Flowers and Friends

Covered bridge over the Mo Chhu at Punakha

26^th April

I woke to my 6am alarm and went to use Phub’s bathroom to find that her mother had already risen at 5:30am to put the water heater into a bucket of water – which was already steaming for my morning shower.

I enjoyed an early morning coffee and hot mandi bath while Phub was preparing breakfast – shitake-like mushrooms she had harvested from the log just behind her house and the left over asparagus datsi, with rice of course.

Me and Phub at Goen Shari Primary School

My phone thought I was still in Gasa and told me that it would snow today – if it was snowing in Gasa, it could only be doing the same in Laya.  Again I was thankful that I was not there.  It would have made walking difficult!

Phub is very busy getting her young sons ready for the day, as well as herself, and I remembered some material in my notebook that might be useful to her – which she photographs with her phone.

Phub’s husband Sangay drives us to school to save the 10-minute walk – which is via a series of “shortcuts” down the hill to the road below.

Assembly at Goen Shari

Zimba is SOOO excited that Miss Lynne is coming to his school and will come to his class to read a story; he runs around telling all his friends to wish me “Good Morning”.

Phub took me to the principal’s office and there is, of course, the cup of naja, milk tea.  We talk for a while and he asks for any ideas to improve the students’ reading – most are from illiterate familes and are very poor readers.  I suggest that it is more important to build skills – such as phonic awareness and try to achieve a years’ learning from where the students are at, rather than plough the the class curriculum regardless. Phub has told me that one of her class 4 students does not even know the letter sounds.

Productive village in the Mo Chhu valley

Assembly progress as expected, although the student speech is challenged by lack of microphone.  The students sing their prayers with a volume and enthusiasm that would put a student body twice the size to shame.  One class 2 girl, in particular, puts such effort into her singing of the national anthem that she pushes her upper body forward with each new stanza.  Later, when I visit her classroom, I tell her that I admired her effort and ask her teacher to translate in Dzongkha – she looks so proud!

The Mo Chhu

The Mo Chhu

The principal invites me to speak to the students and I commend them on their singing before giving my message that they are lucky to live in beautiful Bhutan, and they should keep Bhutan beautiful, as I had observed them doing as they did their morning clean up duties.  I also encouraged them to value and make the most of their schooling, as most of their parents had not had the opportunity.   My words, of course, were much simpler than that, and I spoke as slowly as I could without loosing the flow of my message.  After assembly the principal asks if I will share some reading strategies in a professional development session after school and I do have to clarify that I am not staying that long but I do encourage teachers to do as their English Teachers' Guides specify and run a 15 minute skills based (eg, phonics, syllabalisation) start to each lesson (also very useful in maths with the fundamental maths skills).  Phub mentions the amount of curriculum that they need to get through, it is good that she mentioned that as it give me reason to reinforce that without students having the skills to learn the curriculum, ploughing through it with a class will not achieve the desired result anyway.  

Laya taxi

Phub and I select some books from the library for me to read;  the language is well above the class level but is the simplest I can quickly find, with large print and large pictures.  I suggest to Phub that she translate the story as I read.

Her class of 10 boys come to sit around me on their stools – apart from her uncooperative child, Sonam Tashi Namgel – classic teacher memory – the names of the worst and the best!!  I suggest to her we ignore him if he is not doing any harm to person or property and is not making any noise. 

Sonam and Narwang

I explain to the students that they will vote on which story book I will read and although the one person one vote concept is too difficult to grasp, it seems that Gulliver’s Travels is the winner.

Punakha Dzong

Jacaranda at Punakha Dzong

I read, and talk about the pictures and some understand some of the story in English; Phub fills in with Dzonkha.  After about half and hour of reading, rereading, discussing the pictures their attention is waning so I ask them to draw a picture of the story in their English books.  This activity seems to engage them and one boy in particular draws a great picture of the king with a much larger Gulliver and puts a great deal of detail into the ropes and pegs that tie Gulliver down.  Even our naughty boy is engaged with thoughts of his own with his notebook. 

