Update: Day 24

At the uncomfortably early hour of 5:00am, we rolled out of bed and scrambled to finish packing our belongings for the road home. With barely any breakfast, we left for Tenzin Higher Secondary School in Paro at around 6:00am. We will be spending the remainder of our trip in Paro, going to classes in Tenzin on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday and hiking up to Bhutan's famous Tiger's Nest on Sunday. So as we drove by the gate to Thimphu one more time, we looked back into the city, thinking of all the incredible experiences and people that we were leaving behind. Needless to say, it was a quiet car ride to Paro. Some of us slept while others simply stared out the window as we swerved around mountain after mountain during this early morning drive. We arrived at Tenzin in time for morning prayer and were greeted by the principle, vice Principle, and many former students of Tashidingkha (many students from Tashidingkha come to Tenzin after they graduate) that Julian had met in the previous year. The facilities were well kept and nicely designed, with traditional Bhutanese orange and red colors. As the students lined up single file for prayer, we were greeted by possibly the warmest reception we have received from any school on this trip. We shook hands with smiling teachers and students alike and discussed the future plans for the Gross National Happiness Exchange Program. Even the morning assembly was given a twist upon our arrival. Instead of a simple prayer to the god of wisdom, the students sang a special school song to greet us, which went on for over ten minutes. The remainder of the morning assembly went as it had in all other schools. The students prayed for a few minutes, the principle gave a quick speech announcing our arrival, and Julian gave a brief talk to the students, introducing our team and discussing the exchange program. Immediately the assembly, we were taken on a tour of the school campus. We were impressed to see that the school was home to numerous cafes (where we sat down to have tea) and a swimming pool and weight room (something no other school had). Although the school certainly felt rural, it seemed like a much more updated and expensive version of Tashidingkha with many more resources (including internet) at its disposal. We sat down for a lunch with the the Tenzin staff and celebrated Indian Independence Day with the large number of Indian teachers at the school. After a few cheers and a couple cups of mango juice, we left the staff lounge to finally go sit in on classes. Each of us were asked to go to a separate class and give a half hour lecture about American culture and how are experience in Bhutan has been thus far. We asked questions to each class about Bhutanese culture, Gross National Happiness, and their time in Tenzin. We found students in Tenzin to be much more responsive than the ones in Tashidingkha as they were far more responsive and eager to interact and participate in classroom discussions. When our lecture time had ended, we were given the opportunity to freely sit in on various classes of our choice, which ranged from English to physics to Buddhist culture. Typically, we would sit in on classes that we were more familiar with and act as a teacher's assistant to help students understand some of the material that they found challenging. For example, in an 11th grade English class (taught by a woman from Mumbai) Julian would often be asked to stand up and explain/re-read a part of a short story to help the students understand it in greater detail. After the school day had ended, we were invited to a school music competition titled the "Tenzin Idol". In the school's gym size auditorium, students would stand on stage and dance/sing to a certain song. The music choices ranged from traditional Bhutanese songs to modern Western hits... or even a combination of the two. We thoroughly enjoyed watching the performances and after all the participants had completed their act, Nathan and Kuba were called upon from the audience to sing a somewhat comical interpretation of "Piano Man" by Billy Joel. Without music (or much vocal training), Kuba and Nathan still managed to gain the roaring applause from their audience and when the winners of the competition were finally announced, we too enjoyed joining the students in their applause. At none of the other schools that we visited did we feel as immersed and part of a community as we did in Tenzin.

Update: Day 23

Today was our last full day in Thimphu and we spent it preparing for a formal speech, which we will be giving the REC in a dinner later this week. Beyond this, we were able to walk around Thimphu and go shopping in stores to buy gifts for our return home. Tomorrow we will be visiting our last school: Tenzin Higher Secondary School in the rural Paro. Wake up will be early, at 5:00am, so that we can make it to the morning prayer assembly at 8:15am. Once again, with a new school comes a completely new perspective and we will update you on exactly what new insight the students of Paro have in addition to descriptions and pictures of our stay.

