Teacher's Day

Teachers' Day 

Teachers' day is a national holiday created by the third king. However we are all at work. Students have been busily colouring cards and creating performances for days if not weeks.  The day prior to TD classes were shortened and we finished at 1:30 pm.  Set up began, I watched students practice their dances.  There are 4 houses at school:  Druk (dragon), Singye (lion), Taag (tiger) and Chung (mythical bird).  Each house prepared a traditional and a modern Bhutanese dance for a competition on Teachers' day.  Imagine Thai dance with a bit of Korean mixed in.  However it is all uniquely Bhutanese - the music, the rhythm and the movement of the hands and feet.  Then I coached (ha) girls soccer because the regional championships are Friday and the coach was working with her house on their dances. Students set up the hall and practiced until 10:30 pm.   

In the morning - walking towards the school there are elaborate cards to teachers on the trees and flowers, on the walls, everywhere.  Each class has created a banner with quotes about teachers, and they have been hung around the assembly ground.  Special guests arrive for assembly and then the dance competition begins.  Beautifully done, costumes, choreography and execution.  Fiercely competitive - the house  masters are going crazy hoping they will win.  There is a huge lunch for the teachers.  The students have set up the tables outside (YES we had great weather) and teachers are spread out to eat with the students.  The boarders have given up meat for a lunch and a supper during the month in order to budget for this special meal, which included 2 meat dishes.  I cannot believe the pile of food some students could eat.  Rice piled up - probably 4 cups of rice. 

The afternoon is a program put together by students.  Three hours of entertainment.  Some teachers had "numbers".  The very best was one of the indian teachers who did a magic show to Bollywood music.  GREAT magic show.  The kids went wild.  He was truly very good. 

The day was exhausting - loud music all day and lots of picture taking me with students, me with teachers.  All day greetings:  Happy teachers' day, hand shaking - amongst teachers and between teachers and students.