oNe PhOtO a DaY: SePtEmBeR

wEeK oNe SePtEmBeR 2015

THE PROMPTS FOR THE WEEK

MONDAY 31^st WARM: It was still warm enough at the end of the school day for children to be out on the ground and playing without getting sunburnt or drenched in the monsoon rain. Winter is definitely coming but for now it is pleasantly warm.

TUESDAY 1^ST IN MY WARDROBE: What wardrobe! Mostly orange and up front the ‘tego’ and gorgeous new orange ‘wangdue’ I just took off.

WEDNESDAY 2^ND HAPPINESS IS …: being on a filed trip and having a water fight.

THURSDAY 3^RD BEDTIME:  Sometimes bedtime looks just like this. One last 'shot' at down time before I crash

FRIDAY 4^TH MY PASSION: my greatest passion would have to be teaching. I love coming up with new ideas and activities to engage kids. This is one from a few weeks ago because there aren’t any photos of today’s huge success as I was too busy pulling it off at the time. The interconnectedness of our actions on the environment was what this one was all about: drag down and squat down for negative impact stand up and pull up for positive. These kids loved it!!

SATURDAY 5^TH “SPARKLE”: There couldn’t have been a better prompt for the class IV to VI production of “The Lion King”, which was held today to commemorate to 60^th Birth Anniversary of the Fourth Druk Gyalpo popularly known as the Lion King of Bhutan. There was so much sparkle, glitter and exuberance on stage with royalty in the audience that I just had to choose this shot of the dancers twirling and spinning and still beaming at HRH Ashi Dorji Wangmo one of the 4th King’s four wives!

 

SUNDAY 6^TH IN THE AIR: Prayer Flags flying high in the air above Thimphu Valley

wEeK tWo SePtEmBeR 2015

THE PROMPTS FOR THE WEEK

MONDAY 7^th SUNLIGHT: Sunlight streaming down on us at morning assembly this morning. It really felt like summer and that the monsoon was over today. Time will tell.

TUESDAY 8^TH HELP: I borrowed this book from a dear friend and colleague and read it in 2 days; there has to be some advantage to being house bound with a strained back. I hope it is going to help me understand some of my students better and help them get more out of their education.  It is interesting reading despite the very Indian context or maybe because of it.

WEDNESDAY 9^TH I HEAR: Most times we are at home we hear the sounds of these construction workers in the site next door. They work well into the night. It is certainly slow progress when it's almost all done with manual labour, even the cement mixing. I guess I am lucky that I hear voices, shovels and hammering and not machinery.

THURSDAY 10^TH I SEE: I see some painful times ahead but hopefully full recovery with this diagnosis and treatment plan

FRIDAY 11^TH TASTE: A favourite fusion dish combining local organic veggies in a miso soup with noodles I love it and don’t make it often enough

SATURDAY 12^TH OPPOSITE: Expresso Affogato perfection in opposites - cold and hot in an ice-cream and coffee combination. Sorry it is a day late I had to wait to get to my favourite cafe in Thimphu to order it and take this shot. I have not been able to get it out of my head since I saw this prompt 

SUNDAY 13^TH WOW!: Living in Bhutan has to be the biggest wow factor I know. Even after 4 years I am wowed and in awe. The tshechu and the masked dances are certainly the biggest wow of the year and this archive shot captures the raw energy and spectacular dramatic effect of this living, ancient tradition

second choice

SUNDAY 13^TH WOW!: It would have seemed so much less than wow only a week ago but this lumbar support belt has been in my possession and I my body for less than 24 hours and already mobility has increased and I am not imagining nightmare scenarios.

wEeK tHrEe SePtEmBeR 2015

THE PROMPTS FOR THE WEEK

MONDAY 14^th I’M PROUD OF THIS: I'm proud of this. My once shabby and faded favourite shoes just got a makeover with orange food colouring. Maybe they will dye my feet the same colour but since it's my favourite colour anyway and my fingers already are, why worry. I wouldn't dream of putting such a thing in food but it surely can't hurt my feet. Oh the projects you dream up when you need to remain indoors and immobile. Now where to store the leftovers?  With the spices or shoe polish???