Update: Day 22

We spent our first full day at Pelkhil Higher Secondary School today, and it was one of the most exciting schools we have been able to visit. We joined the morning assembly where the principal let us introduce ourselves to the student body and staff of the school. Following the assembly we joined two grade twelve classes in one group of two and another group of three. Here we were able to interact with the students who, like all Bhutanese we have met, were incredibly friendly and curious about us and the U.S. The students were closer to our age and had much more exposure to American culture than students in rural schools like Tashidingkha therefore making it easier to break the ice and find similarities between ourselves. They were fans of many mainstream music artists such as Lil' Wayne, Avicii, and One Direction. During the students classes we realized they were not as attentive as students in other schools have been. The obvious reason for this was that the teachers simply did not motivate the students enough, did not try to get the students engaged in the lesson. Instead they would simply recite a few factoids about their topic and then proceed to give students a series of questions. There were some teachers that would actually attempt to educate the students but for the most part it was the way I just described: mediocre. What we did like, however, were the after school sports. It just so happened that they were preparing for some form of sports meet this Saturday and were having trials for different events. Today's consisted of the long jump, shot-put throw, and tug of war. After learning that I do jumping events for Weston High Schools Track and Field team the students were able to get me to try the long jump with them. As soon as we got to the fields it was easy to see how athletically talented these kids really were, which would also explain the multiple trophies they have in the principles office. Talking to them, we learned that two kids in the school actually played professional soccer in Bhutan: one was a starter for a National Team as well as Yeedzin F.C. and the other was a back-up goalie for Yeedzin. It was odd to think about considering we paid to see them play just two days earlier. After participating in a few athletics we sat down to enjoy our last hour with the students of Pelkhil, talking about ourselves and the hope to see each other one day again. Pelkhil will surely be a school we remember long after the end of the trip despite the fact it was only one day.

Update: Day 21

As the school week began again, so too did our rigorous schedule as we visited Pelkhill Higher Secondary School, which marked our first opportunity to interact with students of the same grade level as us (grade 11/12). Still, our day did not begin with prayer the way it had with every other school we visited. Instead, we had the opportunity to attend International Youth Day alongside many government officials (including the education minister himself) and students of various ages. This program, which is funded by Unicef, calls for the youth around the world to voice their opinion about a variety of issues that directly concern them. Today, this revolved around a discussion of the very relevant issue of youth migration. The various students and officials who discussed this issue did so in context with the rising tendency of the Bhutanese youth to migrate form rural Bhutan to the more modernized urban capital city of Thimphu. This trend has amplified the still unresolved issues of unemployment and crime in Bhutan as this increase in population has resulted in a large body of disgruntled, unemployed, and uneducated teens and early adults. Beyond this, issues of drugs, alcoholism, and gang violence have surfaced as a direct result of this movement. Solutions to these problems were discussed in an open discussion with Bhutanese officials (including the mayor of Thimphu) and the many Bhutanese students who sat alertly in the audience. The most common argument was that resources needed to be more equally distributed throughout Bhutan so that the rural Bhutanese youth could actually receive a quality education and have adequate resources and therefore not feel the need to migrate to Thimphu to have these standards. Beyond this, Thimphu, in ironic contrast to the rest of Bhutan, does not have any boarding schools. As a result, students who wish to study in Thimphu are actually forced to live there. We were all extremely interested in this discussion and were left with many questions about what the proper solution to this issue was. While we had no doubt that a better distribution of resources would be helpful in limiting youth migration, some of us felt that there would always be an incurable inclination among teens and young adults to travel to the more lively urban centers of a country. This debate could not have come at a better time as, shortly after the end of this event, we traveled to Pelkhill School, a place with a history of relatively poor education standards and teen violence and substance abuse. Even as we entered the school, we were greeted by a student with eyes that glowed red under obvious intoxication and as we walked through the halls of the school, it became quite clear that we were witnessing yet another Bhutanese perspective. In the classroom itself, it seemed that the general academic disinterest the students exhibited was met with a proportional level of frustration, laziness, and mediocrity by the teachers. We soon learned about the gangs that could be found throughout Thimphu, which came as a surprise to us considering the almost unbalancing level of kindness and generosity that we were met with. Even the students who openly admitted to involving themselves in such activities were very a pleasure to talk with and were, somewhat paradoxically, some of the nicest students we had met up to this point. The question for us then became: how do these students become involved in crime and where is Bhutanese culture in all of it? This is a question that we will be exploring tomorrow, during our first full day at Pelkhill.

