Take thee to a nunnery

Saturday 10^th March

Breakfast for 1

My day started with a leisurely breakfast with enough food served to me at the table to feed a small army.  Oat porridge,  a substantial plate of watermelon, 4-5 slices of toast, 2 grilled tomatoes, a plate of fried mushrooms, 4 boiled eggs and coffee.  And of course jam and butter for the toast, although I use my purchased local, freshly churned, butter in preference to the preserved Amul brand butter generally used.

The morning plan it to get myself organized, excavate my backpack and laptop bag, move some hooks on one of my kira, which is already too loose, and plan what I would like to do with class 5.  I am choosing between reading to them from The Wind in the Willows or The Reluctant Dragon.  Having not previously read the latter, I am finding it rather amusing, although it will have a substantial amount of vocabulary to introduce them to, in the context of the story.

Morning light on the valley

 A text conversation with my friend Phub who is now at Goen Shari primary school, somewhere on the road from Punakha to Gaza, still has us planning to meet, but when her young Zimba is recovered from chicken pox.  I am still trying to find exactly where Goen Shari is and how long it might take to travel there from here.

A conversation late last night with friend Zangmo has confirmed meeting for lunch in Thimphu tomorrow, and I will take a shared taxi about 8am to get there.

Another conversation with Karma at BCF confirmed that we have survived the week and teacher attendance at our classes is improving.

Leki in front of the cave of miniature stupas

And yet another conversation with Ann, fellow BCF reading teacher placed at Thimphu, said they are coming across with Aum Deki to stay at the eco resort at Wangdu and would we like to join them.  Personally, I can see little point in leaving my comfortable room here to stay somewhere else overnight only a few kilometers away but happy to have dinner with them, preferably not here or at the Lobesa.  Ann also, very kindly, offered to do any shopping we might want done in Thimphu. 

I filled in the morning quite nicely with a bit of getting myself organized, a bit of writing on the verandah while the housekeeping staff cleaned my room, touching base with Joan about prizes for the reading competition and a few other bits and pieces, including the domestic chores of washing my clothes in the provided bucket.  

The stupa at Peljor Chholing Ani Dratshang Dorongthang

About 1, Leki, the office assistant called, as arranged;  she was ready to take us for a hike up the hill to a nunnery or a goempa.  It seemed that the goempa would be closed, so the nunnery would be better.  It was a pleasant walk,  mostly along a dirt road (avoiding the occasional heavily laden passing truck) gradually ascending though sparse chir pine and mixed undergrowth, admiring the dense forest on the higher parts of the nearby hills.  We passed a couple of small caves which housed a collection of tiny stupas, some with gold plated tops, which Leki explained were put there with prayers for improvement in health or just with prayers for acquisition of merit.

In due course, after much conversation about this and that, much of which provided Joan with a real introduction to life in Bhutan, we reached the prayer wheels and stupa near the nunnery.  We duly turned the prayer wheels 3 times, Joan having received the information that they were filled with paper prayers and other valuables and that the symbols were actually prayers in the Tibetan language.  An elderly lady inquired of Leki about us and was told that we were volunteer teachers at the school.

A rather delightful arrangement of prayer flags

We continued with our circumambulations of the stupa and Leki explained to Joan about the small statue adorning the stupa.

She also pointed out the road/path to Pangsho Goempa, much further east - perhaps 3-4 hours walk.  I suggested that might be too much to incorporate today - just in case the thought was in her mind!

Then to the nunnery.  As we approached Joan stated that she had seen monks, but not nuns, and I asked if she were sure of this... it was clarified for her that they wear the same garb and similarly cut their hair very short.  Sometimes it is difficult to tell!

The living quarters were painted a rather startling pastel colour but the small temple was classic Bhutanese.  We sat outside, and the abbot joined us and we were served juice and generally chatted, with Leki translating for us.  It seems that this young woman (who looked about 25 but was actually 40) was the chief teacher for the 50 nuns who lived there, some as young as 7.  Her responsibilities stretched to fundraising (which might include door to door begging) managing the finances, providing sufficient food, generally organizing, dealing with illness and a host of other duties.  A private nunnery, it was reliant on donations but did have one major benefactor in Indonesia who was providing the funding to build a dining room for them – thus the intermittent stream of heavily laden trucks on the road.  She was competent at Dzonkha, Tibetan and Sanscrit and had qualified to the point of being able to perform most rituals.

There was a complicated discussion about the difference between the Nyingma sect and the Mahayana sect of Buddhism, and who followed which, and I confess to getting completely lost in this.

The Nunnery building that houses the temple

I asked about the youngest nuns - it seems they have some who are 7.  I have seen younger monks, but do not think I have come across nuns that young.  We were told it is the choice of the child to be a nun, though I do know that for many boys who go to be monks at a very young age, it is because their parents cannot afford the very small amount required for their education. Once at the nunnery a girl is expected to stay a nun, though once she has completed her education she may go to be a Dzonkha teacher in a school.  How this affects her status as a nun I am completely unsure.

