrown a student off a mountain. Rarely raise my voice. But to try to discipline these students in
one way or another only to know that they will continue to act in the same way
the following days, continues to be a challenge. I love to laugh. I’m <i>good</i> at laughing. So, more often than
not I have to <o:p></o:p></div>
maintain my role as a teacher, to struggle to keep these students on
the mountain, focusing on the task at hand, as I use every ounce of my energy
not to roll on the floor in complete giggles at their jokes. This is the main reason
I came back to Tshangkha- because of my students. I love them with all my heart
and I genuinely miss them on long holidays, like Domche. And so hear we are,
year 2, with the craziest of them all. <br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<!--EndFragment--></div>
Sarah Diamondhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11402826054150568070noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6540500373048826629.post-25883393134833764692014-03-06T04:22:00.000-08:002014-03-06T04:42:55.660-08:00I survived rural Bhutan, bring on Toronto. <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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If you look closely, you’ll notice that there is exactly one
year between my first post and this one. And absolutely no posts in between. Contrary to what my family and friends
think, I did not spend the first year in Bhutan meditating in a retreat cave
nestled in a Himalayan forest with zero human contact, whistling to the birds
and tigers as they skipped on by (my only friends). Instead, I had incredibly
limited internet. I’ll take this as a wonderful tradeoff to the year I spent falling
deeply in love with basic living, where civilization and nature completely
blend together, with a community so selfless that they would send their kids to
sleep at my house so I no longer had to be alone with the rats, and students so
endearing and funny that I would wake up every Saturday morning completely
ecstatic that the school week was 5.5 days long. <o:p></o:p></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYUGW1q7I8HRcZAmady1ZgY94HFEPPzku-wBDPMHKTngB6H88OMOwIk0TIWyxLGjuZ31u0czjz0f4-68PF5Q74QorvE6kQcfCqCyWGJuXRqx2hVCR4oug_saddZMSPO427vLVx4rCYTb_X/s1600/IMG_1776.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYUGW1q7I8HRcZAmady1ZgY94HFEPPzku-wBDPMHKTngB6H88OMOwIk0TIWyxLGjuZ31u0czjz0f4-68PF5Q74QorvE6kQcfCqCyWGJuXRqx2hVCR4oug_saddZMSPO427vLVx4rCYTb_X/s1600/IMG_1776.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Grade 7 students at Tshangkha Lower Secondary School.</td></tr>
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<br /></div>
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All this being said, I was fortunate enough to visit my
family in Toronto during our one- month school break in January. I questioned
my decision when my mother warned me a week before my flight that Toronto had
been hit by an ice storm leaving thousands of people without power. My jaw
completely dropped. “But really, if anyone can deal with this it’s you, so we’d
love to see you!” exclaimed my mum. I reflected on the last year I had spent in
my old traditional Bhutanese farmhouse, boiling 3L of water every morning for
my bucket shower (which I quickly coined the “fucket bucket” a week into my
travels), huddled around my heater at night to keep warm, mopping up the
kitchen floor every time it rained through our roof, and marking and planning
by candlelight during our two week power outage in May. “I can do Toronto.
Bring it on!” I thought. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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And so I did (I survived Toronto!). I fell almost
immediately back to my old routine and my deliciously expensive Americanos, feeling
blessed to be surrounded by my family and friends who continue to love and
inspire me. But my heart longed for my remote Himalayan village and after two
weeks of spoiling myself and getting fat off fancy chocolate and sweet potato
fries I found myself eager to return to my basic mountain lifestyle (stocked
with starbucks instant coffees and ziplocks of jube jubes and gummie bears.
Duh.).<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8Ci7z3o40czrXt1C7-uw_R53dWw0PDF_9qtK5kMSXrNtKlWDiVfAgKW4xI0syajU8ZXw4PXpFbPvrmWwUWgDT2Qop53TVWNXgUY5Cv4UfTzD40fRIovSuR6PD2zD3MfQXwsZ-k-35Ec4N/s1600/DSCF0408.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8Ci7z3o40czrXt1C7-uw_R53dWw0PDF_9qtK5kMSXrNtKlWDiVfAgKW4xI0syajU8ZXw4PXpFbPvrmWwUWgDT2Qop53TVWNXgUY5Cv4UfTzD40fRIovSuR6PD2zD3MfQXwsZ-k-35Ec4N/s1600/DSCF0408.jpg" height="250" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Talking to local archers.</td></tr>
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My brother and dad decided they would make the
2.5-feels-like-eight-decade-long-day-journey back to Bhutan with me to better
understand my year and my deep love for the environment (really, I think they
just wanted to confirm the country did exist). For two weeks I showed my family
around the blissful monk-dotted landscape of deep forests and prayer flags. An
incredibly surreal experience. A part of me really had to pinch myself that we
really were experiencing this magical land together. We spent our days visiting
the local dzongs (parliament buildings), prostrating in Monestaries, and hiking
to conquer the altitude sickness. Evenings were spent huddled together in our
rooms to keep warm, laughing our brains out, as my father shared hitchhike
stories from his youth and other dreadful travel stories. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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One particular night we were huddled together in Bumthang, a
region just east of my community. I awoke at about 4am: “pssssst. Gabe. That
noise. Is that a rat?” My brother propped right up in bed. I was imagining the
thought process in his head, “sarah spent last year telling us detailed accounts
of the rat family living in her house, their concerts every night, and their
deep and promiscuous love of eating her underwear and other important articles
of clothing.” He asked me how we would confirm if there was a rat in our room.