Update: Day 20

After a late morning wake-up we were invited, by students we had befriended, to the finals of the Kings Cup, a soccer tournament that had went on for three weeks with various teams from Nepal, Bangladesh, India, and Bhutan competing for the prestigious cup. The finals were played today at 4:00 p.m. with the Bhutanese team Yeedzin F.C. playing against the Nepalese MMC. We arrived to the national stadium almost two hours early as to reserve front row seating for a better view. The seats were less than comfortable as they were simply long concrete slabs but that wasn't an issue until it started raining. Disregarding the weather however, people, mostly supporters of the Bhutanese team, began to show up in hordes decorated in red to show support for their team. Some of the more dedicated fans were covered in red face paint bringing with them drums and other percussion instruments as well as, to our amusement, conch shells in place of South Africa's vuvuzela. Right from kick-off both teams displayed an admirable amount of desire for the trophy. It was exciting to see that kind of effort within the young athletes and the excitement only rose when Yeedzin was able to put the ball in the net with a stellar header in the fourth minute. The energy from the crowd was fantastic. It did, however, dumb down a little when Nepal managed to score late in the first half. During halftime people stood up just to stretch there legs but no one wanted to leave the stadium in fear of the second half beginning without them. Returning to the game the intensity from the players was incredible, even after 45 minutes of continuous running. The game was still level but Yeedzin made the first move yet again, scoring after a little over 20 minutes into the second half. Unfortunately the joy was not long lived as the Nepalese managed a breakaway shortly after that led to a Yeedzin player scoring in his own net. With less then 20 minutes left in the game, Nepal was able to score two more goals on Bhutanese Yeedzin ending the game 4-2 in favor of Nepal. There was some obvious disappointment among the Bhutanese fans but they were proud of their men for making it to the finals in the first place. In the end, everyone had something to celebrate about regardless of which team you backed up. It was an incredible experience with many memorable moments, such as a dog running into the Nepalese goal causing Bhutanese to jump to their feet with cries of "Goal!!!", an experience we will never forget, for it is not often that the opportunity to view a Kings Cup final is presented to kids living in the U.S.

Update: Day 19

Today, we spent a lot of time in ambient cafe, an Internet cafe, working on catching up on blog work. We ate lunch at The Zone and went back to the cafe after lunch to finish our work. We had a basketball rematch against a local team at the youth center. After honing our basketball skills in Tashidingkha, we hoped we would be able to win the game this time. Unfortunately, we lost again and ended up paying the court fee.

Update: Day 18

Today we visited the private Druk School after having arrived from Tashidingkha Middle Secondary School only one day earlier. We were told that it may not be as exciting or as great of an experience as the one we had in Phunaka due to the fact that the kids were younger than us. The visit, however, was quite incredible.

Beginning from the moment we were let in through the school gate by security, we noticed that this day would be nothing like any of the days we had spent in Tashidingka. Students were running around outside, able to do as they pleased with the time they had before any of their actual classes. The school building itself was inviting as well, painted in bright colors with large and open doors. Behind the main building was an artificial-grass soccer field where students were students were playing various sports. The campus was charming and, to an extent, reminded us of what school was like when we were children, opposed to the strictness of Tashidingkha. 

We met with the principal who led us into the school for a quick tour. Some students were already in their respective classes, joking around with one another before the teacher came to class. What struck me was that some students were not wearing their traditional garb, which was required at Tashidingkha, but were instead wearing school sweatsuits which were allowed only on days when students had physical education. Passing through the hallways, we stopped by at the various science labs the school had to offer. Not to our surprise, as the rest of the school was advanced, the lab rooms were very nice. We felt as if we were shot two-hundred years into the future from Tashidingkha. Everything with Druk School was on par with our school had to offer apart from the blackboards. 

