International Women’s Day - and more

8^th March

I had discussed the idea of a “read for leisure, read for pleasure” poster competition, to encourage love of reading, with Head of Department, Mila Sir and he was most enthusiastic and suggested I write a proposal, which I duly did.  Together we looked at it and I reviewed it with a few of his suggestions and in due course I got it printed and gave to him for his signature of approval and to present to the Principal.

International Womens' Day celebrations with Lobesa LSS staff

He advised me that the principal had signed off on it and we could announce the competition in assembly the next day.  However, in the meantime Sonam, Sir had come to advise me that a letter from the authorities was directing him to celebrate World Water Day in a big way and maybe we could combine my reading poster competition with a poster competition promoting the World Water Day theme Nature for Water.  While I could not imagine how this might possibly work, I suggested we should talk together with Mila, Sir which might happen the following day.    The following morning I was still a bit bemused at the how the 2 topics might be integrated when Sonam Sir came to inform me that he had talked with Mila and the Principal and my reading competition would go ahead has planned and I could announce it that morning at assembly.  I quickly found Mila for a printed copy to read from and request that someone read it in Dzonkha for those who did not clearly understand my English.

I had called the principal the previous evening to ask if he was expecting a PD session, and he confirmed yes, but maybe keep it a bit shorter as the ladies wanted to celebrate World Women’s Day.  Joan was not in favour of my phone call to him and felt he should have made it clear to us, but I’m aware that in Bhutan sometimes things are done differently.  It did not take me long to throw together a quick powerpoint with ideas that had been brewing in the back of my mind for some time.

International Womens' Day celebrations with Lobesa LSS staff

I was still struggling to get all class 1 teachers to actually attend the classes I was teaching – the class 1A teacher had attended the first 2 and consequently the class was a little more settled, even without her, however other classes which I’d had to manage on my own (very badly, I must confess, as they did not understand much) were much more difficult.

Racing between class 1 and class 3 – the bottom level of the school and the top level, involved 3 sets of steep and broken steps – it was serious exercise as well as being a bit of a challenge in high heels and kira!

I did some correcting of notebooks in between lessons – one thing about class 1 correction is that it is very quick!!

International Womens' Day celebrations with Lobesa LSS staff

During a spare lesson in the afternoon I liaised with Joan over what I had prepared for PD and dispelled some of her criticism with the reminder that I am not a total outsider and was aware of requests and requirements previously made of teachers by their authorities – and I was only reminding them of some of these. 

Location of the data projector for my PD session was another of those uncertainties:  maybe it was in the science lab, or the IT lab, or the Principal’s office….  The actual locating of it required more exercise up and down the steps!  Finally located, another staff member brought his own laptop – just in case I could not get the data projector talking to mine.  I was not only delightfully surprised that it did, but it also allowed me to use presenter tools – bonus!!

A bottle of Eaglehawk??

PD proceeded ok, and there was  follow up discussion about public or private praise and criticism of morning speeches – I suggest praise in public, criticize in private – but there was further discussion about the importance of correcting pronunciation so we resolved that pronunciation correction is best done publicly as it makes sure listening student body is not learning mistakes.

I hand over to the ladies after I had finished, but it seemed that we were to relocate, and there was an offer to drop us at our hotel to dispose of our school bags and we then we proceeded to a café.

After some time, cups of tea were served….then momo…then alcoholic drinks and snacks.  Imagine my surprise at being offered Australian Eaglehawk red wine!

The conversation became hilarious and at times risqué – the latter a little hard to follow (in Dzonkha) but the jokes were translated for us from time to time.  Much fun was had by all

International Womens' Day celebrations with Lobesa LSS staff

Eventually people started to leave and I suggested it was also time for us to go and we walked back to our hotel with Madam Yangtse, and older lady who lives alone near to the hotel.  She confessed to being  “afraid to walk on her own at night” and Joan asked why.  I nudged her not to press the point and filled her in later that it was probably not the dogs or Jigme’s “thugs”, but those things that one does not name in the dark!

I also filled her in on Jigme’s “thugs”.  I had walked back from the shops to the hotel with previous afternoon with young Jigme, and everytime we passed a group of young men, Jigme would point out to me, sotto voce, what made them “thugs”; earrings especially were a major give-away in his young mind.