wEeK oNe
NoVeMbEr 2015
THE PROMPTS FOR THE
WEEK
MONDAY 2nd
FLAT: Our ground maybe one of the largest areas of flat ground in the whole of
Thimphu
TUESDAY
3rd CUTLERY: one of the many odd things we brought to Bhutan after
our summer break in Australia was this pack of plastic cutlery. I spotted them
in a supermarket and knew we had a brunch for friends coming up when we
returned so they would solve the lack of enough cutlery for 12 guests problem,
in a fun way. Of course they are orange!
WEDNESDAY 4th
CHILDHOOD: I can remember the first time I did cartwheels on the front lawn at
home after weeks of trying. I did it at school at lunchtimes for weeks and
loved that none of my friends could. I did with nieces and nephews at family
gathering for decades. Every time I see kids doing it I want to do it too….. It
was a right of passage in my childhood but I didn’t join this little champion
on the grounds while wearing my kira. He looks like he is standing on his hands
BUT it was a failed attempt at a cartwheel!
THURSDAY 5th
6 O’CLOCK: Having only just got in the door and finished the bucket washing, it
was a little after 6 o'clock by the time I remembered today's prompt. Why is it
that no 2 watches ever say exactly the same time?
FRIDAY 6th
A FACE: Not so much a face as THE face of modern Bhutan. HM The Fourth King is
largely considered responsible for dragging the nation into this century before
abdicating to his son; the current monarch. Most of the nation is celebrating
his 60th birthday with a 5-day break beginning tomorrow.
SATURDAY 7th
A QUOTE: One of many laminated quotes I like to use with students. Sometimes I
hang them in the classroom for discussion or motivation and on this occasion I
plan to do some essay planning practise with this one and 12 more before exams
commence in just over a week (hence the attached note)
SUNDAY 8th
WOODEN: There are a lot of wooden elements in Bhutanese structures. This old,
faded, intricately painted post, which is part of the fence around a prayer
wheel at Wangditse Monastery is sure to be replaced as a part of the current
reconstruction but I like it just the way it is.
wEeK tWo NoVeMbEr
2015
THE PROMPTS FOR THE
WEEK
MONDAY 9th
DISTRACTION: The perfect distraction from daily life. A walk in nature, a
picnic and flying prayer flags to bless the birth of a dear friend's newborn
daughter.
TUESDAY 10TH
GOLDEN: The golden wheel of dharma representing the zero with a dragon as the
6. The symbol for the nation wide celebration of the Fourth King's to sixtieth
birthday tomorrow
WEDNESDAY 11TH
BLANK: I'm all ready for the exams with my continuous assessment scores
tabulated and only the final exam column and the total column blank for all my
classes. There is only one more day of teaching before finals begin. I also
love colour coding all my class information to keep track of it!!!
THURSDAY 12TH
CURLY: In a kingdom of straight haired people this prompt immediately made me
think of Michael Leunig's beautiful character Mr Curly. This is a shot from the
calendar that hangs at my desk at school and always makes me smile. Bhutanese
colleagues also love it and one was quick to request to keep it once the year
was over. The universality of humour
FRIDAY 13TH
ONE WORD: In this case Druk. Here in Bhutan it
is the Dzongkha word for Dragon. It can be found in the country's name, the
title of the monarch, an airline, a beer, plenty of hotels and guesthouses and
even my school, which happens to be where this shot was taken.
SATURDAY 14TH
PEACE: There is nothing that makes me feel more at peace with the world than
standing beneath the prayer flags and listening to the wind release their
blessings on all. This archive shot is of the impressive display created by
class 12 students in Rangjung in 2012 and it stood immediately outside my
classroom at that time. I often took solace in their embrace. After events in
the world today I would love nothing more than to be standing right there
SUNDAY 15TH
FLYING: Although the official celebration of the Fourth King’s Birth
Anniversary concluded in spectacular fashion last Wednesday (11/11), Thimphu
city is still proudly decked out in national colours and thousands of flags are
still flying. I personally think the
flag of Bhutan is an impressive design with the white dragon centred on an
orange and yellow background
wEeK
tHrEe NoVeMbEr 2015
THE PROMPTS FOR THE
WEEK
MONDAY 16th
BOTTLE: Just a mini bottle but oh how I wish there was more after the day I've
had..... Exams are the bane of my life
TUESDAY 17th
TRIANGLE: These coloured wool constructions are an essential part of rituals
here in Bhutan and though I don’t know their name they consist of intricately
tied patterns, which all seem to form triangles around a central stick
WEDNESDAY 18th
FLORA: The autumn colours have barely had their day here in Thimphu but since
winter is now upon us and today began with a frosty minus 2 degrees, the
fleeting appearance of this beautiful flora needs to be appreciated now
THURSDAY 19th
FAUNA: This is the famous animal emblem of Bhutan. More than just fauna the
TAKIN is a national symbol. As far as I know the only takin park in the country
is just up the road from where we live and I’ve never met anyone who has seen
one in the wild. I still find them strange looking beasts
FRIDAY 20th
ME: Me standing in the sunlight to thaw out before school and another busy day
of paper correction and evaluation. Exam time is the bane of both students' and
teachers' lives!!!!