The tour concluded with visits to classrooms. We split into two groups of three: one group went to grade 9, the other to grade 10. Here we sat in on the classes, observing and then afterwards talking to the students. The most obvious difference between the two schools we visited, is that students in Druk were far more confident and had much more developed English speaking skills. The entirety of the class would pay attention to the teacher speaking and ask or answer questions. It was easy to tell that these kids were slightly more knowledgable than Tashidingkha students. What was most important was that the students were happy in their classes. They were engaged and not afraid to speak up due to the fact that teacher in Druk were much less strict and often said a joke to keep kids focused rather than drone on and lose the attention of the students. It is obvious that because of the environment they are provided with, all the resources that they have, teachers and students at Druk School are able to work much more efficiently and in the end acquire more knowledge. All of this makes school enjoyable for the kids and in the end they learn more than students in schools like Tashidingka where methods of educating are very old fashioned. Students in those rural schools are more or less aware of the world modernizing, moving forward with education, yet they are stuck in what is considered the old, longing for the new. Our day at Druk school was successful as we were able to compare and contrast two different systems of education available in Bhutan and the way that kids think. We will be presenting what we learned to members of the REC later in the week.

Article: Druk School vs. Tashidinghka

Believing that all schools in Bhutan were like Tashidingkha, visiting Druk School was a pleasant surprise for me. I didn't expect such a stark contrast between the rural Tashidingkha and the urban Druk School. Everything from the students, to policies differed between the two schools. The students at Tashidingkha showed us immense hospitality and gave us their absolute attention. The students insisted on tending to our every need. I often caught students watching me from classrooms, paying more attention to me than the teacher. In rural Bhutan, the students have no concept of what America is like. The students don't have access to the Internet or TV. Many students had no idea what New York City was like. It doesn't surprise me that these students were fascinated by the Americans visiting their school. The students at Tashidingkha were very shy, especially the girls. Many girls would simply laugh at me when I greeted them. I don't remember a single girl's name from that school because they mumbled when they spoke. Even when sitting in on classes most of the students would mumble their answers. When I taught my politics class, not a single girl spoke and only half of the boys spoke. In other classes, even less of the students would speak. Druk School was the complete opposite of Tashidingkha. Druk School students are younger than Tashidingkha. Despite the age of the Druk School students, many of the students introduced themselves to me in audible and confident voices. A kid that could have been no older than 7 years old high-fived me in the hallway saying, "Hey bro, what's up?" In class, the Druk School students would shout out answers and actively take notes in class. The students were far more engaged at Druk School than they were at Tashidingkha. Although I appreciate how adamant the Tashidingkha students were about keeping us comfortable, all of the attention they gave me made me feel really uncomfortable at times. The students at Druk School had access to the Internet. Most of the students knew quite a lot about American culture. I had students ask me about whether or not I liked the band One Direction. Clearly these students had already been exposed to Western culture. They weren't mesmerized by the sight of Americans nor did they have a thousand questions about what America is like. We didn't get any special attention at Druk School but the students were absolutely friendly nonetheless. Even the teachers at Druk School were amicable like the students. The 10th grade chemistry teacher I observed would tell jokes in class and laugh along with students. The teachers at Tashidingkha were very strict. Even the some of the teachers at Tashidingkha seemed uninterested in their work. I walked in on a class at Tashidingkha and the teacher left the room so I could teach. I had nothing to teach and had no idea what to do in that situation. As I mentioned previously, the students at Druk School are far more outgoing and engaged than the students at Tashidingkha. I believe this is a direct result of strict policy. The policies at Tashidingkha are very strict. Students wake up at 5 am to do maintenance of the campus. This includes digging, sweeping, cleaning, scrubbing, planting, etc. The students are only given 15 minutes to put on their matching ghos and kiras, their school uniform. Every day the students must attend a morning assembly and an afternoon prayer. Students are not allowed to go near the dorms of the opposite sex. Relationships are forbidden. The staff openly criticized students for misbehaving. Students can be beaten for misbehaving. The students told me that the principal once slapped a student during assembly. My host family told me that only a decade back, corporal punishment was worse. Teachers abused this power and that resulted in students not showing up for class fearing punishment. I believe the strict policies at Tashidingkha causes the students to be so quiet. The students don't speak after years of being conditioned into believing that their actions will be met with punishment. I asked the students at Tashidingkha if they like the strict policies of Tashidingkha. I was surprised to hear that most of the students thought they deserved to be beaten and punished for their misbehavior. The students seemed to blindly accept the judgment of their teachers. The students liked their uniforms saying that they made everyone equal; the rich and poor had to dress equally. The students liked doing labor around the campus because they thought it taught them physical discipline. Druk School did not have such harsh punishments. The students ran around the hallways freely. Despite what some might call a lack of discipline or order, the students at Druk School struck me as well behaved. The students had as much respect for their teachers and peers as the students from Tashidingkha. I think a change in policy might be beneficial for the teachers and the students of Tashidingkha.

