sights and sounds

everywhere you turn there is another waving flag. colourful fabric, printed with buddhist prayers to be carried by the wind...these inspired me, upon learning that our group was going to need to perform a song for a local youth talent show, to suggest K'Naan's 'Waving Flag'. relevant on so many levels to our time here, as fellow Canadians, traveling during the world cup finals, in a land covered in its own waving flags... after a month of numerous spontaneous and rehearsed renditions of the song, it has taken on a life of its own. what has been amazing is that everyone here knows it too! then, yesterday evening, i ventured out on a short walk down a dirt road from our hotel - past the grand bhutanese farmhouses, meeting children along the way, a rainbow arcing across the broad vally - and, to my absolutement amazement and pleasure, the sounds of that song come wafting out of a distant farmhouse - a verse sung by a child completely unaware of my presence of the profound singnificance of the song to me...and seconds later, from the neighbouring farmhouse, another child continues the song - carried on the wind... wow.

Bhutan to my senses is mostly sweet (and spicy!), and would be all so if not for the incessant barking dogs! There are strays everywhere - though they are cared for - and they are pretty cute (except the one that chased me while on our hike!) - but they come most alive at night, and when one starts barking then they all get going...not a pleasure for light sleepers! Still, I have almost gotten used to it. Aside from dogs - there are the birds. I have never heard so many bird songs at once - these I will desperately miss...that and the rushing rivers pouring out of the himalayas. And to complete the triad, i have loved listening to the wind in the trees - possibly my favourite sound on earth.

As for food - we have been lucky to have a good selection of Indian, Chinese, Continental and Bhutanese foods at our hotels and the restaurants chosen by our most fantastic guide, Karma. But, to be fair, we have not experimented much with Bhutanese food, which is mostly rice and chillies in a cheese sauce (ema dahtse) - at every meal. Yes, even breakfast. There are also momos - sort of like a steamed dumpling - filled with cheese, or veggies. These I love and will certainly seek them out at Tibetan restaurants in Toronto. We have been lucky enough to be here during the summer - and have enjoyed the tail end of asparagus season, the beginning of apple season - and also mangoes and plums. We spent a morning pulling weeds in rice paddies (and felt the pain of farmwork in our legs for 3 days following...!), and now look at every grain of rice differently. Farms here are subsistence farms, and have apples, rice, cows (for dairy), chillies (of course), pumpkins, beans and other staples. Here's hoping Bhutan's modernization does not destroy this variety and self-sufficiency. Just today I read an article in the local paper discussing the value of changing rules related to food imports/exports - and there was no denying that imports will drop the cost of staple foods such as rice, but could also quite likely lead to challenges for Bhutanese farmers to be able to continue to afford to grow their own. By the way, the rice here is red, and deelicious! On a side note - there is another 'crop' here that I wasn't expecting - actually, here it grows as a weed - along the roadsides, across from my hotel, everywhere really. Marijuana. There is little culture to smoking the herb here, so it is passed by...or fed to the pigs to keep them lazy and fat. The more fat on a pig the better in Bhutan! Eating bacon was an adventure in and of itself!

Bhutan's modernization includes a plan to have road access and electricity to all communities by 2020. Obviously important, it is interesting to note that this brings with it some key amenities which have become essential for every house, rural or urban, in Bhutan - lights, fridge, TV - and, increasingly, computers and internet. We did learn of a particular valley community, though, which has gone completely with solar energy in an attempt to protect the migratory habitat of the sacred black-necked crane. Apparently the electrical wires interfere with their flight, and the entire village decided this was not acceptable - so now every home has its own solar panel. There are small examples of this across Bhutan - where environment and community health come before blind leaps into modernization.

As for my meandering philosophies on education - I have returned to where it all began for me anyway - in essence, my only concern about education, per se, as in the system of education i guess - is the removing of people from the land and into boxed classrooms. How to balance this with the value of literacy, numeracy, critical thinking etc etc...of course, after years of study in environmental education, I know how (or I have some ideas...) - and have been glad to learn, recently, that Bhutan does acknowledge how conventional its system is and is slowly training teachers in student-centred, holistic learning...with environmental studies included as of the primary grades. Still, what we learn from books, and what we learn from the land itself, are distinct - I would suggest, if anyone were listening, that outdoor environmental and experiential education be woven into all grade levels too...