SATURDAY 21st
OLD + NEW: The stone walls of the old Changanhkha Temple with new paths, new
steps and new lighting. This beautiful temple is just a stone’s throw from our
home and visible from just about every window (until the construction next door
is completed at least). It also features in the class IX novel, “Dawa: the
story of a stray dog in Bhutan” I’ve taught several times in Bhutan.
SUNDAY 22nd
COMPOSITION: COMPOSITION: As the temperatures plummet here in Bhutan my mind
turns to the beach and this perfect sunset shot is calling me home or at least
back to the beach
wEeK fOuR
NoVeMbEr 2015
THE PROMPTS FOR THE
WEEK
MONDAY 23rd
CUT: Just as I cut the frittata for tonight's dinner I realised just how much
cutting went into the roasted veggies and garlic bread as well
TUESDAY 24th
GO: We certainly have plans to GO somewhere once our visas to work in Bhutan
have been renewed but at this point where? Vietnam? Lao? Cambodia? All have
their attraction
WEDNESDAY 25th
STOP: This is the final assembly for classes 6- 8 today. As of now school has
stopped for these students if not the teachers and holidays begin.
THURSDAY 26th
THINGS I’M GRATEFUL FOR: I'm grateful to live the life I do, having a job I
adore and in a country I have come to love. Fingers crossed that the expiry
date on this will soon say 2017........
FRIDAY 27th
THIS HAPPENED: This happened today: for those of you who don't speak Bhutanese
text talk It means I got my working visas for 2016 approved today Soooooooo
happy!!! Nicely matched to yesterday’s gratefulness I must say!
SATURDAY 28th
FENCE: The huge fence which surrounds the grounds at my school. It's a rare
event for a ball to go over this one
SUNDAY 29th
BLACK: A black-faced demon a detail from the wooden window frame of the temple
near our home. Not sure about the significance
wEeK fIvE
NoVeMbEr 2015
THE PROMPTS FOR THE
WEEK
MONDAY 30th
FIRE: Every morning our Deputy Principal strikes a match and with a small fire
ignites the local incense powder that purifies her office and the school. A
beautiful Buddhist practise I love to witness as I did this morning
TUESDAY 1ST
COMMUNITY: I am feeling relieved and blessed to have discovered today that I
get to be a part of the Druk Community for at least another year. Both my work
permit and visa were renewed today and I'm sponsoring a morning tea for the
whole staff tomorrow to celebrate. I can't think of a community of educators I
would rather belong to right now
WEDNESDAY 2ND
PASTEL: Three of us at school have committed to taking up this challenge next
year and to having a jar opening and sharing party to review our year, so I
decided to create us each a jar to collect and conceal our joyful experiences until the end of the year.
The first one is pastel…
THURSDAY 3RD
BEHIND: Right behind me and over my left shoulder sitting at my newly cleaned,
tidied and organised workspace
FRIDAY 4TH
THREE THINGS I’D TAKE TO A DESERT ISLAND:- because there is no excuse for not
keeping in touch
SATURDAY 5TH MY HERO: My handsome,
husband is my hero! We have so much in common and in other ways we are exact
opposites. For every emotional outburst, anxiety attack, panic inducing
reality, over reacting worry and perceived crisis on my part he is the calm,
reasoned voice of sanity.
SUNDAY 6TH
I SPY: I spy with my little eye a holiday in the horizon ...... Not that I
think I'll make it to Europe this time round
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