We moved inside as the bell for tea was sounded and continued the conversation with Leki’s assistance.  Tea with crackers and the special twisted fried bread that is made for special occasions was served.  I remarked upon this but still was not clear the nature of the special occasion, but the decorations in the sacred area reinforced that a special occasion had only recently passed. 

The courtyard

There was much conversation about costs and expenses associated with our role and a degree of shock that we self funded out trip and were not being paid – along with a  bit of cross examination as to why we would do that.  I attempted to dispel the apparent impression that we were rich – the conversation had already very indirectly suggested that a donation would be appreciated.  Leki had clarified that some of the ladies at the school donated maybe 200Nu each month and I quietly asked Joan what she though we should give.  Highly embarrassed that she only had offering money, I suggested 500Nu each – which I could provide for the time being, to which she agreed.

There was further conversation about our costs, including the cost of our meals, and I explained that I knew that 400Nu for dinner at the Lobesa was excessive for Bhutan.  There was suggestion that we should ask for discount at the Vara (I didn’t mention that is 500 for buffet – I suspect that we actually may be getting discount at the Lobesa, the owner has a daughter at the school)  I also indicated that I had gone for momo for dinner and this was a much cheaper option.  Leki subsequently suggested an evening dinner together of momo.  A very nice idea.

There was a bit more general conversation, including associations with the East.  Leki comes from a small remote village in Lhuentse, a few hours walk from the road head, and our abbot Pema from Yalang, having lived near Yalang Lhakhang  -  the Lhakhang on the hill opposite my house in Kheni that I looked at daily with the intent of visiting before I left – something I did finally achieve.

Joan, the Abbott and me

Once in the sacred area, Leki indicated we should follow her example in performing prostrations, something I was quite grateful for as there was not a main Buddha statue or even main Guru Rinpoche statue. 

Our abbot Pema, explained, via Leki, the lineage of the founder, a reincarnation of Guru Rinpoche, along with some other statues, including one of a naked goddess that I had not seen before.

We eventually set off to return; the afternoon was becoming chilly as the wind had risen and it was getting a bit late;  neither Joan nor I had brought jackets but fortunately we were sheltered from the wind for most of the walk. 

The conversation back down included discussion of the naming of children – the fact that a lama gives the name of the child through astrological divinations.  Joan really has had a remarkable introduction to Bhutan today!

I suggested that I’d prefer not to take the short cut down a set of sloping steps cut into the clay bank, which has disintegrated for the bottom couple of metres.  Leki wanted to walk us back to the hotel, but I insisted we’d be OK and would not get lost as we had a road to follow and we parted with many thanks on our part. 

High above the valley

The road back down passed the electrical corporation substation and housing “colony” and a couple of young men were coming out.  We greeted each other and after a minute or two of working up to it, one greeted us with “Good Evening Madam” and was evidently most gratified to be understood and receive a smile and a response.

Joan asked about my meeting Leki and the context of the invitation to hike today and I elaborated – though actually it was all a bit vague.  It was quite interesting as Leki had already told me that she found me in that first week very approachable but Joan less so and I did suggest it might be because I had already lived in Bhutan.  Today Leki mentioned that she found that Trish was not integrating much - though this could well be because Trish is flat out with the workload.  To Leki, integration is sitting and sharing lunch with the women in the staffroom and I can understand why Trish wouldn’t.  They converse in Dzongkha, and only occasionally in English although when I have sat with them they offer to share their food – mine is obviously not “real food”.  It is not rice!

I recall a conversation with Scott, who is now back in Bhutan again, about isolation and loneliness amongst the women BCF teachers; at the time I stated that I thought myself very lucky to have formed 2 very close friendships in the village.  Perhaps it is because I was in a tiny village and that experience is one more of integration – though I know I made an effort to keep my privacy and personal space.  It is an interesting question to speculate upon.

Text messaging with Ann around 5pm told us that they were already at the resort and if we wanted to hire their driver he could come and get us for dinner.  As I conveyed this message to Joan, I pulled a bit of a face and she said she was OK with that  - meaning my expression.  So I sent a message back saying we were still hiking and maybe not.  Some quiet time to absorb the day would be quite adequate for the evening for both of us!

I went down to get some of our leftovers from the bar fridge for my dinner and had a bit of a chat with a couple of older gentlemen who were ready to tease the girls in the restaurant.  I asked them about their day and they could not remember the names of any places and I filled them in – although could not remember the exact name of one place and the girls just looked at me vaguely as I sought their assistance. 

Now for an early night ready to go to Thimphu to meet Zangmo tomorrow.