Heritage Museum

Yesterday we had lunch at a heritage museum where a traditional home has been preserved and there is a dining area.  We were fed very traditional food and it was delicious. 

Sarah outside the museum/restaurant where we ate.

The courtyard of the 3 story home.  First story - animals.  2nd - food storage. 3rd - kitchen/living sleeping and an entire room that is an elaborate altar room.  One of our teachers, Brick, did a tour with students here 2 years ago.  He stayed in family homes that are similar to this one.  Inside had been "updated" - electricity, a tap and perhaps a bathroom,  a gas burner instead of a fire, but very much the same.  

The rooftop where hay would be stored and food dried.  I saw corn drying under a roof top today in Thimphu. 

Walk to the Buddha

     At 6:50 this morning I wandered out for a walk not really knowing which direction I might take.  Found myself walking uphill towards the BCF (Bhutan Canada Foundation) office.  Last Saturday we had tried to find it in the dark as we were hoping to arrive at the 50 + metre statue of the Buddha by sunrise.  This morning I took all of the correct turns and walked past the office.  The next part of the road seems obvious, but is not.  I managed to take the road past Druk Secondary School and was on the right path.  I had not intended to walk all of the way up and knew that I might be late for breakfast. 
     It was a glorious morning, sunny blue sky. Clear.  So I kept walking.  There were no cars, and I saw only a handful of people all morning.  
     The statue is out of sight for the bottom half of the walk.  Suddenly when I came around a corner, there it was, shining in the early morning sun.  In the opposite (northerly) direction are (very) large  mountains not visible from the valley.  The entire effect is breathtaking and surprisingly moving.  This was the best point of the walk for me.  Arriving at the Buddha was a bit disappointing as it is a construction sight at the moment.  Although it was pretty spectacular being there all alone. 
     I jogged back to the hotel and grabbed the last bit of breakfast before getting ready for my first Dzongkha lesson. 

Chagri Monastary and Meditation Centre

This is where we hiked today, Sunday.  Great day.

Most, but not all, of the group at the Rinpoche carving/painting.

People

Today I was walking down the street alone.  A young Bhutanese woman asked if I would walk with her.  As we walked we shared where we were going, a bit about where we are from and our work. She is 21 years old, finished year 12 and working at an office in the city.  She enjoys her work and is not keen on going to university to do her Bachelor of Commerce degree, which her parents would like her to do. 

She seemed surprised that I was going shopping alone and so helped me to buy some household items.  I am not sure she appreciated why I bought a beach towel with the Barcelona soccer team emblem on it  :) 

She explained that she was walking with me because she thought that if she were in my country alone she would like to have someone walk with her. 

Four days in the land of happiness

I am sitting in a hotel room much like any other hotel room in a city much like any small city. Everything is different. 

It started with the flight through the Himalaya.  A clear blue sky with Mount Everest and Kanchenjunga out the window.  Paro is a thrilling descent and the airport is Bhutanese architecture. We spent the afternoon in Paro- tea outside in the winter sun at the hotel perched on a hill side.  Although it is winter here the sun warms everything up in the day time and it is very pleasant to be outside in shirtsleeves or a light jacket. 

We have been in Thimphu for 4 nights now.  The group is very interesting and diverse. We have had presentations from the Ministry of Education and met the Minister of Education.  It was a fascinating meeting - he asked us all to recount the moment when we knew we wanted to become a teacher.  Very passionate stories around the table and a deep level of commitment to the profession.  The depth of thought on the part of the policy makers is unbelievable.  If I understand correctly 30 percent of the population is in school and 30 percent of the civil service are teachers.  Gross National Happiness is being woven into the school system since 2011 with the Green school program.  

At this point I am intrigued.  

On a fun note we all were fitted for our national dress today.  Choosing colours and fabrics, ready made and tailored.  I am having 2 skirts made and bought the blouses and jackets. Anyone who knows me would guess that I based my choices around blue. . . pictures forthcoming as it will take a couple of days to sew the skirts. 

 Me wearing a Brokpa hat at eh BCF office.

Today a group of us woke up early to start a hike to the giant Buddha statue that sits on the hill above town. We left in the dark at 5:30 am and wandered up hill to find the road that leads to the Buddha.  The map and the roads did not really seem to match.  Perhaps it was the dark. Although we never made it to the Buddha, we found interesting parts of town and paths and had 2 dogs join us for about an hour.  Conversation may have contributed to lack of direction. We walked for f3 hours. 

The rest of the day was spent shopping. 

And celebrating Australia's birthday.  There are 2 couples and a young woman who are Aussies.  One couple has two young children 2 and 5 years old.  Great travellers and they add an great dynamic to our new "family" of BCF teachers. We are becoming fast friends.  My room mate has started to call me "mom"  she is 23 and although I still feel ageless I guess I am her BCF mom. 

I leave tomorrow

It is hard to believe but I will start the lengthy trek to Bhutan on Saturday morning from Castlegar through Vancouver, Hong Kong, Bangkok and finally Paro, Bhutan, then overland to the capital  Thimphu.
Here is a link to the school website - Chukhu Higher Secondary School and some photos:

http://chukhahss.web.fc2.com/2010Aug.html

Au revoir to my dear friends.
We will keep in touch.

10 day countdown

The song 
                                  All my bags are packed, I'm ready to go . . .
Keeps running through my head although my bags are not REALLY  packed and I do not know if I will ever be ready.  So much to do yet and part of me wants it all to be over here and just GET  there.  Another part of me wants to linger is this beautiful snowy winter, ski lots and hang out with my family. 

All in all I cannot wait for this adventure to start!