A Preface

Monday, January 12th, 2015

I woke up this morning after a difficult and short sleep with a surprising amount of optimism. Today brings new beginnings. Promise. Today makes a new era, where dream chasing begins. Internally, I’m anxious. I just want to be in Bhutan. After all, I’ve milked the anticipation for over 6 months and truly dreamed about for nine. One can only read about a country for so long, you know. I want to see it, smell it, and be a part of it.

First I am taking a short holiday. Since I have to fly through Bangkok anyway, BCF (the Bhutan Canada Foundation) was happy to schedule an earlier flight. Thailand is dirt cheap so since the airline ticket is paid for, the situation practically presents itself. I have visited the Land of Smiles twice before, so this time will not be riddled with hectic plans of things to see and do. My purpose is to relax and decompress. It also allows me the opportunity to adjust to the time difference and perhaps suffer some form of stomach ailment prior to arriving in Bhutan, where ‘Bhutan belly’ is said to hit visitors hard.

During my time back in the states, many people inquired into my motives for moving to the distant land of Bhutan. The answer, in truth, is complex and sometimes fluid, but I will do my best to break it down. First and foremost, Bhutan is a beautiful country. Years ago I came upon a picture of Paro Takstang, otherwise known as Tiger’s Nest Monastery, and was instantly struck by its majesty. The temple, just outside the city of Paro, sits thousands of feet above sea level built into a sheer cliff face. I remember feeling drawn to this image right away, and so I read and read and read about this little-known Buddhist Kingdom nestled at the foot of the Himalayas. I looked into visiting, but the visa was highly restrictive and my dreams were thus buried beneath a mound of practicality.

Sometime later my mind wandered back to this place and I mentioned to my international recruiter that, even though it would be a longshot, I would take a teaching job in Bhutan in a heartbeat. A couple weeks later, while I was living and teaching in Senegal with my brother and sister-in-law, Joy had an English guest come to stay over. She had visited the country back in the 1990’s. With this my conviction grew stronger. It was less than a week later that I saw an advertisement on Dave’s ESL (a prominent international teaching website). My heart aflutter, I applied without a second thought. Such an opportunity however, appeared utterly impractical. The program paid peanuts, which was no good considering all the student debt I had incurred from getting my MAT degree. It also started halfway off the traditional school year. Lastly, no placement was guaranteed without a white-knuckle, four month long waiting period. So why the hell did I say ‘yes’? Simply put: encouragement. My friends told me to forget money and endure the risks, because these opportunities do not arise everyday. My brother Greg, who is my rock, further fed my zeal. He knows me well and knew my heart ached for it.

When I had moved to Senegal, I had just gotten out of a two and a half year relationship. I found defining my purpose and passion in this environment particularly difficult because not so long prior to that, ‘I’ had become ‘we’ in so many facets of my life. Deciding to teach in Bhutan was the first major decision I made since then that spoke uniquely to my heart. The country’s deeply spiritual culture, respect for nature, and generally quiet and happy way of life seem to echo all the things that I hold dear. Simplistic living and spicy food were, of course, added perks. In short, it just felt right. So for all those reasons, that is why I am on this journey. 

 January 22nd, 2015

I am sitting here in my Bangkok hostel, counting down the hours before I depart for the airport. Come early tomorrow, I shall touch down in Paro and face my fears as the airplane rattles incessantly, navigating through mountains at a stomach-churning altitude. There is only one functioning airport in Bhutan, and from everything I have heard, the trip is a bit scary. But I shall be transported by some of the most qualified pilots in the world for this job, and while I cannot say I am excited for the flight--considering it is the last hurdle between me and life in Bhutan--it is a risk I am willing to endure. The good news is I won't be alone. A third of the BCFers will be on the plane flight, which should give us plenty of time to get a head start on getting to know one another. Until next time!