Saying Farewell With Dances!

Monday night the students, faculty, and staff gathered for our farewell dinner. We were entertained, first, by 12 traditional Bhutanese performances.  The program dancers were both men and women.  The most entertaining was Drametse Nga Cham, a religious dance that incorporated masks.  This dance was performed only by men and has roots in eastern Bhutan.  The masks added a dramatic dimension.  Both male and female dancers performed Deki ki Nyem, a traditional Bhutanese folk dance that symbolizes happiness, to end the show.  To our surprise, there was a final dance after what we thought was the end.  The Tashi Tashi is a farewell and good luck dance, all guests were invited to attend the performance circle. It took most of us some time to catch on, but we all really enjoyed how it lightened the mood and brought everyone together.  

After the performances, we all enjoyed dinner and conversations with people we have grown to love and learn from.  As we were enjoying our time, some realized the bitter-sweetness of the moment. Most of us will never come back to RTC or Bhutan, however, what we learned while we were here I believe was a life changing experience for us all. 

We will always cherish Bhutan!

Cassandra W. 

Got Milk?

As our bus pushed over another steep mountain range, I saw the sign: National Dairy Development Center. My eyes immediately widened. I was filled with excitement and ready to learn about a part of Bhutan’s livestock industry. I was very interested in how this particular industry was developing in a country that is advancing in such a fast rate.

As we entered the building we were greeted with huge, warm smiles. They escorted us to a conference room where they served us tea and then presented a PowerPoint about the center. We learned that the main breeds they use are Jersey, Brown Swiss and some of their native breed cattle. One of the main things this center does is provide farmers with the equipment to be  sustainable dairy farmers. Any farmer who wants to participate in this project has to fill out an application and turn it in to the dairy center. The applicant has to meet specific requirements. Once the farmer has established its dairy farm the center will pick up the milk and process it. I like this project because it helps rural farmers have a steady income source. At the moment they don’t export much of their products. They do export some to India but much is kept and sold in Bhutan. Another thing the center does is artificial insemination. They took us to the lab where they do this procedure. The lead lab expert demonstrated how the whole process is done; he   explained each step and described what each machine did.

At the dairy research lab
I had a great time at the center and learned about the sustainability - based dairy industry in Bhutan. I also got to meet with four veterinarians and ask them about their schooling. I might even be able to do an internship here!

Brisa H.

The Parinirvana, the Throngdrel, and the King

We visited Tashichhodzong, the dzong in Thimphu, for the celebration of Lord Buddha's Parinirvana. This holiday, the holiest and most auspicious day in the Bhutanese Buddhist calendar, marks the point where Siddhartha Guatama, the Buddha, attained Nirvana through physical death (something slightly similar to the Christian Easter, for context). The dzong was full of people - mainly Bhutanese Buddhists but also foreign tourists - who came to participate and witness the holiday.

 Especially significant was the unfurling of the Throngdrel, a three-story-tall tapestry displayed only on important occasions. So revered is the tapestry that simply viewing it is believed to absolve a person's sins. A huge line of people processed around the tower from which it was hung - clockwise, as is the custom - to see the Throngdrel and gain karma.

Of course, my account of the experience would be incomplete without mentioning one other aspect of the celebration. Among the Buddhist practitioners attending the celebration was His Majesty, King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck. As monks played horns and drums, he and Her Majesty the Queen walked into the temple, and we stood maybe thirty feet away from them!

Coming from a Western, Christian background, I was fascinated by this Buddhist holiday. This is because on the surface, there is little in common between the two religions, but beneath all the differences, common threads such as community, celebration, and ceremony connect the two traditions to each other. For me, this was the most important part of the celebration of the Parinirvana.

Nick B.

A Very Special School

On  a Thursday, we were at Thimphu’s Jigme Losel Primary School.This school has flourished thanks to its headmistress, Ms. Choki Dukpa, who has attempted to integrate environmental awareness into its curriculum since she started in the School in 2005. Evidence of her green techniques can be seen through the multitude of potted plants in old plastic jugs or green-painted tires converted into flower pots. Besides the in-class instructions emphasizing sustainable practices, students learn through experience by working together, by classes, to tend to their garden as well as their own hand washing stations. 

Each classroom has numerous old plastic jugs filled with water and  fitted with hand-made spouts so that children can easily wash their hands together before and after lunch. It's really quite a heartwarming sight to see. In 2011, Jigme Losel  received international recognition when it won an award for Educational Innovation from UNESCO for their feeding program. During our visit the principal explained that students whose parents could not afford to provide an adequate supply of meals often performed poorly in school due to hunger. To solve this, faculty and parents sought to ensure that all students had access to proper nutrition. They were able to do this with the help of community volunteers who provide the food for students who cannot afford to bring lunches.

We all loved our visit to this primary school. In fact, we had to be herded out to get to our next event! 

You can learn more about Jigme Losel here: http://www.guardian.co.uk/global-development/2013/jan/02/nature-teacher-bhutan-conservation-classroom

Daniela D.