Article: Tashidinghka VS. Druk School

There were several differences I noticed between the two schools we’ve visited so far. There were the obvious differences like the difference in social classes and the quality of life, however when we interviewed both schools, the students of Tashidinghka decided that they liked having a school uniform where the students of Druk decided that they wanted to be able to wear whatever they wanted. The aspect of preserving culture can be observed by this result. In Tashidinghka, during morning ceremonies, there would be a morning prayer. Three times throughout the day, there would be a whistle blown that signified everyone to silently reflect or pray for about a minute. There was an hour prayer session that took place every day after school. Prayer was said before every meal. Druk, on the other hand, was a less strict place. The only prayer session that I viewed was when we were leaving. There was a 10 minute prayer session that took place, and that was all. Even when we were having lunch, the hallways were busy and no one seemed to be bowing their heads in prayer. Tashidinghka was also more removed from any major cities, as the drive from Thimpu was about an hour on an unpaved road. In Tashidinghka, a student would have to report about news once or twice every day. That made me realize any westernized ideas being spread to a rural place such as Tashidinghka would have to arrive via word of mouth from a kid that was already born into believing in the preservation of culture. There’s no doubt saying that Tashidinghka was a harsh school. Not only would a teacher berate a student if they did something wrong, but they could also hit them with a metal rod if they were acting out of line. Because the kids are brought up in such a strict environment, they aren’t given the freedom to make their own opinion on whether or not westernization is a good idea or not. Since they start school they’re taught to conduct themselves in an orderly fashion in accordance with their spiritual beliefs. Kids that go to Druk are brought up in a more loose-fitting environment where spiritual beliefs aren’t as heavily enforced. Students are presented with the pros and cons of westernization with an unbiased view and can choose for themselves if they agree with the idea or not. In my opinion, the pros of westernization heavily outweigh the cons due to the technological advancements and the ability to openly express yourself.

Photos: Days 6- 18

Julian about to deliver a speech

Chefs cooking the food in Tashidingkha

Julian teaching philosophy in Tashidingkha 

James's Art class  

Jun's Technology Class 

Creative projects at Druk School

Model rocket in Druk School 

The remains of a creative project at Druk School 

Creative projects at Druk School 

Our team outside Phunaka Tzong 

Phunaka Tzong entrance 

One of the longest bridges in Bhutan 

Hiking in Phunaka

At Kei and Kuba's Phunaka host family house.

Farewell dinner in Phunaka

Tashidingkha Soccer field

Tashidingkha campus 

Mountains Beyond Mountains 

View on the road to Phunaka 

Dart match at Tashidingkha 

Tea time with Tashidingkha staff 

Druk School classroom 

Druk School Logo 

Tashidingkha from the distance 

Phunaka Tzong 

View of small village in Phunaka 

The road to Tashidingkha 

Supporters of capitalism in the politics class 

Supporters of socialism in the politics class

Getting ready to donate books 

10th grade students at Tashidingkha 

Tashidingkha central building and location of morning prayer

Tashidingkha cafeteria/ stage

Tashidingkha basketball court 

Tashidingkha basketball court

Tashidingkha male dorm room 

Tashidingkha viewpoint (where we did most of our writing) 

Principles house