Culture

“Without our culture, we are extinct. The western culture is very forceful and the youth of Bhutan are hypnotized.”
~ Lyonpo Minjur, Minister of Home and Culture for Bhutan

Today was one of those days where I loved life. It was the first day of a two-week orientation, the welcome for my upcoming year here in Bhutan.

In the morning we met Chodem and Chimmi who work in the Human Resources Division. They’ve been in charge of placing the Bhutan Canada Foundation (BCF) teachers, making sure that we’re going where there is a need. Their division is in charge of the over 700 teachers that are in Bhutan, both local and from abroad. Chimmi ended up giving a talk on the makeup of the Ministry of Education and its endless departments and divisions, which include a Non-Formal Education and Continuing Education Division, a Games and Sports Division, and a School Curriculum Division. While it may sound boring, it was actually quite interesting and useful to see the framework of how education in Bhutan is handled, and where exactly I, as teacher, fit in it.

I ended up sitting next to Chimmi at lunch after the morning session, and he started a conversation by telling me his sister lives in New York and married an American, so she is Bhutanese-American. We talked freely for the whole meal, and he said he would take Scott (when he arrives) and I out to dinner later this week or early next week. Resisting the urge to generalize, I must say that I love Bhutanese. The ones I’ve met and talked to at great length are always so warm and friendly, as if we’ve been friends for a while.

In the afternoon, we were invited to do a “call-in” with Bhutan’s Minister of Home and Culture. Each district of Bhutan has a dzong, which is a building that houses both the offices of district officials and the monks. Our “call-in” was in the Thimpu Dzong. Just entering a dzong carries rules and formalities. We weren’t allowed to wear a casual jacket, like a fleece, no hats, no jeans. If you’re in National Dress, you must wear a sash or scarf – a red rachu if you’re a lay woman, a white kabney if you’re a lay man – so as you walk up to enter the dzong, you see everyone swathing themselves with the appropriate scarf and sash. Meena says she keeps one red sash at home and one at the office as she never knows when she’ll have to enter an official building. She said she used to carry one in her handbag but that got too bulky. As new volunteers, most of us were wearing western clothes. Before entering the Dzong we had to walk through a metal detector.

Inside the courtyard of the Thimpu Dzong.

We were invited into an ornate room – intricate paintings lined the top edges of the walls, carved furniture and bright colors elegantly everywhere – with two rows of small cushioned benches facing each other. At the head of the room sat the Minister of Home and Culture wearing a folded orange scarf – the folds themselves carrying a weight of importance – and a sword. On either side of him were imposing swaths of orange and yellow – two large, silk versions of the Bhutanese flag.

Lyonpo Minjur was elegant and kind, as I’ve found all Bhutanese to be so far. Before being elected to Minister, Minjur was a teacher and also served as the director of Sherubste College, where Scott will be lecturing, so he has a soft spot for teachers. Being the Minister of Home and Culture, he talked about the importance of Bhutanese culture, which, while there is a whole book (literally) of the code of conduct, is most evident in Bhutan’s National Dress and architecture. He talked of the need for us teachers to learn and try as hard as we can to follow the cultural norms, since we will be role models for our students, and children, after all, are the future of Bhutan. He thanked us for coming to Bhutan to serve as teachers, which is so odd to me – to be thanked for being here. He said that as soon as we reached our placement towns and villages, we’d be embraced by the communities. Somehow I believe him.

Lyonpo Minjur with BCF teachers.

His director of cultural affairs, whose official name and title escapes me (Bhutanese are very into their titles), explained how it’s their culture that ensures their sovereignty, their “different-ness”, is what distinguishes them from two neighboring superpowers China and India. They must retain their uniqueness to ensure not being swallowed up.

The only hitch to the day is the fact that it’s a business day and there’s still been no progress on Scott’s visa. As of right now, it’s up to the Royal Civil Service Commission (RSCS) to approve his application with the university. Once that it done, it’s just a matter of one to two days for the visa clearance. Then, and only then, can Scott enter the country without paying the high tourist tax. Needless to say, this process is frustrating. The people with BCF can only do so much and, from what I can see, they are doing the best they can trying to move the process along as quick as possible. But it’s not all frustration, of course. After all, I’m in Bhutan and Scott is exploring Thailand – things could be a lot worse.