A New Beginning

Following my typical pre-travel anxiety and its respective rituals, I found myself at Suvarnabhumi International Airport in Bangkok around 3:30 in the morning. Despite the early hour, I was alert. An unstable form of electricity was running through my veins as various emotions battled for control. There I met several teachers at the gate. Holly from B.C.; Judy from Ontario; Sarah, a fellow Washingtonian from Port Angeles; Kirsten from Toronto; Catherine from Australia; and Megan and Dylan, a couple who hail from Durbanville outside of Cape Town. Our conversations weaved through the where’s, how’s, and why’s until it settled on the flight—particularly the precarious landing to be had in Paro.

On the flight we were treated like royalty. I came to learn that Holly, who sat beside me, was moved deeply by Jaime Zeppa’s famous book, Beyond the Earth and Sky, a book I had read and loved last summer, and felt compelled to move to Bhutan. Her wit and good sense of humor made the trip all the more pleasant. Before I knew it, the flight attendant was announcing our descent. I looked out the window to find mountains everywhere. Above them were only a few small clouds speckling a vibrant field of cerulean. As we carved through the valleys houses and monasteries appeared on the sides of the mountains. I suddenly felt giddy. Looking over at Holly, I realized I wasn’t alone in my sentiment. The plane twisted and turned, expertly so, and before I knew it, we had touched down.

After immigration, customs, and luggage claim we were met by Karma, our guide-to-be through orientation. He and our van driver helped load our luggage and we were off en route to our hotel for the next two days. As it turns out, the hotel is the former palace of a previous prime minister and prior to that a monastery. Set atop a large hill, it overlooks the Paro valley and the regional Dzong (fortress/administrative headquarters). The view was just immaculate. The hotel’s façade resembles typical Bhutanese architecture, stone walls painted a pristine shade of white with wooden doorways and detailed frescos, topped by intricate wooden beams of an Asian nature. The room was quaint—akin to a cozy B&B in its quality. In the back was a drawing room with three walls of windows and plenty of natural light. I settled in for a short while and before long we were whisked off to old downtown Paro for lunch. 

Our meal was had at a small restaurant no larger than two rooms. We ate red rice (native to the Himalayas), stir-fried vegetables, noodles, and fried chicken. Simple flavors but delicious nonetheless. Afterward a few of us decided to walk back to the hotel, snapping photos of the crisscrossed streets as we went. Around were countless dogs, some trash, and people going about their daily business. We saw shoe stores and a shop with archery supplies, book stores and restaurants.

Later that evening I went outside to watch the sunset and found Dylan and Megan at the overlook. The sun drooped behind the mountains so there wasn’t much of one to be had so instead we just chatted of South Africa as night took over and the cold set in. Dylan spotted some smoke coming from nearby and we went to investigate, finding the hotel’s restaurant and several Bhutanese huddled around the bukkari stove (a furnace) keeping warm. They kindly let us join though they dispersed not long afterward. A man remained and we spoke to him for a while. He told us of Bhutan’s recent development and some of its history. He even entertained us with a story about old rural outhouses that deposited its “contents” directly into a pig pen where the swine would gleefully eat and wallow in the filth. Gross but efficient.

Not long after a new load of BCFers arrived. I met my roommate, Fraser who hails from just outside of Bristol, England. A well-dressed man slightly younger than I who displays typical British politeness and charm in a Sussex accent. I also met the other recruits: Sebastian, a Danish-born who spent most of his life in Germany with UK citizenship; Dan, an outdoorsy math connoisseur from Vermont; and Becky from Colorado on her 3^rd year in Bhutan. Dinner was had in the hotel restaurant and there I finally got my hands on the infamous national dish, ema datsi, spicy chilies and cheese. I had heard it was frightfully hot, so in the months prior to arriving in Bhutan I worked up an already commendable spicy tolerance to a level that could endure ghost chilies. Fortunately my preparations were successful and I found it utterly delicious despite the spice, though no one seemed to share my enthusiasm. After dinner Sebastian, Holly, Dave, and Becky came to Fraser and my room to play a German card game called wizards until it was time to sleep.

 

 

The next morning we got to visit the Paro Dzong. It was enormous and beautiful. We walked past prayer wheels and monks in maroon robes and visited the inner sanctum. The whole experience was quite surreal. 

 

At lunch we met the third group of BCF recruits. There was Lynn from Tasmania, Adam from Mt. Vernon—the third and final Washingtonian of the group, Alex from New Zealand, and Cat from Michigan. Most everyone of our group thus far seemed to be around my age save Judy, Catheryn, and Lynn who are all in their forties or fifties. Later that evening the last of us came: Nakita from the UK.

On Sunday morning we took a scenic drive around Paro and visited an ancient Dzong which marks the beginning of the path up to Tibet and a temple devoted to Maitreya, the future Buddha. We then drove the hour and a half drive into the capital city, Thimphu.

 

 

 

It was a lot different than I imagined. Small, yes, but still large and bustling with a population of around 100,000 people. It is narrow with only one major street and a number of side roads. The youth there exude an indie vibe, sporting more western clothes and avant-garde hairstyles than the traditionally clad older generation. 

 

 

That night the 20-somethings all congregated and we ate at a pretty cool western place, complete with burgers, pizza, and beer. We laughed quite a lot—it seems we are a rather giggly group and it is easy to tell we are all having a great time so far.

Yesterday we finally got down to business, filling out contracts and visiting the hospital for a final medical evaluation. We let loose that evening after dinner, taking Fraser’s suggestion to heart and stepping into a karaoke bar. There we drank the most popular beer, Druk 11,000, an 8% lager, and locally distilled whiskey. We all had a go at singing. My favorite part of it, however, was listening to the locals sing Bhutanese songs in Dzongkha as well as butchering a few American pop songs.

Today has been more of the same, filling out forms and learning about the Bhutanese curriculum, all with the incessant discomfort of a hangover. I have to say, though, that I have truly enjoyed myself so far and already feel right at home with everyone. It will be bittersweet splitting up once we go to our placements. Fortunately I know Nakita and I will be only a few kilometers away from one another.