“Turning on the light may be the trick,” I said to which he responded, “What
the hell should I do? Should I move my stuff? Will they eat all my wires? What
do we DOO in this situation?” I was chuckling up a bit of a storm in my head,
“welcome to Bhutan” I thought (of course after convincing my dad that rats
would be less likely to bother him if he slept on my mattress on the floor, and
I move to the bed. Believe it or not, I won that round.). But really, we had not yet proved there was a rat in the
room. I quickly fell into a deep sleep as my brother remained propped up in bed
reading with the light on, taking anxious glances every time there was a noise.
<o:p></o:p></div>
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<o:p> <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My grade 7 students washes her siblings in her village.</td></tr>
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<br />
<br />
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Yeeeeah I can do this for another year I thought. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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So here I am, a month into year two in rural Bhutan, huddled
in my -10 sleeping bag taking full advantage and appreciating the fact that I
have wifi in my little Himalayan apartment in Tshangkha village, deep in the
forests of Bhutan, surrounded by both people and tigers. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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As I finish typing this, the new teacher upstairs who has
become a good friend, has just dropped off fresh bread and a pastry from
Thimphu, the capital for me. A simple every day act of kindness here. After
this, I will ask to borrow some salt from her and return the favour with a few
Canadian maple candies. She will probably invite me in for tea and dinner and
we will spend the evening talking about school, the upcoming holiday, or
giggling about cultural differences between Bhutan and Canada, contemplating
how we each long to switch lives with the other. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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<br /></div>
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Sarah Diamondhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11402826054150568070noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6540500373048826629.post-91235525674584728612013-02-03T02:52:00.001-08:002013-02-03T03:19:26.126-08:00Procrastination: Not Always A Bad Idea<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
A friend in undergrad was planning a trip through Nepal the
following summer. Aside from mountaineering one of the world’s most
gorgeous landscapes, she would “attempt to get into Bhutan.” A place she
described as the “last Shangri-La” and where only those with $250 a day to
spend could even think of entering in. A country I couldn’t even place on the
map. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br />
My initial response:<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“What’s funny is that I actually thought you were serious.”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Duh, why would a country with such a unique culture nestled
between some of the world’s highest peaks, even think of not charging tourists?
Seems obvious enough. And to deem “Gross National Happiness” as more important
than Gross National Product? This country has definitely got to exist….<br />
<br />
What I quickly learned was that, why yes, such a place does exist.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
So there I was, at midnight in the student library with an
essay due the next morning, completely fixated on this Himalayan Kingdom. I
blame Google Images for causing such procrastination. What’s truly remarkable
is that just reading about Buddhism and the world’s happiest people can put you
at ease even as the clock approaches the early morning deadline.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
So three years later, having completed my B.Ed. only seven
months prior, I patted myself on the back for even having a plan the coming
year. I would be teaching Grades 4-6 English at Tshangkha LSS through the
Bhutan Canada Foundation. Three months to go and I was already sitting in my family’s
living room completely homesick, to which my mother reacted, “this is not
good.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Over the course of the preparation months my anticipation of grew in a sort of rollercoaster way and was eased by the reactions of my
community to my plan (of whom shall remain nameless):<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Bhutan, that’s in Africa right? Has any western teacher
gone there before?”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Will you be paid in smiles?”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“What if you’re not happy enough? Do you get kicked out? Can
you be seen miserable walking down the street?”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“You are beginning your teaching career in the middle of the
Himalayas, where you may be bit by rabid dogs and have to pee in a hole? ...Sarah, you're insane.”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
And so begins the start of a new chapter in the “last
Shangri-La” and the fear by my family that they will completely lose me to this
Himalayan wonder. <o:p></o:p></div>
<!--EndFragment-->Sarah Diamondhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11402826054150568070noreply@blogger.com1