TUESDAY 15^TH TO MY LEFT: After a 3 hour session at the hospital this landmark of Thimphu -the Memorial Chorten, was to my left as I walked into town. I'm always a little bewildered walking with this on the left as all chortens should be circumambulated clockwise keeping the chorten itself on your right. Traffic certainly can't travel in the direction I was but plenty of pedestrians were. I guess the fence precluded us from that necessity.

WEDNESDAY 16^TH TO MY RIGHT: Many of my colleagues, the teachers of Druk, lined up on my right and seeking shade and rest during the long speeches at early morning assembly

THURSDAY 17^TH I NEVER……: After four and a half days off school I never thought I would get through this pile of marking which materialized on my desk the moment I returned

FRIDAY 18^TH MY OWN: Undeniably I have my very own sense of Bhutanese style. Just a little bit modern and a lot traditional!

SATURDAY 19^TH CANDY: Flying half way across Bhutan from Paro to Bumthang yesterday I felt like a kid in a candy store. On a 25-minute flight I took over 80 photos but this one is my favourite

wEeK fOuR SePtEmBeR 2015

THE PROMPTS FOR THE WEEK

SUNDAY 20^TH PERSPECTIVE: you get a whole different perspective on these incredible maypole style prayer flag structures when you stand inside them

MONDAY 21^st RED: Nothing more sums up Bhutan than chillies. Right now is the season of freshly picked red chillies

TUESDAY 22^ND ORANGE: Traditional Buddhist designs painted on an orange background on the beams above the doorway of an old Bhutanese stone school building in Gaytsa

WEDNESDAY 23^RD YELLOW: These little, yellow memorial sculptures are found all over Bhutan. They often signify the loss of a loved one and can be any colour or plain white. These were among thousands in Bumthang district at Membar Tsho or Burning Lake, where we visited today

THURSDAY 24^TH GREEN: The green mask of the Garuda at the local Tshechu festival we walked into today

FRIDAY 25^TH BLUE: Blue Prayer Flag against a blue sky

SATURDAY 26^TH PINK: Right now the fields are awash with pink and white as the cosmos are in full bloom across Bhutan

SUNDAY 27^TH RAINBOW: This beautiful illustration from the book "Prince Siddhartha- the story of Buddha" shows with rainbows the moment of Buddha's enlightenment

wEeK fIvE SePtEmBeR 2015

THE PROMPTS FOR THE WEEK

MONDAY 28^th NOTE: I made this little note card myself at 6:30 this morning because I wanted to return to school after our 9-day break with the small gift for the nicest principal I have ever had the privilege to work with

TUESDAY 29^TH I WISH…….: for many big universal things like world peace, free, accessible education and end to domestic violence and sexual abuse but as a teacher this message stuck a cord tonight. I wish all kids were as grateful as the beautiful soul and former student, who sent this message to my husband tonight. Priceless ….

WEDNESDAY 30^TH KIND: Two very kind colleagues who have been an immense help to me this year. Not surprised to see one helping the other at the end of the school day when just about everyone is rushing to go home. Small acts of kindness move the world. Play it forward

THURSDAY 1^ST OOPS: Oops the power went out several times today, for varying lengths of time and so we had to use the old fashioned way of ringing the end of lesson bells. In fact it is out again right now but since I'm home I’m not fussed at all

FRIDAY 2^ND GARDEN: Even in a school with limited space there is always enough room for a little garden to bring colour and cheer 

SATURDAY 3^RD I SAW THIS: Today I saw this wonderful kid, who happens to be one of my favourite little people, get his first real bike, after watching him enthralled by the Internet sites absorbed in bikes earlier in the week. Excitement was written all over his face. Best surprise ever Junu and Letho

SUNDAY 4^TH TRADITION: There is a remote island school in the Torres Straits that is about to get a big injection of Bhutanese tradition and culture in the form of books. As a part of the celebration of National Reading Year, Druk School in Thimphu is conducting a book drive to supply the library. Many thanks to the parents of year X students who made donations yesterday supplying our first 35 books, purchased today