I talk with them about the importance of reading and how it can take them and their imagination to wonderful places and learn many exciting things.  Phub again translates.

stunning Amaryllis

Another stunning amaryllis

The bell is sounded, late, and we move to class 6 where Phub invites them to ask me questions – a little slow to come, but she tells me later they opened up to me much more than to an official visitor a couple of days earlier.  The questions dry up and she asks if they have a library book for me to read – one boy produces Fairy Tales for Boys and I ask the permission of the 2 girls to choose one to read – the stories are not so much specifically for boys, but just lack the obligatory princess that many fairy stories include.  I chose The Gingerbread Man and get them to join in the Run, run as fast as you can, you can’t catch me I’m the gingerbread man.  I pause from time to time to ensure they understand particular words and Phub expresses her pleasure at their vocabulary.

Before I started reading, however, I asked them about reading words they have never encountered, and wrote antidisestablishment  on the board – telling them that the meaning was not important.  Underlining syllable by syllable they pronounced each correctly and most did a great job of putting it together, so I told them if they could read and pronounce that, they could read any word in their text book!

Floral decoration around portrait of the Zabdrum

The bell sounded before I had finished the story, but Phub told them she would finish in period 4. 

There was a cup of tea for interval, and my car was waiting below the school, but Phub asked me to at least say hello to class 4 – the plan had been that I would also read to this class, but the day’s timing was very much delayed.  I repeat my message about the importance and joy of reading.

Phub came down to farewell me at the car – it had been lovely to see her again;  goodness only knows whether there might be another opportunity.

Narwang drove me up to Phub’s place to collect my bags and I farewelled Phub’s mother and youngest son, who, now a little accustomed to me, came to me for a hug.

Sand Mandala

We headed off, following the course of the Mo Chhu, which is a beautiful river; sometimes needing to climb high above it as the valley narrowed to a gorge.  Takin Gorge in particular seemed bounded by incredibly precipitous cliffs.  The sign did, I think, give an altitude but I did not see it quickly enough.

I requested a photo stop to admire one particularly attractive village and farming area.  The well-formed terraces were already planted with chilli, eggplant, maize and more.

Just one of many colours

As we approached Punakha, a helicopter landed – the Laya taxi, Sonam said!  I had previously heard that the people of one of the really high altitude villages beyond Laya have become quite wealthy through collecting cordicepts and other high altitude herbal medicines (strictly illegal but fetching a high price on the black market in China).  Perhaps I should have chosen that as my mode of travel to Laya!

Model of temple

There was a delay as tarmac laying operations were  in progress.  After a while I asked about the probable delay “10 minutes”  It was well and truly a BST 10 minutes.  In need of a toilet stop, with no opportunity for a bush toilet as the area is open and lots of cars were queued, I was a little preoccupied.  Sonam tried to discuss lunch; he asked “local restaurant or...” and received a look over the top of my sun glasses!

Meeting Lobesa colleagues

Finally, after finding the required facilities I was prepared to have an intelligent discussion about food and yes, I would order thukpa (prepared with dried egg noodles – but no nasty additives) with vegetables.  It was quite acceptable and no doubt way more tasty than anything designated for tourists in a more upmarket establishment.

Pink Pointsettia

While I was waiting for my lunch to be prepared I sat outside the restaurant, looking at the Punakha Dzong, probably Bhutan's most picturesque dzong, watching monks and visitors circumambulate and admiring the Jacaranda trees, now in full flower.

Lunch finished, we walked across the traditional wooden covered bridge (built with no nails) that spans the Mo Chhu at Punakha and proceded to the site of the flower show. 

Pink Arum

WOW!!

I am not sure what I was expecting but this exceeded my expectations.  There were displays by assorted organizations, institutions and countries.  The Thai exhibitions sported some massive orchids – of a type familiar to me but not one I could name.  Punakha Central School had a wonderful exhibit – and we are not talking just a single table or stall; this, as did each exhibit, covered a large area. 

