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| Honoring Lord Buddha on Parinirvana |
One sweetly solemn thought
Comes to me o'er and o'er;
I am nearer home today
Than I ever have been before.
- Phoebe Cary
Things have been clipping right along these days. Rather
than rambling on as I tend to do, I thought that this time I will try to let
the pictures tell the story, and I can add explanations as necessary. Enjoy!
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| Happily spectating |
Last month Autsho MSS hosted an inter-Dzongkhag sports meet.
The games played were football (soccer), volleyball, badminton, basketball, and
chess. Both boys and girls participated. Unlike in the U.S., where sports events
are highly competitive and specialized, there is a fairly lax approach here and
the same kids pretty much play every sport. The players from Autsho did quite
well, and I was honored to be part of the awards ceremony and get to present
medals to the girls’ volleyball team. The boys got first in volleyball, second
in football, and the girls got first in football, second in volleyball, and
there were also several students who placed individually in badminton and
chess. Everyone came away feeling very proud and happy!
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| Boys' basketball team |
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| Hanging out, watching the games |
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| Girls' volleyball match |
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| Girls' football team |
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| Trophies to be awarded |
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| Giving medals and a trophy |
There was a track meet that was held elsewhere the previous
week, which produced one of the most hilarious stories that has come out of
this yet. Our bus driver told some girls who were struggling to run in the
longest race, “If you can’t do it, just leave it!” (said with a thick Bhutanese accent, and in all sincerity). Hearing this wise advise
from a trusted elder gave them the validation they were looking for and they
promptly ran right off the track, to the side of the field, where they sat down
to rest.
Few competitors finished
races they “couldn’t do.” Thinking of this man telling these girls that, and
then envisioning them running straight off the track, makes me laugh every time I think
about it! This is the Bhutanese approach to sports and life. It’s now my motto
for my time here, and this newfound attitude has saved me a few times from
over-worrying or over-working lately. Not that I'm very prone to the latter!
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| Doing a great job of playing the part! |
The whole school had a “mock” earthquake drill and students
and teachers all did their parts to act out a real-life scenario and assume
their respective roles. I’m quite impressed with the amount of planning and
organization that has gone into the disaster prevention/management program
here. Well done everyone!
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| "This is just a drill..." |
We had a big tragedy. A couple of weeks ago, in the middle
of the night, a house here burned to the ground, and while everyone got out
safely, several of our staff members who lived there lost all or most of their
possessions. Scary and sad. The staff has all pooled together resources,
supplies and gotten them back on their feet, though, and into new housing…life
continues…
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| Kelzang and Thinley |
The day after the fire, the whole school went up the hill to
receive Puja (a blessing from a Llama) since there have been a few deaths in
the community lately. An elderly Sharshop lady came straight over to me,
grabbed my hand, and it was clear she wanted to be friends. I have felt a bit
distant and disconnected from some of the females here, so it was such a
pleasure, honor, and joy to get such a welcome and kindness from her. Though we
didn’t understand a word of each others’ languages, through gestures and
translators, I came to find out she is the mother of one of my students
(Kelzang) and aunt of another (Thinley). She feels strongly that we had met in
a past life. She proclaimed me as her Bhutanese daughter and invited me to
visit her in her village (and come with her son and nephew, of course). I took
her right up on the offer. Since I got here, I’ve wanted to see the villages
and homes of my students. I think it will make me a better teacher, and also
that’s just fun and interesting, any way you look at it!
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| "You're telling me we have to walk all the way up there?" |
June 4th was Parinirvana, they day Lord Buddha
achieved Enlightenment, and it is a national holiday (so we didn’t have class).
It was the perfect opportunity to go see my new “Bhutanese mother.” We planned
it out, and my friend Sonam and I packed a lunch, gathered the boys, and we all
set out early in the morning to go see my students’ village, Batsho. It’s a
trek! After walking straight up mountian for a couple of hours, we were lucky
enough to find a taxi that would take us up the rest of the way. If not, I
don’t know how we would have made it. I was already drenched with sweat and
exhausted when we stopped, and it was another hour’s drive yet up further.
It was and will continue to be one of the most memorable
days of my life. At the top of the mountain where Batsho village is, there is a
place where the palace of a feudal king that ruled these mountains hundreds,
maybe thousands, of years ago once stood. Though the palace stood above ground,
the king was a suspicious man, and leery of attack, so he lived most of his
life in rooms underground connected by small tunnels. Though the structure
above ground has long since eroded, the basement rooms remain, and are the
tunnels are still intact. The area is overgrown and tropical, and we went
spelunking. There was a big slab of rock that used to be the king’s bed still
there, and even the shelves built of rock still jutting out from the rest of
the wall. I’ve never seen anything like it, and I’m sure I never will. Kelzang and Thinley’s family was gracious
and hospitable, and gave us all tea and biscuits. We had a picnic on the Batsho
Palace site, and I feel like I got to see the real Bhutan. On the way down, we
stopped at a magical chorten, and Sonam got the biggest bag of spinach (sak) I’ve ever seen. Then, there was a
moral kafuffle over hunting a deer.
It’s too long and complicated of a situation to explain in detail, but
sufficient to say that Sonam ended up standing as a witness in pointing out the
suspects that had been apprehended. What a day, what an adventure!
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| About to crawl through a tiny tunnel to the next "room" |
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| Views from the way up |
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| Looking down into a room |
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| His Majesty's bed |
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| Sonam crawling out |
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| Sack of sak |
It’s now the calm before the storm of Midterm Exams, and
students and teachers a like are all ready to get it over with and get out of
here for a couple of weeks. I’m going to be heading to Bumthang (the middle of
Bhutan) to cavort and cut loose with my fellow far-flung BCF teachers, and
then…who knows? I’m sure my next post will be about the Exams hell week,
followed by whatever shenanigans ensue and adventures unfold over the break.
It’s hard to believe this year is already half over.
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| Another "Sunday Funday" |
That’s all for now. I didn’t do such a good job of keeping
this brief. But you probably shouldn’t be reading this, if you’re in to the
whole brevity thing. ;)
Love,
Reidi
There was a track meet that was held elsewhere the previous
week, which produced one of the most hilarious stories that has come out of
this yet. Our bus driver told some girls who were struggling to run in the
longest race, “If you can’t do it, just leave it!” (said with a thick Bhutanese accent, and in all sincerity). Hearing this wise advise
from a trusted elder gave them the validation they were looking for and they
promptly ran right off the track, to the side of the field, where they sat down
to rest. Few competitors finished
races they “couldn’t do.” Thinking of this man telling these girls that, and
then envisioning them running straight off the track, makes me laugh every time I think
about it! This is the Bhutanese approach to sports and life. It’s now my motto
for my time here, and this newfound attitude has saved me a few times from
over-worrying or over-working lately. Not that I'm very prone to the latter! 
