Thursday, November 26, 2015

Autumn

Things have been changing a lot for me. The last time that I posted was just after my parents visited. That was only a month ago but I was in a very different place then. School was still in full swing and the everyday routine carried us along until the king's birthday neared. After the three-day celebration in honor of the king's 60th birthday, exam prep started and everyone became focused on the end of the school year. 

Another way in which things are changing is my mindset. In the last few weeks I have purchased all of my plane and train tickets for my slow journey home in January. I don't leave Bhutan for five weeks and I don't reach home for two and a half months but planning my traveling has created an entirely different mindset for me. Now everything I do is done through the filter that I'm leaving soon and have to make the most of it. Of course in many ways this whole year has been that way, but now more so than ever. 

Bhutan is always beautiful, and as the seasons have changed I've grown to appreciate all of them. But now that we are making a full circle back to winter, I think I can say that autumn is by far the most beautiful in my eyes. The rice turns a golden brown and the rivers go back to being clear bright blue. Watching the rice as it was planted, transplanted, grown, harvested, and finally sucked has been fascinating. 

Rice fields in the village above my school. 

Sunday picnics by the river with Sebastian and Holly. 


The paddies are cut down, laid to dry, shaken to separate the rice, and then the stalks are put in haystacks. 




This view from a small monastery in the forest is called Jiligong - or Cat Place. 


All 500some people in my school made their way down to the village Lhakang where the Thromdre was hanging during the first day of birthday celebrations in honor of the king. 

The Thromdre - a hand-sewed silk tapestry only displayed on special occasions. 




In other news, here is a tidbit about school and academics for anyone interested in the school system of Bhutan, especially any potential BCF teachers. These are things that I did not know to expect when coming to Bhutan and it might help mentally prepare anyone thinking of teaching here. 

Everyone at every grade level takes district-written exams in Punakha. The exams, which teachers do not see before the students take them, range between one and a half to three hours long. The idea behind the district mandated exams is that it makes grades fair and equal across the district. But the curriculum standards for the students, in my opinion, are way too high and not having access to the test worries me. 

Coping for classwork and homework is a common practice here and is not yet regarded the same way that it is in the U.S. I can see that a year of relying on others for answers has left many students feeling very alone on their exams. During this year I tried to crack down on the coping habits in my class which resulted in some students not doing the work at all - one of the many ways that trying to implement "western" school standards felt like fighting an uphill battle. 

I've reflected a lot recently on academics because the time in nearing when I will have to submit my first set of grades for an academic year. And, likewise, will have to fail students for the first time. Students need to achieve 40 marks out of 100 for the year in order to pass. This is strikingly less than the 60% required in the U.S. but even so, a number of my class 4 students will have to repeat.

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