Orchid

There were displays done by the army, by the police, by the college of natural resources and many others. 

There were miniature models of many goempas and lhakhangs sitting on small hillsides constructed for that purpose.

Delightful shelters, seating area and a lovely children’s playground had been constructed and I was very amused to watch some of the younger monks playing on the slide and on the wooden truck.  The latter had, apparently, been popular with the young Prince when the royal family attended the formal opening on the previous day.

Orchid

My guide, Sonam had suggested that I might need an hour at the flower festival.  After an hour and a half, I had not walked from the start to the end on the left hand side.  There was so much to see, so many different flowers to look at, and I did not want to miss anything.  At various times I ran into teachers from Lobesa, including Phuntsho and Sonam, as well as Trish and Mila and his wife.  

orchids

Orchids

I had arranged to have dinner with Trish and Mila when I knew about my changed plans – guide Sonam had suggested spending a night in Punakha as my journey from Goen Shari to Trongsa would be very long.  It turned out to be a good choice with the time spent at the flower show being leisurely and giving me the opportunity to catch up with more friends.

More orchids

colour display

Seating area

Stunning azalea

I'd like to take this azalea home!

As I walked around the exhibition, I saw one elderly Bhutanese couple walking, hand in hand, an action that was attracting the attention of other visitors to the exhibition.

hand in hand

Colour!

What amazed me most about the exhibition, other than its sheer beauty, was the fact that it would all be dismantled after a few days.  It seemed such a shame that so much work would be taken apart!

 Towards closing time for the flower exhibition, I called Sonam to find out where he was, and joined him to proceed to my hotel.  He sold the location and the view before telling me it would probably be noisy – with the flower exhibition, rooms were rather at a premium.

The location was stunning; on the banks of the Mo Chhu, with a balcony with chairs, the view was panoramic and the river beach below was vaguely tempting but absorbing the view with a G&T was the choice of the moment.  Those benefits made up for the tiny room, the shower that intermittently spat water at me and the lack of electric jug – though the staff did fill my thermos and bring another of boiled water, along with a jar of coffee for my early morning beverage. 

 

just a model!

Pansy display

Carving on a tree trunk

another stunner

Lobesa colleague Sonam and son

I prefer to boil water for drinking rather than consume bottled water and contribute to plastic pollution.

Trish messaged me to say they had arrived, just as I was changing for dinner – and the hotel, at my request, had arranged a table in a part away from the television.  Ordering from the menu was negotiated rather than the set menu – the price of which was considered rather expensive by my local friends – to say nothing of the dishes not necessarily being to their taste!

Young monks at play

I asked if they would like beer but Sonam suggested that after dinner we should go to the shop, then to a quiet picnic spot he knew to have a drink together – the hotel price for beer was a little under 3 times shop price, which was certainly not to their liking.

More young monks at play

I joked that we were going to Sonam’s favourite parking spot, and when we arrived Phuntsho expressed surprise that she had never been there before and she must ask Sonam how he knew about it.  I did clarify that I’d made up the “parking spot” line and it was my joke – I did not want that to be the cause of a marital dispute.

Sonam and Mila had purchased beer and potato chips, and we sat and chatted and laughed as we consumed these.

View of the Mo Chhu from my hotel balcony

Mila commentd that he could understand my English so much better than my fellow BCF reading teacher, Joan’s, also commenting that in his previous experience Australians were easier to understand than Canadians and Americans as we spoke more slowly.  I joked that was because Australians are lazy, but Mila suggested that because I had been in Bhutan before, I deliberately speak more slowly – which I do generally try to do.

He also commented that Trish speaks good English, she did clarify that it’s her first language! I reinforced this with subsequent discussion!  I think the assumption is that, because she comes from Singapore and is Asian, English is her second language.

They dropped me back at the hotel and security was closing up for the night – stong steel folding gates across the entrance – which were of course opened for me promptly!