Here are some photos of the flowers around the school campus. They are lush and beautiful Lush because of the immense amount of cow dung that gets washed into the flower beds.
Food
Great food in my kitchen these days. Buckwheat flour made into banana bread. The Bhutanese do not eat dessert or anything that is not spicy hot with plenty of chiles and very salty. When I described banana bread to a friend this evening I could see her nose curling with disgust at the thought.
School
Slowly easing back into the second term. The "declaration of results" took a long time. It is sort of like report cards, without the paper. Each class has a topper, each subject has a topper, and each grade has its overall "toppers". Very important. As I am a class teacher, I had to gather the results from all 9 subject teachers and enter them into a computer programme. The programme was well written by a teacher here, but only he had administrative rights and there were a few glitches. I entered all of the marks three times before they would print out. The only computer at the school with a functioning printer had viruses, so the process was frustrating and lengthy. BCESIS will feel simple and straight forward when I get home!
Fog and Humidity
Rob can attest to the fact that the fog is unlike anything we have ever experienced. It got thicker after he left. I thought I knew what rainy season meant prior to my summer break. HA! It rains more each day. Un-believable. Imagine wanting to light a candle because you have no power and everything is so humid that the matches are limp. It took about 5 tries to light the match in the burner on the gas stove. Luckily I have an electric lighter for the stove. I don't even want to think about the layers of fungus on my walls. I scrape, spray, brush it off but the battle is constant.
Students
Lots of stories and comments and speeches about failure and trying again. Suffering for the future of their families and the nation. Some of it seems so unrealistic. I asked them to write down the percentage they would like to achieve on the annual exam, and they all shoot for about 20 percent above what they have now. When I ask them what they will do to get there the answers vary from "work harder" (they already study about 3 to 5 hours per day before and after school) to "concentrate more". The problem is a lack of understanding of the material and limited language skills. The amount of material they memorize is overwhelming.
Consumables
Have you ever watched or been aware of what you consume around the house? Living alone with limited access to some things, I have noticed the following: I have only used 3 bars of soap, one of which has melted in the humidity, in 6 months. YES I wash every day. Toothpaste does not disappear like it does at home. 2 tubes in 6 months. Shampoo, still on the same bottle. Face cream - am only 1/2 way through the expensive stuff my sista bought me for Christmas. I hear that will change in winter as it gets dry and your face "cracks"???
Ok not so interesting but without television what else am I to think about?
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| School Logo painted by a student |
I met Matt, Sarah Schmitt and Dave in Thimphu Saturday night for Mexican food and margaritas. The drinks were delicious, although some of the group had some difficulty the next morning. We all crashed at Matt's upon the hill above Thimphu. 
Met some teachers who live at Royal Thimphu College, where Lucy, Matt's partner, works. They had walked up to the goempa from the other side. Lovely views. 