Zorig Chusum

Today we visited the Institute of Traditional Arts (Zorig Chusum) in Timphu. Bhutanese customs  believe that there are 13 different types of art one must master; in this institute 6 of the 13 traditional arts are taught. These arts include woodcarving, sculpture, tailoring, embroidery, and painting. We visited several classrooms and saw the students hard at work, from the less advanced courses to the more advanced. The first classrooms we entered were Woodcarving I and II, there we saw the process of woodcarving from the simple to the intricate carvings of dragons displayed on the walls. We then visited a Sculpture V classroom which featured a class of mostly girls, and the number of students was larger than all the other classes we visited. We found it interesting to learn that students in the tailoring class worked on both traditional and western wear. The classroom we entered next was the Embroidery IV, this was the most colorful classroom of all, as it was beautifully decorated with the students’ work which consisted of traditional Bhutanese arrangements hanging from the ceiling. The next class was a painting classroom of mostly males; it was quite large. The students demonstrated  incredible skill and talent  as they sketched their work. There were also amazing sculptures and paintings of prominent Bhutanese religious figures such as the Buddha of Compassion. The last place we went to within the Institute was the Show Room, where some of the impressive work done by the students were for sale. 

The Zorig Chusum truly gave us a glimpse of the uniqueness of Bhutanese culture as depicted through art.   

Marita J. 

Where Mountains Touch the Sky

     On 28 May we hiked to Taktsang (Tiger's Nest) Monastery near Paro, western Bhutan.  While the building itself is one of the most important sites in the country, the path getting there is equally as impressive.  As we drove to the parking lot at the base of the climb, we were able to see the Monastery nestled nearly 1,000 meters high, on a cliff-side.

Our hike begins!

At the base of the climb, a number of peddlers cried out “shopping!” as we passed, hoping we'd spend what ngultrum we had left on their handicrafts.  Others were offering horse rentals for the trek.  While some of us had earlier considered the equestrian option, our guide recommended against it, citing safety concerns.

The very beginning of the path had us crossing an open field.  While it was fairly level, it gave us a glimpse of the scale of our endeavor; towering high above us was the Tiger's Nest.  Soon we entered the wooded hillside and the real climbing began.  Even with frequent switchbacks, the path had a considerably steep grade.  Most of us had to pause at regular intervals to catch our breath in the thinning air.  After 45 minutes to an hour of hiking, we reached a cafeteria, where we paused for much needed water, glucose, and sodium.

Taktsang from below

The second portion of the path started out as steep as the first, but leveled out somewhat as it continued.  Following a final set of switchbacks, we arrived at the main lookout for the Monastery.  While some of us may have had second thoughts about the hike, the view we saw erased all our regrets.  A waterfall cascaded down to the left, an open view of Bhutanese countryside to the right, and the Monastery itself dead ahead.  After a set of 700 or so steps, we were at the door of the Nest itself.

Taktsang Monastery

After our tour had completed, we began our descent back to the parking lot.  While no longer having to cope with thinning air, the long downhill path proved very taxing to what leg strength we had left.  We stopped again at the halfway cafeteria, this time for a sumptuous lunch.  At around 4:00 P.M. (we had started six hours earlier), we were all back in our bus, en route to the hotel for some much-needed rest and recuperation.

   The hike to the Monastery and the view of the Monastery itself, as you near it, are truly iconic experiences. Cliffs, mountains, waterfalls, mist, cloud, alpine forest, and then the Monastery. We felt like we rode the mountains, touched the sky, and were embraced by the Monastery!

-Stefan S.

Simply Bhutan!

Today (May 25th) was well spent in Thimphu -- a day which celebrated the Buddha's Enlightenment. We caught a glimpse of His Majesty, had Nepali food for lunch and then visited a youth service project which took the form of a small traditional Bhutanese village and was aptly named Simply Bhutan.

At the entrance, we stood inside a replica watchtower and later were led to a courtyard in which there stood a wall that split the courtyard in half and had two murals painted on both sides. After admiring it, we were then given the chance to change into Bhutan’s national dresses. The girls wore kiras while the guys wore ghos , and later were taking pictures in front of the two murals.

While still wearing traditional dresses, we were given a tour of a traditional replica rural home complete with a kitchen on the ground floor which consisted of a wood burning clay stove and butter churners while the 1st floor had a living room and a altar room, a Bhutanese home’s most important room in which only holy individuals can rest.

We next took up the national sport of Bhutan: archery.  Everyone had multiple tries at hitting aa target 10 feet away. Most of us failed miserably except for Brisa, who by her second chance hit the target! Having been shown-up by Brisa, we were then introduced to a resident artist who had cerebral palsy and yet was still able to create amazing works of art using only his feet!

Simply Bhutan gave us a taste of the country’s culture; we were still participating in various activities towards the end of the tour. One was the act of tossing prayer coins into a golden prayer vase which was floating in a pool of water at the foot of a shrine. If coins hit the vase it is seen as a sign of good luck and if a coin gets into the vase then that prayer would come true. All of us were fortunate enough to at least hit the vase. The final activity, in which three of us participated, was aiding in the clay stomping process that produces the adobe-like walls used in constructing traditional homes, the stomping process includes singing songs of forgiveness in case insects were accidentally killed during the stomping process.

All in all, we were very fortunate have had the chance to experientially learn about Bhutanese culture.

Richard A.